LOGAN, Utah — Utah State football raced out to a 14-3 lead in the first half but could not hold off No. 12 Utah as the Utes claimed a 38-21 victory on Saturday at Maverik Stadium in the Battle of the Brothers.
In the first contest in the rivalry since 2015, and the first in Logan since USU claimed a 27-20 overtime victory in 2012, Utah State looked to replicate history in the early going. After a Utah field goal opened the scoring, the Aggies jumped in front via a 20-yard touchdown pass from junior QB
Bryson Barnes to graduate senior TE
Broc Lane, capping a 4-play, 77-yard drive.
At the start of the second quarter, USU again took only four plays to hit paydirt with junior WR
Jack Hestera hauling in the 14-yard touchdown catch from Barnes to go up 14-3.
The Utes responded on the ensuing possession, trimming Utah State's lead to four points with a 11-yard TD pass from Isaac Wilson to Money Parks. USU's next possession ventured into Utah territory as the Aggies took eight plays to go 50 yards. The field goal attempt was blocked, however, delivering the ball back to Utah. The Utes engineered another scoring drive ending in another 11-yard TD pass from Wilson, this time to Caleb Lohner, to give the visitors a 17-14 lead heading into halftime.
With the first possession of the third quarter, Utah threatened to score another touchdown as the Utes moved deep into the red zone. A pair of half-sacks from senior DT
Miguel Jackson and junior DE
Gabe Peterson thwarted the Ute drive, however, forcing the second field goal of the day from Cole Becker.
An intentional grounding call on USU's following possession forced the Aggie drive to stall. Utah pounced on the opportunity with a 3-yard touchdown run by Micah Bernard, pushing the lead to 28-14 following a two-point conversion on a pass from Wilson to Brant Kuithe.
Facing an increasing deficit, Utah State converted two fourth-downs on their next drive, including a 31-yard pass from Barnes to graduate senior WR
Colby Bowman on a 4th-and-1 near midfield. After senior RB
Rahsul Faison converted a 4th-and-5 with a 17-yard run that was initially ruled a touchdown, Barnes rode the pile on a QB sneak to cap the 9-play, 63-yard drive and bring USU back within a single possession.
The Aggie defense then delivered on the second play of Utah's drive as a tipped ball fell into the arms of senior S
Jordan Vincent. Vincent, who tied for the team lead alongside graduate senior ILB
Clyde Washington with 11 tackles, returned the interception 15 yards to set USU up at the Utes' 27-yard line. The Aggies' drive stalled, however, and graduate senior PK
Elliott Nimrod's field goal missed wide left to keep the deficit at 28-21.
On the very next play, Utah's Bernard broke a 64-yard rush to enter the red zone. After USU's defense forced a fourth down attempt, Wilson found Carsen Ryan for the two-yard score to re-establish a two-score lead for the Utes. A pair of Aggie drives could not get off the launching pad, allowing Utah's Becker to add his third field goal of the game to extend the lead to its final margin.
Barnes ended the game with a season-high 223 yards on 16-of-31 passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions against his former team. He also rushed for 36 yards on 11 attempts and a score. Junior WR
Otto Tia posted a team-high five catches and 78 yards, while senior WR
Jalen Royals finished second with four catches for 44 yards before exiting with an injury. Hestera ended with a season-high 42 yards on three catches, including his first TD as an Aggie, while Lane matched the output of 42 yards and three catches alongside his third career score. Sophomore wideout
Grant Page finished with a career-high two grabs for eight yards and Bowman finished with the one catch for 31 yards. On the ground, Faison led the way with his third career 100-yard game, ending with 115 yards on 19 carries.
In addition to tying for the team lead in total tackles, Washington also led the Aggies with 1.5 tackles-for-loss. Graduate senior ILB
Jon Ross Maye followed close behind in both categories with nine tackles and one for loss. As a team, the Aggies set a new season-high with eight TFLs as 10 players recorded at least 0.5 TFLs on the day. Maye also tied for the team lead with one pass break up alongside junior CB
Avante Dickerson.
For the Utes, Wilson finished with 239 yards on 20-for-33 passing in his first career start, adding three TDs and one INT. Dorian Singer led Utah with five catches for 66 yards, while Bernard led the Utes with 17 rushes for 123 yards. Van Fillinger led the Ute defense with eight tackles, including one sack and 0.5 TFLs.
Utah State finished the game with 385 yards of total offense (245 passing, 140 rushing) as compared to 460 total yards for Utah (239 passing, 221 rushing). The Utes also had a 37:18 to 22:42 advantage in time of possession.
Fall Schedule
Utah State heads eastward for a non-conference game at Temple on Saturday, Sept. 21, at noon (MT). The Aggies will then open Mountain West play on Saturday, Oct. 5, at Boise State.
Ticket Information
Season tickets and mini-plans for the 2024 season are on sale now. Purchase your tickets today to guarantee your seat for the return of the 'Battle of the Brothers' on Saturday, September 14th. To purchase visit utahstateaggies.com or call the ticket office at 435-797-0305.
Parking
All Single-Game Parking sales will be cashless, starting this year. Those can be purchased in advance for $10
online, or for $15 on game days at the F lot entrances.
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