Opinion: Utah State vs. Boise State: Keys to the game

Utah State football will resume their season on Saturday against conference foe Boise State after a bye week last week. The Aggies take on the Broncos, looking to get back into the win column after a 1-3 start to the season. After winning their opener against Robert Morris, USU has dropped games against USC, Utah and Temple. 

Boise State welcomes Utah State to town as their homecoming game, looking to improve to 4-1 on the year with wins over Georgia Southern, Portland State and Washington State. The lone loss for the Broncos came from Oregon, who won on a field goal as time expired.  

Utah State and Boise State have plenty of recent success to draw upon, as the two programs are responsible for two of the last three Mountain West Championships. Utah State took home the title in 2021, and current defending champions Boise State won in 2023.  

For the Aggies, this is already their third ranked matchup of the season after previous losses to No. 13 USC and No. 12 Utah. USU is looking for their first win over a ranked opponent since the 2021 Mountain West Championship when they defeated No. 19 San Diego State.  

Utah State has a tall task ahead of them in the nationally ranked Broncos, not only to get back into the win column, but also to get their season back on track. Prior to their road loss at Temple, head coach Nate Dreiling described the game as “our Super Bowl,” saying it was a “must win game for this team”.  

After falling to the Owls, the Aggies need to figure things out in a hurry if they are to become bowl eligible for the fourth straight season. For USU, there’s no better way to get things right than by coming home to Logan with a top 25 conference win in hand. With that goal in mind for the Aggies, here are their keys to victory for this week’s matchup.  

1. Control the running game 

If Utah State is to come out triumphant against Boise, they will need to do something that no other BSU opponent has been able to do thus far: control Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty has rushed for 845 yards and 13 touchdowns this season in just four games. He is averaging over 10 yards per carry and has rushed for at least 100 yards in each game this season. In their most recent competition against Washington State, Jeanty ran for an incredible 259 yards and four touchdowns in the victory.  

“He’s the number one [running] back in the country right now it looks like, so he’s going to have our full attention, and we know we have got to contain him,” said Dreiling. Jeanty is at the top of Heisman Trophy conversations around the county and has been at the forefront of Boise State’s offensive gameplan. If the Aggies are to have any hope of winning on Saturday, they must hold him to under 150 yards rushing. 

Even with Jeanty’s playmaking ability, controlling the running game for Utah State goes far beyond the defensive side of the ball. Aggie running back Rahsul Faison is quietly putting up impressive numbers for his squad as well. Faison has 395 yards on the season and has notched back-to-back 100-yard games for the Aggies in losses to Utah and Temple.  

Utah State needs to keep Jeanty in check, but Faison will need to contribute significantly on the offensive side of the ball as well. “Being able to get [Faison] rolling is going to be a huge part of this thing,” Dreiling said. “Everyone talks about the Boise State tailback, like they should … but we love ours here too and we need him to have a big game for us.” 

If the Aggies can defensively hold Jeanty to under 150 yards and get Faison over 100 yards offensively, they will essentially even the running game and will put themselves in a position to win the game in other ways. For USU, this game probably cannot be won on the ground but can very easily be lost on the ground.  

1. Finish offensive possessions with touchdowns 

Despite their 1-3 start to the season, Utah State could very easily be entering this weekend 3-1 if not for their inability to finish good offensive drives with touchdowns. Missed field goals and untimely turnovers deep in opponent territory proved the difference maker against both Utah and Temple, turning winnable games into lopsided losses. The Aggies led each game at halftime before second half falters led to their demise in both matchups.  

“We can move the ball really well. When things are good, things are really good,” said USU quarterback Spencer Petras. “But we have lacked the consistency through four games to achieve the results that we want.” 

As noted by Petras, the Aggies have not struggled moving the ball in their games this season. Utah State’s offense is averaging 425 total yards per game, which ends up being very comparable to their 2021 and 2023 offensive output. Not including their loss on the road against top-ranked USC, USU is averaging over 500 yards per game in the three other games.  

The problem for the Aggies has been capitalizing on their offensive yardage and scoring touchdowns when they get into opponent territory. Utah State in each game against both Utah and Temple had three possessions inside the opposing 35-yard line where they came away with zero points.  

In a crucial game on the road against a ranked opponent with a stingy defense, these opportunities will come at a premium. Utah State cannot afford to leave points on the board if they are to win, and finishing long drives with touchdowns will be demoralizing for their opponent. The Aggies have proved that they can get into these scoring opportunities, but to win they will need to prove that they can capitalize on those opportunities.  

Utah State is continuing a tough start to the season, likely playing four top 25 teams in their first six games, with currently ranked UNLV on the docket for next weekend. Utah State desperately needs a win in one of the next two games to at the least preserve team moral and at the most keep their bowl game hopes alive. If the Aggies can control the running game on both sides of the ball and finish offensive possessions with touchdowns, they will put themselves in a position to disappoint a sold-out Albertsons Stadium and buck the Broncos in their first conference game of the season.