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Logan • After back-to-back losses to Boise State and Air Force, Utah State appears to out of the championship race in the Mountain West Conference.

Don't tell junior quarterback Kent Myers.

The Aggies are 2-3 overall and 0-2 in league play heading into Saturday night's game at Colorado State.

On Monday, however, Myers didn't concede the Mountain Division to the Broncos, Falcons or anyone else.

"You can only control what you can control," he said. "… It's a crazy conference. Air Force, Boise State and New Mexico — they always put up a fight. So, really, you can go to the championship [game] with two losses. But we have to win the rest of our games. If we don't do that, then we probably won't have a chance."

Utah State's offense must improve in three crucial areas against CSU if the Aggies hope to stay alive.

In their 21-10 loss to 19th-ranked Boise State, Utah State rushed for only 71 yards. It also went 4-for-19 on third-down conversion attempts and committed 12 penalties, including seven for false starts.

"We're have to have a mentality that we'll score every time we get the ball," Myers said. "… We should put up 30 or 40 points [every week]. We have the ability to do that."

Raymond's back surgery ends his season

Utah State tight end Dax Raymond has undergone season-ending back surgery.

Raymond was injured on the first day of training camp and has not played in the Aggies' first five games.

A sophomore, Raymond had surgery "a little while ago," according to Wells. He will redshirt and have three years of eligibility remaining.

"It is unfortunate for him," Wells said, "but we're looking forward to having him full speed [on] June 1, when our summer program for next year starts."

Going into the season, Utah State expected Wyatt Houston and Raymond to form one of the best tight end tandems in the Mountain West Conference.

Heading into Saturday night's game at Colorado State, Houston has 14 receptions for 138 yards and one touchdown. He has caught at least one pass in 11 straight games.

Raymond is "certainly a big part of the offense that nobody writes about or talks about," Wells said. "I would consider him a starter, along with Wyatt. We certainly would have played a lot more to our personnel" if both were available.

Raymond is a 6-foot-5, 245-pounder who attended Timpview High School. He tied a state record with 23 touchdown receptions as a senior.

Swenson faces long recovery

Utah State freshman safety Zach Swenson has undergone what Wells called "successful" surgery after suffering a broken leg in a car crash last Thursday night.

Swenson was driving when his vehicle left the pavement and hit the face of a roadside cliff at the mouth of Logan Canyon. A passenger in the car suffered non-life threading head and hip injuries.

"I have communicated with Zach and his father," Wells said. "… It will be a very, very long recovery. They think it will be a complete recovery so we'll get him back up here soon. But we're very fortunate that was the only thing that happened."

Swenson, 22, was already redshirting this season after returning from an LDS Church mission. He attended East High, where he was a Tribune all-state selection in football and soccer.

Warren still the No. 1 kicker

Senior kicker Brock Warren is 6-for-8 on field-goal attempts this season, but his two misses have been from close range at critical points in two games.

On Sept. 10, Warren missed a 37-yarder in the first quarter against USC.

During Saturday night's 21-10 loss at Boise State, Warren missed a 32-yard kick on the final play of the first half, allowing the Broncos to take a 7-3 lead to the locker room.

"That kick came back to haunt us," Wells said.

Warren is 14-for-20 in his career, but he also missed a game-winning field goal attempt at New Mexico late last season. The Aggies ended up losing, 14-13.

Going forward, Wells said, "I think it's unfair to say it's a wide-open kicking job. But I think it's fair to say it's getting evaluated - just like every other position."

Email: luhm@sltrib.com

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Utah State at Colorado State

P Saturday, 8 p.m.

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