Bonner, USU score 15 unanswered points to knock off Washington State
The Blake Anderson era of Utah State football is off to a great start.
Scoring 15 points unanswered in the fourth quarter, the Aggies knocked off Washington State 26-23 in Pullman on Saturday night. It’s their first Power Five win since beating Wake Forest in 2014 and their first Power Five road win since 1971 when the Aggies beat Kansas State.
Coach Anderson also became the first Utah State head coach to win his opening game since Phil Krueger won his opener against Weber State in 1973. He said he was unaware of the milestones but was proud of the team for accomplishing them.
“I’m proud for them. This is a memory they’ll never forget. Something I’ll never forget as well,” he said. “Hopefully it’s just the first step of a lot of great things for us as a family.”
Unlike most of the country, Andersen said he “wasn’t surprised” with the big win in Pullman. He also wanted to make sure the credit was assigned correctly. “I didn’t play a down,” he said. “The kids deserve the credit.”
Down 23 to 11 with 12:11 left in the fourth quarter, Utah State got rolling. With 5:25 left to play, Logan Bonner got the Aggies their first touchdown of the night, a three-yard hand-off to Calvin Tyler Jr. to cap off a 70-yard drive to make it 21 to 18. The defense came up with a big stop, forcing the Cougars to punt, which unleashed Bonner again. He went 7 for 7 passing on an 8-yard drive in 2:51 seconds. It ended with Deven Thompkins catching a game-winning touchdown pass from Bonner with just 11 seconds to play.
The Utah State defense was in full force for most of the night. The Aggies did not allow the Cougars to score at all in the first quarter, and in the second quarter, gave up only six points on two field goals.
Alternating quarterbacks, the Aggie offense got off to a slow start. Bonner was the starter but Andrew Peasley took over on the second drive. Bonner ended up 17 of 24 with 143 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Peasley went 6 of 12 for 76 yards. He also ran for 43 yards on four carries and lost a fumble.
“Both did good things and both did really dumb things to be honest with you,” Anderson said. Although he refused to make a definitive decision on who the starter will be going forward, he did acknowledge Bonners’ success. “(His) experience showed up tonight.”
The Aggies led a very balanced offensive campaign, grabbing 219 total yards in the air and 220 on the ground. The run game was led by junior Calvin Tyler Jr. and sophomore John Gentry, who ran 84 and 45 yards respectively.
Overall, the team played with a lot of energy and did a great job controlling the pace of the game. The importance of coach strength and conditioning coach Paul Jackson cannot be overstated in games like this one. Andersen cited the players being in good shape as a reason the Aggies were able to win the fourth quarter.
Thompkins agreed. “He’s made us all tougher and made us have a killer mindset,” he said.
Utah State’s victory is certainly an impressive one for the program, one that sends a warning to the rest of the conference.
“This isn’t the same Utah State team that was here last year,” Thompkins said. “We’re here to send a message.”