Utah State vs SJSU takeaways: football champions of the world edition

Utah State scored 61 points on the road last week. Yes, the football team. Yes, It was awesome. And yes, I plan on riding this wave of good mojo all the way into Friday night’s showdown with BYU.

For those who haven’t been keeping track of Utah’s two most confusing teams’ collision course, it’s like this — BYU is stable on defense and offensively putrid. Meanwhile, every Utah State game reaches a final tally of 50-something to about 10. Twice, the Aggies have proven to be the dominant force, while the other two games against Wake Forest and Wiscon[this sentence has been intercepted by Jalen Davis!]. Most recently, USU decimated San Jose State and returned home to Cache Valley uncharacteristically amped, so for what seems like the hundredth time this season I’ve gotta ask — are the Aggies good?

Good: Team-wide swagger

This game was a beatdown. Utah State sauntered into SJSU’s house, shoved the Spartans in a hall closet and left them there to think about life while Dominik Eberle ate all of their ice cream. 38-0 at the half, 61-10 final — utter chaos. San Jose State is by no means a great football team, but what a way to win on the road against a conference opponent.

And yeah, I hear all you pessimists still saying none of this matters, but if you regularly sink into “burn the program to the ground” territory after a big loss to a superior opponent, you should allow yourself to enjoy this much-needed road thrashing, even if it is “just” the Spartans.

Good: Aggie special teams

Utah State has managed three blocked punts through its last three games, adding to an already impressive resume Saturday with a kickoff recovery on the SJSU 25 by Ron’Quavion Tarver. Generally it’s a bad sign for your season if special teams hogs the spotlight, but generally the Aggies don’t nail 52-yard field goals so maybe we should reevaluate our feelings on the third phase of the game. USU’s kicking is actually fairly reliable. Placekicker Dominik Eberle has a decent shot at scoring all of Utah State’s points this Friday — and that may actually be enough to win. Knowing the Aggies can score even if a drive stalls at the 35 is huge.

Good: Ron’Quavion Tarver

Was that the most underrated one-handed touchdown catch of the year? Seriously, get this man the ball. Tarver made five grabs for 42 yards on Saturday including a 23-yarder in the end zone while a defender cuddled his left arm like it was leaving for the MTC in the morning. Utah State’s offense runs into frequent snags against good defenses, and the solution might just be to toss a jump ball Tarver’s way every now and then for an explosive play opportunity.

Good: Explosive plays

This game was full of ‘em, but one stood out to me more than the rest. With the game already well past decided, Kent Myers ran untouched for a 68-yard score, one of six Aggies to record a gain of 20+ yards on an offensive play. Myers straight up engaged in a foot race with a safety already 15 yards deep and toasted him. With Jordan Love murmurs circulating, I think it’s worth pointing out the things Myers does that often get taken for granted, such as being the fastest damn dude on the field.

Jordan Love has performed well enough in his role as backup to earn himself a first-half series on Saturday — a decision Coach Wells made before the game was a 28-0 blowout — but doesn’t quite have a handle on the speed of the game just yet. His ceiling is higher than I believed it to be at the season’s start, but Myers is still the better decision-maker, the quicker runner and the more poised field general at this time.

Bad: Myers’ weekly interception

Cut it out, Kent. Give the Cougars a huge momentum play like that right out of the gate and they’ll eat your lunch.

Bad: Utah State’s other interception

Love’s pass rebounded off a receiver’s hands into Jermaine Kelly’s lap for a pick-six, but still. Those are the mistakes that seem to always happen against BYU, and it was disheartening to spoil the defense’s shutout bid by allowing a touchdown there.

Good: Aggie defense

USU gave up 10 total points, seven while the defense wasn’t actually on the field and three after SJSU recovered a fumble on the Aggie 34. Nice.

Good: Jalen Davis

Jalen Davis is probably the best player on this roster. He’ll be an all-conference cornerback if the Aggies can steal enough wins this season to justify the selection and there’s reason to believe he’s the next Aggie defender to make the leap to the NFL. His latest act of heroism? Crushing SJSU quarterback Josh Love for a sack 12 yards behind the line of scrimmage and punching the ball out, paving the way for Maika Magalei’s 38-yard fumble recovery. This was the exact moment the game got out of hand. All hail Jalen Davis.