Turnovers doom Aggies in loss to Idaho State

Utah State Football fell short to Idaho State 29 to 17 in their season opener for the 2026 season. This loss is only the second time USU has lost to an FCS opponent in the past decade; the only other came against Weber State in 2022.

From the first drive of the game, Idaho State set the pace for the night, opening with a 14-play drive in which the Bengals faced little resistance moving down the field. The Aggies were able to make a defensive stand inside the 10, limiting the possession to a field goal, but the Bengals took an early lead that they held for nearly the entirety of the game.

The offense opened the night strong, with an eight-play drive ending in a 15-yard Eli Wood touchdown. After this drive, the Aggies struggled to gain any traction for the rest of the night. Plagued by turnovers and penalties, the Aggies only found the end zone one more time the rest of the night. 

Starting quarterback McCae Hillstead struggled to find his footing, going just 15 for 30 passing with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Hillstead would be benched in the fourth quarter after his third interception of the night, replaced by graduate transfer Grady Brosterhous. Brosterhous struggled as well, going just 5 for 13 with an interception. 

“[Hillstead] struggled to find his rhythm and have the kind of performance he wanted, and we needed. I still love who he is. I think he’s a very capable football player and a good leader,” head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “I think we need preparation, execution, decision-making at a higher level to execute the way we need to. I don’t think it’s a start over; I think it’s where we are.”

Defensively, the team found its stride during the game, limiting Idaho State’s quarterback to just two completions in the second half. Despite the Bengals scoring 29 points, the Aggie defense allowed only 241 yards. On multiple occasions, the defense was forced to start on its own half of the field following interceptions. Despite the tough circumstances, on two different drives, the Aggie defense limited scoring to a field goal despite ISU getting possession inside the USU 25-yard line.

“We’ve been hacking away at this since January. All the winter workouts and everything kind of shows the grit of our defense down there in the red zone,” senior linebacker Harrison Taggart said. “Tonight proves that in college football, the best team that shows up is going to win. So, come with that mindset that we’re going to give it our all every single game, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

With back-to-back games against power conference teams looming on the horizon, the team feels they need to regroup heading into next week.

“The most connected teams are the best teams. Obviously, not the outcome that we wanted, but we need to come together as one and get going from there,” Taggart said. “You’re either in, or if you’re out, then you’re out. Being one heartbeat, being one team, that’ll be super important.”

Coach Mendenhall accepted the blame for the loss, feeling that the team’s preparations were not up to the level they needed to be.

“The clock is already ticking. Monday morning can’t come fast enough, in terms of the improvements we need to make. We played exactly as we were prepared to play, and that was really good feedback to me,” Mendenhall said. “I love my team, their spirit, their enthusiasm, their unity, and the type of people they are. Lots of football work to do to get the execution and the team performing.”

Despite the struggles at quarterback, Mendenhall doesn’t believe a change at the position will happen going into next week, saying he anticipates that Hillstead will be the starter next Saturday.

USU will take on the Washington Huskies next week in Seattle.