This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

If statistics are any indication, prepare for a lot of penalties when Utah State and BYU play Oct. 3. Out of 125 schools, the Aggies are the fifth-most penalized team with 38 penalties for 367 yards. BYU is tied with Marshall and Tulane as the most penalized with 44 penalties for 372 yards. The Aggies' average of 91.75 penalty yards per game ranks as the fifth most while BYU's average of 105.3 is the highest in the country. Following the Aggies' win over Idaho State, in which his team was penalized 14 times for 160 yards, including five pass interference calls, Wells said he didn't mind aggressive penalties. He is sticking with that philosophy, although following Saturday's loss, when the Aggies were penalized 11 times for 100 yards, he is getting more critical of his team. The penalties included an unsportsmanlike conduct call on receiver JoJo Natson, a pass interference call on a fourth down play by the Red Wolves in the final moments of regulation, another pass interference call on Arkansas State's opening drive and two false starts in the same drive by the Aggies. Wells blamed some of the penalties on 'undisciplined play in techniques.' "It's something that I addressed with the staff yesterday and I'm going to address with the players today," he said Monday. "It has been, two out of the last three weeks, a little bit of concern, too high of a number. Some of the penalties, I'm not going to say which ones, but some of them you live with as a coach. But we are becoming undisciplined in some technique areas that I think lend itself to a higher number of penalties being called. They don't ever show up really as a major concern until it happens on fourth-and-two or it happens on a first down or a big play. Absolutely it's a concern. I don't like that, but if I could point to one thing, it would be some undisciplined technique." Undisciplined technique or not, there is no doubt penalties are hampering an already struggling offense. Hopefully for the Aggies it is something they can clean up before facing the Cougars. If they don't, settle into your seats, it could be a very long game.