Utah State ended up putting up a good fight against Boise State after trailing 21-0 but fell with just over three minutes left in the game when they failed to convert in the redzone after an interception. Cooper Legas had a season high 306 yards passing and threw for a touchdown while also throwing two interceptions. Calvin Tyler Jr. struggled all day, rushing for just 65 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. The star of the game was wide receiver Terrell Vaughn, who had 148 yards receiving and a touchdown on eight receptions.
Scoring Summary
Second quarter
TD BSU; Taylen Green six yard touchdown pass to Eric McAlister; BSU: 7; USU: 0
TD BSU; Taylen Green 50 yard touchdown pass to LaTrell Caples; BSU: 14; USU: 0
TD BSU; Taylen Green 25 yard touchdown pass to Eric McAlister; BSU: 21; USU: 0
TD USU; Terrell Vaughn run three yards for a touchdown; BSU: 21; USU: 7
Third quarter
FG USU; Connor Coles 22 yard field goal; BSU: 21; USU: 10
TD BSU; Taylen Green one yard touchdown pass to Scott Matlock; BSU: 28; USU: 10
TD USU; Cooper Legas 75 yard touchdown pass to Terrell Vaughn; BSU: 28; USU: 17
Fourth quarter
TD USU; Calvin Tyler Jr. eight yard touchdown run; BSU: 28; USU: 23 (Two-point conversion failed); BSU: 28; USU: 23
TD BSU; Taylen Green 91 yard touchdown run; BSU: 35; USU: 23
TD BSU; Seyi Oladipo 48 yard interception return; BSU: 42; USU; 23
Final: Boise State: 42; Utah State: 23
Statistics Summary
First downs: USU: 23; BSU: 15
Total yards: USU: 468 yards; BSU: 428 yards
Rushing yards: BSU: 208 yards; USU: 162 yards
Penalties: USU: 7-55; BSU: 9-85
Time of possession: USU: 34:04; BSU: 25:56
Offensive Player of the Game
Terrell Vaughn had a big day in the passing game, grabbing 148 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions. Many of these passes were caught in the second half on big plays and helped guide the Utah State offense down the field.
Defensive Player of the Game
Byron Vaughns was a big presence for the Utah State defensive line, making six tackles and a sack. Vaughns played a big part in keeping George Holani from getting loose and helped to apply pressure on Taylen Green throughout the day.
Analysis
The defenses for both teams started off very strong before the game started to pick up. The Aggies went down 21-0 before making it a game. Utah State put up some great numbers on offense in the second half, but in the end Utah State just couldn’t take advantage in the redzone.
Cooper Legas did a nice job of escaping with his feet but in the first half Boise State’s secondary contained the Utah State wide receivers very well before a targeting penalty and injuries started to come into play.
Up next for the Aggies is going to be a likely bowl game with an opponent and bowl site to be announced in the near future.