Utah State's Nick Vigil is Mountain West defensive player of the week

Logan • Zach Vigil said he told his brother, Nick Vigil, after Saturday's game that the Aggies would need another big game out of him.

Monday morning, the junior linebacker said he was rethinking his words.

"In fact, I think I might stop telling him that because he keeps outperforming me," Vigil said, a grin crossing his face. "But he's done a good job for us. I'm happy for him."

Vigil has made a point of praising his little brother this season, but redshirt freshman Nick Vigil may have even outdone himself on Saturday in a 35-7 win over Wyoming. The younger Vigil led the team with 3.5 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss and had seven tackles total for Utah State's defense, earning him Mountain West defensive player of the week honors.

The Aggies held Colorado State to only 190 yards of offense in the game, another pearl in a recent string of solid defensive performances. Vigil said he got good advice from the coaching staff on film for wrapping up Brett Smith multiple times.

"They said when you're blitzing, you've got to take an angle on him," he said. "Don't go in there like a wild man. Aim for his upfield shoulder."

It paid off for Utah State, which advanced to the Mountain West title game this week. Coach Matt Wells said he expects more performances of that caliber from both Vigils, but particularly Nick.

"Nick had opportunities and he stepped up and made plays," Wells said. "He's a great young talent here, and really, really athletic. But he's the same mold as the rest of those guys. He's blue-collar, he's got an edge to him. He's really smart, can play multiple positions. We'll be talking about Nick for a long time in the next few years."

Kyle Goonkgoon@sltrib.comTwitter: @kylegoon