Well it finally happened! Utah State was finally able to get over the hump and win the Mountain Division this season. They were also able to grab the conference crown with an absolute domination of San Diego State. Logan Bonner had a very good game and overall Utah State was able to control both the field position and time of possession as they cruised to victory in the Mountain West Championship Game.

Scoring Summary

Second Quarter

TD USU; Logan Bonner 5 yard pass to Derek Wright; USU: 7; SDSU: 0

TD USU: Calvin Tyler Jr. one yard run; USU: 14; SDSU: 0

FG SDSU; Matt Araiza 23 yard field goal; USU: 14; SDSU: 3

Third Quarter

TD USU; Logan Bonner 56 yard pass to Brandon Bowling; USU: 21; SDSU: 3

Safety USU; USU: 23; SDSU: 0

FG SDSU; Matt Araiza 36 yard field goal; USU: 23; SDSU: 6

TD USU; Logan Bonner 18 yard pass to Brandon Bowling; USU: 29; SDSU: 6

Fourth Quarter

FG USU; Connor Coles 20 yard field goal; USU: 32; SDSU: 6

TD USU; Logan Bonner 9 yard pass to Justin McGriff; USU: 39; SDSU: 6

TD SDSU; Jalen Mayden 5 yard pass to Jesse Matthews USU: 39; SDSU: 13

TD USU; Jordan Nathan 0 yard touchdown run; USU: 46; SDSU: 13

Final Score: Utah State 46; San Diego State 13

Statistics Comparison

First downs: USU: 23; SDSU: 17

Third downs: USU: 8-16; SDSU: 1-14

Total yards: USU: 383; SDSU: 315

Yards passing: USU: 318 yards passing; SDSU: 167 yards passing

Yards rushing: SDSU: 148 yards rushing; USU: 65 yards rushing

Penalties: USU: 4-42; SDSU: 9-120

Turnovers: USU: 1; SDSU: 2

Time of possession: SDSU: 31:02; USU: 28:58

Utah State Players of the Game

Offensive Player of the Game

Logan Bonner had one interception but he was able to throw for 318 yards and four touchdowns going on 29-42 passing. Brandon Bowling had 154 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions and there was great communication between Bonner and Bowling all game long.

Defensive Player of the Game

Byron Vaughns had a stand out game with six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks in an impressive defensive effort by Utah State.

Analysis

What a way for Utah State to win their first Mountain West title. One year after being a one win team and losing to Boise State and Wyoming in conference play, Utah State beat the odds and dominated the Aztecs. The key to this game was to control the line of scrimmage and Utah State was able to give time for Bonner to throw the football. The Aggies were also able to win the field position battle with spectacular play on special teams, which is what ultimately gave Utah State the opportunity to pull so far ahead in the third quarter.

Up next for Utah State is a likely spot in the Los Angeles bowl against a desirable PAC-12 opponent as the Aggies look to cap off an 11 win season.