Utah St Hawaii Football

Aggies erupt on the islands to defeat Hawaii 56-17

So you missed Utah State’s 56-17 win over Hawaii? Perhaps you weren’t interested in staying up to catch the 10 p.m. kickoff time. Or perhaps you decided to catch a few extra hours of sleep after the Aggies ended the first quarter up 28-3. That’s fine. USU played well into the wee hours of the Mountain Standard Time morning, and one could be forgiven for putting self-care ahead of football watching.

Lucky for you, the sports staff at the Utah Statesman has no concern of their own well-being and stayed up for the entirety of USU’s beatdown of the Rainbow Warriors. If you missed it, here are the major storylines from Honolulu.

Junior RBs Darwin Thompson and Gerold Bright went off

Utah State relied heavily on the ground game to get the job done in Hawaii. Especially with sophomore QB Jordan Love exiting the game due to injury during the second quarter, both Thompson and Bright were asked to carry much of the load. Fortunately for USU, the pair answered the call authoritatively. Both topped 100 yards rushing and tallied three touchdowns. Thompson finished with 141 yards on 13 carries, with Bright not far behind with 121 yards on 16 carries.

The Aggies topped 600 yards of total offense for the third time this season, but this time it was a the rushing attack which deserved the most credit for doing so. USU’s 426 rushing yards are the highest mark this season by nearly 100 yards, and the most rushing yards in a game by the Aggies since gaining 428 yards on the ground versus Weber State in 2016.

Thompson and Bright particularly took over the third quarter, with each back garnering two touchdowns in the frame as Utah State, quite literally, ran away with the game.

Henry Colombi looked sharp in relief of Jordan Love

Love appeared to be injured on a rushing play late in the second quarter (it appears he should be clear to play next week versus San Jose State), turning over the reins of the offense to freshman QB Henry Colombi. Even with a 28-3 lead already in hand, the situation was the most important of Colombi’s young career. The good news is that Colombi looked sharp in relief, finishing the game with 48 yards passing and adding another 34 yards rushing. More importantly, however, the offense continued to put points on the board, with Colombi leading the offense to another 28 second half points.

The offense is not as wide open with Colombi at QB in place of Love, but Saturday night proved that it can still be effective. Colombi’s mobility and ability to run the ball gives the offense a new dimension and another threat for defenses to account for. The coaching staff won’t ask Colombi to do too much, giving the young QB enough easy reads and comfortable throws to keep Colombi’s confidence high and keep the offense moving. This offense still rises and falls with Love, but Colombi showed promise on Saturday night.

The defense continued its string of excellent performance

Somewhat quietly, Utah State’s defense has now held three straight opponents to less than 20 points after holding Hawaii to 17 points. The defense finished the night with three sacks and two interceptions on the night, but were constantly applying pressure to Hawaii QB Cole McDonald, a key reason for USU’s success. On the road in a late game, Utah State’s defensive stars led the way with several key plays.

Sophomore linebacker David Woodward again led the team with seven tackles on the night, adding an interception that swung momentum heavily to Utah State early in the game. Junior LB Tipa Galeai finished the night with six tackles of his own, including a sack and multiple QB hurries throughout the game.

The secondary was sorely tested against a quality pass offense from Hawaii. Sophomore safety Shaq Bond was absent after tearing an ACL last week versus New Mexico, and senior cornerback Deante Fortenberry exited early after being ejected for targeting. The defense received solid play from numerous players stepping up in their absence, with junior cornerback DJ Williams recording an interception and one pass breakup. USU also got pass breakups from safety Gaje Ferguson and LB Chase Christiansen, and two each from CBs Cameron Haney and Andre Grayson

Saturday was yet another dominating performance from Utah State, which is now 5-0 in Mountain West play and which has defeated its conference opponents by an average of 26 points per game. The Aggies will return home next week to continue their Mountain West schedule versus San Jose State. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m.

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