Boise State got the revenge it was looking for against the Aggies
The 24th-ranked Broncos were out to prove that last year’s 52-26 loss to Utah State was a fluke, their eight turnovers a once-in-a-lifetime chance and that this year’s Top 25 ranking is absolutely correct.
They may have gotten their redemption, but it certainly wasn’t easy.
The Broncos remain atop the Mountain West after handing the Aggies a 21-10 loss, due to a dominant defensive performance and a second-half surge on offense.
But the Aggies didn’t do themselves any favors either.
The men in fighting white were a dismal 4-19 on third down and were penalized a season-high 12 times for 90 yards – including four times in a row late in the fourth quarter.
“(We were) just inconsistent offensively, inconsistent in terms of protection, inconsistent in terms of running the ball,” said Utah State head coach Matt Wells. “But then we had those mistakes that bogged us down, too, so that’s a form of inconsistency.”
To their credit, the Aggies held a team that averages over 30 points per game and totals more than 400 yards on offense, to just 157 first-half yards and only seven points in the opening phase of play. In fact, Utah State forced a change of possession on five of Boise State’s six drives.
That defensive effort was led in large part by senior linebacker Anthony Williams who would finish with seven tackles, and senior cornerback Daniel Gray who would had six tackles of his own.
However, the entire complexion of the game changed in the second-half.
Broncos’ quarterback Brett Rypien threw both of his two touchdowns after the break, first on a 5-yard strike to Thomas Sperbeck and then to Cedrick Wilson from 36 yards out.
Now with a cushy 21-3 lead, Boise State entrusted last week’s Mountain West offensive player of the week, Jeremy McNilcols, with the ball. He finished the game with 36 touches, and 226 all-purpose yards, which included 132 yards rushing and a 61-yard touchdown reception.
”I thought our defense played well, but the culture around Utah State now is that we gave up too many points,” Wells said.
The Aggies battled back into within two scores of the lead when Kent Myers threw 30-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Rodriguez. But it proved to be too little too late.
“This is a couple of games now that our defense has fought for us, kept us in the game, (has given) us opportunities, and as an offense, we’ve just have to get better,” said freshman wide receiver Rayshad Lewis. “Our defense can only hold up for so long.”
Myers finished his day with 29 of 50 attempts, accounting for 287 of the 358 total yards on offense, and had that lone touchdown. Lewis led Utah State with a career-best seven receptions for a career-high 82 yards, while senior tight end Wyatt Houston finished with three catches for 41 yards to extend his streak of catching a pass to 11 straight games. Rodriguez had a career-best 89 yards receiving on six catches.
“I think (BSU) left some stuff out there for us that we didn’t capitalize on, but they were a good defense,” Lewis said. “They were disciplined and they were aggressive, and they wanted to win more than us apparently.”
The Aggies will look to find their first win in conference play this season against Colorado State on Saturday. The game is slated to kick off at 8 p.m. and can be seen live on the CBS Sports Network.