by Daniel Olsen
Starting slow didn’t not matter, as it was how the Utah State Aggies finished in the 36-14 win over Robert Morris Colonials in the 2024 football season that counted. Several players made milestones, and USU shut out the Colonials 26-0 in the second half.
Mistakes lead to slow start
Three interceptions in the first quarter was not the recipe for success that the Aggies had in mind. Spencer Petras had two and after he went down with an ankle issue, Bryson Barnes added another one. Missed tackles lead to a few long touchdowns for the colonials: first a 40 yard pass and second a 31 yard run in the second quarter. USU went into halftime trailing 14-10.
“We have a lot of things to clean up,” interim head coach Nate Dreiling said. “The biggest jump is from Game 1 to Game 2 so hopefully we can make that jump and get ready for next week. We can’t consistently beat good teams if we keep shooting ourselves in the foot.”
The lone touchdown for USU in the first half came from Spencer Petras in a 57-yard connection to Kyrese White. Elliott Nimrod also connected on a 36-yard field goal.
USU offense finds success late
The Aggies were still within striking distance when they came back the second half. Kyrese White once again became the spark plug the Aggies with a 53-yard touchdown catch.
It was the first touchdown pass for Bryson Barnes as an Aggie. He had a 63-yard rushing touchdown to start the fourth quarter as well which was the longest rushing touchdown of his career.
“I’ve been through it at Utah the last three years,” Barnes said. “You never know when the opportunity will be so you have to be ready for it.”
Defense Clamps down
The Aggies did not allow a single point in the second half once they settled in. The offense gave them momentum and motivation for the defense to not let the visitors get back in the game. The interception by Ike Larsen in the fourth quarter gave the Aggies the momentum they needed to put the game away.
The Aggies introduced new helmets with a cow spot print. The design started off as an April Fools joke, but quickly gained popularity on social media until the team made it a reality. While the helmets looked good, it did seem like there was some frustration with the feel of the helmets as players were having them fall off frequently during the game and adjusting them.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen anything like these helmets,” linebacker transfer Jon Ross Maye said. “I thought it was pretty cool. The frustration was just that it was the first game and we needed to shake the rust off.”
Maye tied a team high 10 tackles in the game and showed promise in his first game at the D1 level. He transferred from D2 school Lenoir-Rhyne in the offseason.
Next: Aggies look to bring Trojan Horse to Coliseum
The opponent for next week, the USC Trojans, should be a stiff challenge for the Aggies at least on the offensive end. They will kick off their season today against #13 LSU for the lone college football matchup of the day. They will play in the Modelo Vegas Kickoff Classic at 5:30 p.m. on ABC or the ESPN+ streaming option. The #23 Trojans finished with an 8-5 record last season that started strong but faded with defensive ineptitude that offset the prowess of Heisman winner Caleb Williams.
USU will face the Trojans on Saturday, September 7, 2024. They will play at 9 p.m. and the game can be watched on the Big 10 network. The Aggies currently have just an 8.1 percent chance to upset USC according to the ESPN analytics.
Featured image courtesy Joe Oliver
The Hive Sports 
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