Aggie football: Takeaways from Boise State
It’s happening.
The stakes were well known before Friday night’s home matchup against our rivals to the north. It was to be the most important game for Utah State in recent memory. Certainly the Broncos stood as the biggest obstacle between the Aggies and a Mountain West title. Perhaps a win would even be a stepping stone toward a major bowl game and all that it entails.
Those seemed like little more than lofty dreams this time last week — but now it’s happening. Kent Myers and Hunter Sharp are a top ten play on Sportscenter. The Aggies are receiving Top-25 votes. The defense that has so long been Utah State’s meal ticket suddenly found it had an offense to match, and the result was something beautiful — a complete and utter destruction of conference top-dog Boise State.
Turnovers for everyone
Friday was unreal. You couldn’t have drawn up a more nightmarish first half for the Broncos. It was like watching your roommate playing a game of Madden 15 on the rookie setting.
The Broncos fumbled, they threw picks, they got stuffed at the line of scrimmage, and at one point they caused the three Boise fans sitting in front of me to cheer for a first down — the result of a boneheaded Aggie penalty — as if they had just won the World Cup. These poor traveling fans were elated just to see the team they loved do even one thing right.
It made the ensuing Marwin Evans pick-six even more satisfying.
After starting the season with a concerning lack of forced turnovers through two games, USU’s run defense and secondary mutually agreed to make any team who comes near Maverik Stadium look silly. Defenders flew around the field delivering hits as if they’d watched last year’s 50-19 defeat in Boise on repeat for weeks.
There’s a good chance that’s exactly what they did.
The Aggies could do no wrong this game. The offense hummed, the defense clicked, even special teams punted to the Boise goal line on one occasion. It was the definition of a beatdown, a dominant performance capped by 21 USU points in the final 1:25 of the first half for a score of 45-10 at the break.
Run defense is for real
Almost any team can cherry pick stats to make themselves look good, but here’s one that’s tough to argue with — Utah State ranks No. 6 in the country in rush defense, allowing just 90.8 yards per game.
Nick Vigil and Kyler Fackrell in particular may well be the best tackling duo in the conference, and fans should appreciate the effort they brought Friday. The winner of the game came down to which team punched the other in the mouth first, and a 28-point second quarter due mainly to forced turnovers essentially sealed the game.
Taking away an opponent’s ground game kept the Aggies within shouting distance of No. 4 Utah earlier this season even before USU had found itself on offense. Now with that same stout run-stopping ability and the offense’s awakening, Utah State poses a serious threat to every team remaining on its schedule.
I see you, O-line
Offensive linemen get so much flack when things go bad, and so little credit when things go right. The Aggies’ three-headed rushing attack of LaJuan Hunt, Devante Mays and Kent Myers is gashing opposing defenses for big gains because this O-line unit has meshed at an alarming rate.
Going for a touchdown on 4th-and-1 on a critical early drive and holding BSU’s defensive line long enough for Myers to connect with tight end Wyatt Houston may have been the most significant offensive play of the game. It was huge, and it only happened because Coach Wells has faith in this unit’s growth and ability to make plays when it counts.
Running lanes are more prominent, Utah State’s time of possession and control of the ball is improved and Myers isn’t taking sacks even when he stays in the pocket to throw. The O-line deserves as much respect as any position group for the Aggies’ 3-0 conference record.
— Logan Jones is a junior majoring in journalism. Contact him at logantjones@aggiemail.usu.edu or on Twitter @Logantj
Link to gallery:
https://usustatesman.com/gallery/football-usu-vs-boise/