Aggies ground Air Force Academy in convincing win
The USU Football team opened Mountain West Conference play against the Air Force Falcons on Sept. 14. The game featured plenty of offense, but the Aggies were able to come out on top 49-30.
The Aggies opened the first quarter on defense after electing to defer the kickoff. Out of the gate, the Aggie defense was hot, limiting the Air Force offense to only 14 yards before recovering a fumble by Air Force quarterback Josh Johnson.
The Aggies quickly capitalized on the fumble recovery, with quarterback Bryson Barnes completing a 16-yard pass to Javen Jacobs to put the Aggies in the red zone. The drive culminated in a seven-yard rushing touchdown by Barnes.
“Anytime you can steal a possession or a turnover against the academy, it’s great because their intent is to not give your offense possessions,” said USU Football head coach Bronco Mendenhall about the Aggies’ hot start. “One of our foundational ways to play football is under all of our pillars, it says possession stealers, so that was huge for sure.”
The Aggies were able to shut down the Falcons’ offense early, allowing just three points in the first quarter as the Aggies jumped out to an early lead.
The second quarter began with an excellent defensive stand by the Aggies, holding the Falcons to only a field goal despite being backed up all the way to their own 14-yard line.
After the kickoff, the Aggies turned to the air to move the ball. Barnes opened the drive, completing a 15-yard pass to junior wide receiver Braden Pegan. Following the completion, the Aggies moved into a hurry-up offense and completed two more passes to move them to midfield. After a deep incompletion, Barnes connected with Pegan again for a 54-yard touchdown completion.
In an attempt to invigorate their offense, Air Force made a change at the quarterback position, putting in sophomore Liam Szarka, who led them down the field to score their only touchdown of the half.
A highlight of the second quarter was an incredible interception by senior cornerback Noah Avinger, who made an incredible catch fighting through contact to maintain possession. Despite the unbelievable play, the Aggies were unable to capitalize on the turnover. The quarter finished with each team trading punts as they headed to the locker room.
The Aggies blew the game open in the third quarter, scoring three touchdowns on some explosive plays from multiple players.
USU appeared unstoppable on their opening drive, traversing the entire 75 yards on just five plays. The Aggies were helped by an Air Force pass interference penalty, moving the Aggies into the red zone. The drive was capped off after sophomore quarterback Anthony Garcia ran the ball into the endzone for a touchdown.
The Aggies had a slow start in the rushing game but came alive in the second half after an explosive 30-yard run by running back Miles Davis to get into Air Force territory. After three quick plays, Barnes was able to find the endzone again for his second rushing touchdown of the night.
Again, in an attempt to bolster their offense, Air Force made a change at quarterback, putting Johnson back into the game. Following the change, the Falcons completed their first pass of the night, moving them 30 yards down the field. The Aggies struggled to stop the Falcons, who found the endzone following a one-yard rush by junior fullback Owen Allen. Despite the score, the Aggies were able to prevent the two-point conversion.
In response, the Aggies once again marched down the field for another passing touchdown to Pegan, who made an incredible one-handed grab despite defensive pass interference.
Pegan had a career night, with career highs in both receiving yards with 147, as well as receptions with six.
“He’s been putting in a lot of work, and it’s great to kind of see that work pay off for him,” Barnes said about Pegan’s night. “You can definitely see it from a quarterback perspective — the way he creates separation with guys, the way he finds open zones.”
The fourth quarter saw the teams trade touchdowns back and forth. The Falcons quickly opened up the quarter with another rushing touchdown.
On their second drive, the Aggie defense was able to halt the Falcons following an interception by sophomore corner D’Angelo Mayes, which was also his first career interception. Following the interception, Barnes carried the ball into the endzone for his third rushing touchdown of the game.
To close out the game, each team found the endzone one more time. The Aggies scored on a 52-yard rushing touchdown by Jacobs, which effectively iced the game.
Three defensive players set career highs in tackles for the Aggies, including inside linebacker John Miller with 11, defensive tackle Tyree Morris with 10 and linebacker William Holmes with 10.
“[The coaches] are very hard on us to practice, and that just translates over to the game,” Holmes said. “That makes the games easy. When we get out to the game, there’s no second-guessing. We know what to do.”
The Aggies look to bring this energy into their home game next week as they take on McNeese on Sept. 20.