peThe unexpected 3-0 start for Utah State is starting to turn sour quickly. The Aggies have now lost two straight in a blowout loss to Boise State and a entertaining 34-20 home loss to BYU. The Aggies now sit at 3-2 and are playing in a conference that has proven to be pretty competitive this season. So, this means that Utah State will have to get back on track quickly to have a shot for the division crown.

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

TD BYU Tyler Allgeier 22 yard run; BYU 7; USU: 0

FG BYU Jake Oldroyd 49 yard field goal; BYU: 10; USU: 0

FG USU: Connor Coles 52 yard field goal; BYU: 10; USU: 3

Second Quarter

TD BYU Baylor Romney 15 yard pass to Issaac Rex; BYU: 17; USU: 3

TD USU Logan Bonner 21 yard pass to Justin McGriff; BYU: 17; USU: 10

TD BYU Taylor Allgeier 59 yard run; BYU: 24; USU: 10

FG USU Connor Coles 45 yard field goal: BYU: 24; USU: 13

Fourth Quarter

FG BYU Jake Oldroyd 32 yard field goal; BYU: 27; USU: 13

TD USU Logan Bonner 28 yard pass to Deven Thompkins; BYU: 27; USU: 20

TD BYU Tyler Allgeier one yard run; BYU: 34; USU: 20

Statistics Comparison

Total yards: BYU: 466; USU: 336

Passing yards: USU: 314; BYU: 245

Rushing yards: BYU: 221; USU: 22 yards

First downs: USU: 23; BYU: 22

Third downs: USU: 11-21; BYU: 6-12

Penalties: USU: 3-25; BYU: 8-60

Turnovers: BYU: 0; USU: 2

Time of possession: BYU: 31:28; USU: 28:32

Utah State Players of the Game

Offense Player of the Game

Deven Thompkins was the offensive player of the game. He made some big plays, grabbing 125 yard and a touchdown on nine receptions. The 125 yards helped to keep the Aggies in the game late.

Defensive Player of the Game

Hunter Reynolds gets the defensive player of the game award. He made a big impact, making nine tackles and posting one sack in the 34-20 loss.

Analysis

It was another frustrating loss for Utah State but there are still signs up improvement. Last year this wouldn’t have been a game that was decided in the fourth quarter and neither would the Boise State game.

The offense is much more consistent in moving the ball but there are still areas of concern to work on, such as red zone offense. The Aggies have been able to move the ball down the field but have been unable to turn those yards into points. To stay competitive in conference play, Utah State will have to continue working on their offense.

Another area Utah State needs to focus on is giving up big plays on defense. In close games late, big plays can make all the difference. This proved to be a problem in the past two games against Boise State and BYU, giving up big plays in the passing and running game that ended up changing the game.

The Aggies have a game at UNLV and another game at home against Colorado State before going into a tougher game against Hawaii. As the season goes on, Utah State will need to continue to prove that they can improve to stay near the top of the division. The important thing for Utah State is that things are looking up from the past two seasons.