Opinion: First down debut: Takes from the Aggies’ first game

Utah State Football kicked off their season Saturday night with a 36-14 victory over Football Championship Subdivision opponent Robert Morris. The Aggies have now won 15 of their last 16 season openers after their victory over the Colonials.  

“That game, in a way, summed up our last 60 days,” said head coach Nate Dreiling after the game. “We took some blows, adversity hit, and it finished with a group rolling their sleeves up, being tough … and that’s what we want this program to be about.”  

With USU off to a 1-0 start in the Dreiling era, here are the top takeaways from Saturday’s win and keys to success for the Aggies moving forward. 

Top Takeaways 

#1: Utah State still has plenty of playmakers and offensive firepower.  

Last weekend proved that Utah State’s underlying theme from the last several years has not changed through all the off-season turbulence and overall concerns. The Aggies have survived the last few seasons by relying on a high-octane offense that could strike from any distance and leaning on a critical group of playmakers to do so. Since 2021, USU has seen some of the most prolific seasons in school history at the wide receiver position and has been ranked in the top 25 in the country each year as an offense.  

Coming into the season, the offensive potential is something that Dreiling was excited about.  

“Offensively, I feel like if we can protect the football, we will be very challenging to stop,” Dreiling said after the final scrimmage of fall camp on August 17. “They are so talented; they move so fast, and there is not a weakness.”  

The Aggies showed some of the talent and speed against RMU, breaking off four plays for over 50 yards.  

After over 1,000 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023, familiar star Jalen Royals was back on the board for the Aggies, hauling in five catches for 77 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown strike early in the fourth quarter. In addition to Royals, graduate senior Kyrese White shone in his first time in the Aggie starting lineup, pulling down three passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns.  

Even USU’s backup quarterback Bryson Barnes had a standout performance in the season opener, throwing for 198 yards and two touchdowns while breaking free for a 63-yard touchdown run. In a beautiful blend of familiar faces and new names, Utah State reaffirmed its offensive prowess in that win.  

#2: USU defense is still in question, but there is cause for optimism. 

In recent years, Utah State has relied upon its overpowering offense to win games and compensate for its underwhelming defense. The Aggie defense has finished near the bottom in most Football Bowl Subdivision categories and has been a stumbling block, especially in the last two seasons. Coach Dreiling was hired in January as the new defensive coordinator and tasked with re-hauling that struggling defense. The jury is still out on whether that defense has successfully been re-hauled, but cautious optimism is undoubtedly warranted after the first game’s win. 

RMU was a tale of two halves on both sides. The Aggie defense in the first half allowed 247 total yards and two touchdowns, both coming on 30+ yard scoring plays. Robert Morris ran the ball prolifically throughout the first half, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. In the second half, the Colonials were shut out, managed only 115 yards of total offense, and were held to a measly 1.9 yards per carry. Aggie defensive star Ike Larsen also came up with USU’s lone forced turnover, an interception on the USU 29-yard line early in the fourth quarter.  

There might be more to work out for Utah State’s defense, but after a rough first half, t they managed to righten the ship somewhat and give Aggie fans hope that the defensive struggles could finally be a thing of the past.  

Keys to Future Success 

#1: Clean Offensive Play 

Like the defense, Utah State’s offense stalled in the first half before figuring it out in the second half and surging to victory. The Aggies managed just ten first-half points despite posting 270 total yards and moving the ball well. The Aggies were derailed by three first-half interceptions and a plethora of penalties.  

Utah State smoothed out the turnover ratio in the second half, but penalties plagued the Aggies all night. All in all, Utah State was flagged for 11 penalties, nine of which were accepted for a total of 90 yards.  

“Players wanted self-discipline and team discipline,” Dreiling said after the win. “We learned our lesson today. We’ll handle that in practice, and we can’t allow it if we want to beat good teams.” 

To be successful throughout the season, Utah State must clean it up on offense. Giving away possessions and field position through turnovers and penalties is not a characteristic of winning teams.  

#2: Establish a Consistent Run Attack 

The “Aggie Air-Raid” of recent memory is clearly battle-tested and an effective tool for winning football games. What has seemingly lacked at times is the ability to be multi-dimensional and run the ball when needed to open up passing lanes. That said, in Saturday’s season opener, the Aggies ran for 303 yards, averaging nearly 10 yards per carry.  

For Utah State to be truly dangerous this fall, they must establish and maintain the ability to hand the ball off for three or four yards per attempt. With the season-ending injury to Robert Briggs Jr., this equation has gotten slightly trickier, but they still have plenty of guys who can make a difference out of the backfield. The Aggies have plenty of playmakers out wide that they can lean on, but if they become a one-trick act down the stretch, they will have difficulty putting together big drives at critical junctions to win games.  

#3: Develop and Demonstrate a Legitimate Deep Threat 

Part of what has made Utah State so lethal offensively in past seasons is the ability to create big scoring plays in the blink of an eye. In 2023, Utah State led the nation with 14 plays of 50-plus yards. Although the Aggies had four plays of over 50 yards in Saturday’s contest, none came on a true deep ball. Two of those plays were run plays, and the Aggies only completed two passes for over 20 yards, not accounting for yards after catch.  

The deep threat didn’t feel very threatening all night, with the few serious attempts usually being either overthrown or into double coverage and on a few occasions, intercepted. The Aggies don’t need to look for 75-yard touchdown passes every possession to win games, but they will need to instill in the defender the idea that a long touchdown pass is never out of the question.