Utah State picks up third win of the season, routs Hawaii 55-10

Utah State football improved to 3-7 on Saturday afternoon after a 45-point win against Hawaii. The Aggies scored a season-high 55 points to pick up their second win in their last three games. 

“It ain’t easy, man. When you’re two and seven, everyone in the country quits, and that’s the last thing that this team’s even thinking about doing,” said head coach Nate Dreiling after the game. “Just an unbelievable performance for where we’re at … so I’m awfully proud of those guys.”

The Aggies received the opening kickoff and quickly marched down the field on a six-play, 71-yard scoring drive that took just 1:26. The drive ended with QB Spencer Petras finding Otto Tia down the right sideline for a 41-yard touchdown to go up 7-0. 

Utah State controlled the field position battle through the first quarter, with their defense forcing three straight three-and-outs to start the game and their offense adding on a 32-yard field goal. After forcing a third Hawaii punt, a Warrior defender intercepted Petras on the USU 29, positioning them to get their first game points. 

Just two plays after the Hawaii INT, Utah State’s Jordan Vincent picked off Hawaii to return the ball to the Aggie offense. After Hawaii failed to capitalize on their interception, Utah State drove the ball 61 yards to the endzone to go up 17-0.

After being brought in on previous short yardage situations earlier in the drive, quarterback Bryson Barnes came in to finish the drive, throwing a two-yard touchdown pass to tight-end Josh Sterzer. 

Hawaii took their ensuing possession deep into Aggie territory before an interception from USU’s Torren Union on the five-yard line squashed another scoring opportunity. 

Utah State again capitalized on the INT, this time putting together an impressive 95-yard touchdown drive, its longest scoring drive of the season. 

Hawaii would hit a 40-yard field goal halfway through the second quarter for their only points of the half, and Utah State took a 24-3 lead into the break. 

Utah State’s defense has plagued them much of the season up to this point, but it turned into a bright spot for the Aggies on Saturday. The Aggie defense against the Warriors gave up just 47 rushing yards while notching seven sacks and five interceptions. Their five interceptions are the most that Utah State has had in a game over two decades.

“The whole team just came together, and the comradery of this group, we deserved this win,” said linebacker Bronson Olevao Jr. postgame. “Defensively, I think we flew around … We held to our keys, and we were able to make plays.”

The Aggies piled it on in the second half, scoring another 31 points en route to their season’s highest point total. In the third quarter, running back Rahsul Faison scored on two different 37-yard touchdown runs on back-to-back possessions. 

Faison finished his day on the ground with a career-high 193 yards and tied another career-high with two touchdowns.

In a déjà vu moment from the first half, Barnes again found Sterzer, this time from the three-yard line for an Aggie touchdown, putting USU up 45-3 at the end of the third quarter. 

In the fourth quarter, Utah State scored ten more points, and Hawaii finally found the endzone on a 44-yard touchdown pass with just over five minutes left in the game.  

Despite a season filled with adversity and injury, the Aggies can bounce back and finish their season strong over the final two games. 

“That’s what we keep talking about. We’ve been through a lot, everything that happened to us in the past,” Faison said. “We’re just trying to finish strong for us seniors, for the coaches, and just set something up great for the young guys that are going to be here next year, give them something to build off of.”

Utah State will look to pick up a second straight victory when they host San Diego State next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Maverik Stadium.