Aggie Analysis: Offense? Love? Receivers? Anybody? Hello?

THE RUNDOWN:

OFFENSE:

- What a HUGE drop off a cliff for Jordan Love’s production. After averaging 259.5 passing yards and 2 TD throws per game, Love accumulated only 53 passing yards and threw zero TD passes. He also threw a pick, ending the streak at four games without an INT. It’s honestly quite astounding how big of a drop off the passing game had in this game compared to every other outing so far this season.

- With the air show cancelled for the day, the Aggies ran through the Cowboys D like a hot knife through butter. They ran through it early and often. Darwin Thompson continues his impressive 2018 with a 109 yard, two TD performance. Gerold Bright got 35 yards on 12 carries, albeit with a long of 14 yards, so essentially 11 carries for 21 yards .. not amazing. In full honesty, without Darwin Thompson the Aggies lose this game.

Thompson exploded for a score less than a minute into the game:

- “Just cannot say enough good things about the receivers.” I said that this season, I said that LAST WEEK. What happened? I’m honestly confused. I was under the impression the Cowboys defense wasn’t very good, so how was Aaren Vaughns the leading receiver with only two receptions for 14 yards? No receptions for Dax Raymond, one catch for seven yards for Tarver. I can’t wrap my mind around it.

DEFENSE:

- You think this game was weird already? Let’s make it weirder by stating that the Utah State defense was a major factor in the win. They held UW passing to just 100 yards and Jontrell Rocquemore got ANOTHER pick. Adewale Adeoye also recovered a Sean Chambers fumble.

Rocquemore gets another pick:

- The only reason the Cowboys even finished with a double-digit score was because of a big third quarter run for a score from RB Nico Evans. He had the best day out of everyone on the field with 133 rush yards and that touchdown. Both teams got to the QB and sacked him once. Offensive line play continues to be a strength for the Aggies.

SPECIAL TEAMS:

- Eberle went 1 for 2 with a 53 yard miss in the first quarter and a 45 yard make in the second. He was perfect on extra points going 3 for 3. The kicker out of Germany continues to be rock solid.

- The biggest play of the day belongs to Savon Scarver, who returned a kickoff 99 yards to the house in the third quarter. It was an impressive play by both Scarver and his blockers, as he wasn’t even close to being touched by any Wyoming player.

Here’s Scarver’s kickoff return TD:

FINAL THOUGHTS:

- I don’t know who came to play today, but it certainly wasn’t the Utah State Aggies, except maybe Rocquemore and Eberle. The important thing to take away from this game, as abysmal as the offense was, is that a win is a win. More importantly, it’s a division win away from home; the most important kind of win at this point in the season. I just can’t see the Aggies staying this complacent. Players have off games, and maybe this is simply the one everyone needed to get out of their systems so that they can play out of their minds for the rest of the year.

The Aggies victory also brings the Bridger’s Rifle back to Utah:

NEXT MAN UP:

- The Aggies thankfully return home to Logan to take on the Lobos of New Mexico. They’re not necessarily competitive, but they’re not an easy out either. After this week’s performance, the Aggies will need to focus up and have a really great week of practice to get back to their high-scoring ways. Coach Wells knows full well what this team is capable of and will work out all the kinks that reared their ugly heads in this one. Get ready for what should be a high-octane offense the rest of the season.

WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE GAME? LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!

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