Bull Rush: Ground game comes up big as Utah State dominates BYU 45-20
The Wagon Wheel is staying put.
Utah State dominated from the outset in a 45-20 victory over in-state rival BYU on Friday night in Provo. The Aggies have now won three out of the past five games versus the Cougars, including two straight.
“I’m just really really proud of (the players) and and the effort that they put forth. That’s a big win. That’s a big program win,” said USU head coach Matt Wells. “Our mantra all week was ‘one game, one trophy, and a lot of pride.’ It’s one game and there’s a lot of pride for us at Utah State in a game like this.”
USU started on defense, as junior defensive end Tipa Galeai intercepted a screen pass on 4th-and-inches and returned it 56 yards to put the Aggies up 7-0. After a three-and-out by BYU on their next possession, USU began in earnest with a 10-play, 81-yard touchdown drive capped off by 2-yard touchdown reception by junior running back Gerold Bright.
Megan Albrechtsen Devon Thompkins tries to break a tackle as he drives the ball down the field during Utah State’s game against BYU on October 5.
“I’m really proud of our assistant coaches and in our players. I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Wells said. “They worked hard and they had a good week and they came out and played well on a big stage.”
A 5-yard touchdown pass from Tanner Mangum to Lopini Katoa trimmed the lead to 21-7 going into halftime, but the Aggies kept the pressure on in the second half, as USU began the third quarter with a 10-play, 81-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 6-yard TD catch by senior WR Jalen Greene. After BYU again failed to respond, USU again drove the length of the field, going 82 yards in 10 plays, as Love again found Tarver on a 4-yard TD pass to put Utah State up 35-7.
After Mangum threw his second TD pass of the game, this time to Dylan Collie, the Aggies again found the endzone when Love ran it in from two yards out to make the score 45-13. Junior kicker Dominik Eberle later closed out the scoring for USU before a late BYU touchdown finalized the score at 45-20.
“Great night on both sides of the ball,” Love said. “Offensively, we were able to move the ball how we wanted, and the defense, they had a tremendous game.”
Megan Albrechtsen Jordan Love, QB, sends the ball down the field towards an open USU player during their game against BYU on October 5. USU beat BYU for the second year in a row with a final score of 45-20.
Junior running back Darwin Thompson led the Aggies with 109 yards rushing on 17 attempts while senior RB Gerold Bright added 61 yards on 14 carries. Greene led USU with five catches for 53 yards.
The win was the epitome of a team win, as no Aggie defenseman tallied more than six tackles on the night. In all, 21 different players recorded a tackle for USU, and the defense forced three turnovers on the night which resulted in 21 points for Utah State.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who are interested in the team doing well as opposed to having a lot of guys interested in themselves doing well,” said USU senior center Quin Ficklin. “I think that has to do a lot with the offseason work with coach Scholz and the staff getting us to really work together and become one as opposed to being individuals. It’s been really good. People want to succeed collectively and have that be our motivation.”
Utah State has now won two straight games versus BYU for the first time since winning four straight versus the Cougars from 1971 through 1974. The Wagon Wheel trophy, awarded to the winner between USU-BYU will stay in Logan for at least one more year.
Megan Nielsen USU tackles BYU player on Friday October 5 at the Utah State versus Brigham Young University Football Game at Lavell Edwards Stadium. At the end of the first half Utah State takes the lead 21-7. (Megan Nielsen)
“Feel like we might’ve wasted a little bit of gas bringing it down frankly,” Ficklin said.
With the win, the Aggies moved to 4-1 on the season, their best start to a season since 2012. Utah State also moved to 7-0 in games following a bye week under Wells.
“The games that matter are coming up, the Mountain West games,” Love said. “These are ones that matter so I don’t think we have a problem staying focused.”
Utah State has struggled in recent years in the weeks following major victories, as the Aggies lost in the game immediately following wins over Boise State in 2015 and BYU last season. Still, the players say focus will not be an issue for the team this time around.
“All week we’ve been talking about winning the Mountain West probably more than we have been talking about beating BYU,” Ficklin said. “Our goal is to win a MW championship. That’s how we break every practice and every period. There’ll be no refocusing cause we’ve been focused on it.”
Megan Nielsen Utah State University plays Brigham Young University on Friday October 5 at Lavell Edwards Stadium. At the end of the first half Utah State takes the lead 21-7. (Megan Nielsen)
The Aggies return to Mountain West play next Saturday as USU takes on UNLV. Utah State currently sits at 1-0 in conference play after defeating Air Force two weeks ago.
Kickoff between Utah State and UNLV is set for Saturday at 2 pm.