Blowout against the Bengals
Utah State Football set out to put on a show for Cache Valley in their first home game of the season. The 20,034 fans in attendance didn’t leave Maverick Stadium disappointed following the 78-28 win over Idaho State University (0-2).
Seventy-eight points mark the fourth most points in school history and the most points since 1919 when the team beat the Bengals 136-0. This was Utah State’s sixth win in a row over Idaho State.
“I’m proud of the guys and the way they did that. I know the score is one of those you don’t get very often, but there’s still a lot of mistakes that we have to correct. I’m looking forward to being able to watch and see how many guys got to play and get snaps they don’t normally get,” head coach Blake Anderson said. “Fired up for the guys and excited about what’s possible. We just have to keep working and not let this one go to our head. This one won’t mean anything if we don’t learn from it, grow up and get better. But for tonight, we get to celebrate.”
After a disappointing loss to #25 Iowa in the season opener, the Aggies worked through the week to overcome their mistakes. Penalties kept the Aggies from successful play last season and against Iowa, according to Anderson. Tonight, the team kept it to four. Anderson said he hopes to get the number down to zero but recognized the significant improvement.
After ending the first quarter tied at 7-7, the Aggies blew out the Bengals scoring 44 points in the second quarter, the most points scored in a single quarter in school history.
Sophomore running back Robert Briggs had the longest rush of his career (58 yards) and his second run for a touchdown in the first quarter.
In the second, several USU players spent time in the endzone. Junior running back Davon Booth went 8 yards for a touchdown, then again after 40 yards. Senior wide receiver Terrell Vaughn went four yards to the end, sophomore safety Ike Larsen went 47 on a pick-six, his second career and junior wide receiver Jalen Royals ran after a 20-yard solidifying his first career touchdown. Junior running back Rahsul Faison rushed 60 yards and junior punter Elliott Nimrod kicked a successful 37-yard field goal to finish off the first half.
Vaughn reached double digits in receiving, the first Aggie to do so since 2001. He ended with 12, just under the single-game school record of 15.
When the quarter reached its 5-minute mark, the Aggies had scored 20 points in the previous 71 seconds.
The 44 total points scored in the quarter marked the most points scored in a single quarter in known USU history and the 51 points in the first half marked the second-best in school history since 2018’s 52-point half against New Mexico
The teams ran to the locker room ending the half 51-14.
The third quarter kept a lower score but the Aggies didn’t back down. Vaughn made it to the end zone after a five-yard pass when junior quarterback Levi Williams entered the game, William’s first touchdown pass at Utah State. Junior wide receiver Micah Davis ran for a 47-yard touchdown for the Aggies followed by a 12-yard pass from Hunter Hays to Michael Shulikov allowing the Bengals to close out the quarter with more points on the board. The quarter ended 65-21.
Davis’s touchdown marked third in his career and first as an Aggie.
Idaho’s Raiden Hunter started the fourth quarter with a touchdown before the Aggies closed out the game, adding two more touchdowns to their stats. Senior running back Cooper Jones ran the ball in on the one for his first career touchdown and junior cornerback Jaden Francois went 75 yards after an interception on Idaho’s side.
Third-string quarterback McCae Hillstead entered the game for the entire fourth quarter, passing 18 yards and going 3-5-0 on completions, attempts, interceptions.
It was a night of record-setting and personal bests for the Aggies. Senior Punter Stephen Kotsanlee had a career-high 69-yard kick and safety Anthony Switzer went 10 on tackles, another career-high. The team’s running backs proved their strength as Briggs accounted for a career-high 101 rushing yards, Faison with 95 and Booth with 83.
USU finished with 424 total yards – 323 through the air and 101 on the ground. Their 591 yards of total offense is the 24th-most in school history, while its 380 rushing yards are the 19th-most in school history.
Utah State forced three turnovers (1 fumble, 2 interceptions), its first turnovers of the year. The team scored two defensive touchdowns on a pair of interception returns. It’s the first time USU had two pick-sixes in the same game since Colorado State in 2018.
The team sets out for its conference opener against Air Force on Friday, Sept. 15, at 6 p.m., at Falcon Stadium.