The Hive Sports

by Daniel Olsen

The Aggies were hoping for an upset to rival 2012, but they were unable to play the perfect game required to topple the #12 ranked Utah Utes as they fell 21-38 to the visitors. It was still an exciting game that didn’t get away from them until the very end.

Defense stays physical

Early on, Utah State clamped down on the Utes. That was no easy task as the visitors were a threat on the run, but the Aggies were ahead 14-3 early in the second quarter. The Aggies held an advantage in the passing attack, but eventually the Utes found open rushing lanes. The chunk plays were the difference in the game.

“We are always physical,” senior safety Jordan Vincent says. “We go into every game with that mindset.”

The Aggies limited the Utes to 3-13 on third downs, but struggled with just 3-16 converted in the same situation.

Offense respects every opponent

Whether it’s the Utes this week or the Temple Owls next week, the Aggies take every opponent seriously. While the Utes allowed just 12 points to Baylor last week, the Aggies scored 21 points and trailed by just a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

“It’s division one football so everyone is good,” USU running back Rahsul Faison. “We can’t overlook anyone.”

The Battle of the Brothers

With the first matchup resulting in a 12-0 Aggie victory before Utah even became a state, these brother universities have fought for in-state supremacy.

“Both fan bases have the classiest fans,” Coach Nate Dreiling said. “If this was any other state I think they would be throwing beer bottles at each other.”

While there weren’t any beer bottles thrown around between fans, plenty of players were throwing each other to the ground in this in-state matchup. Clyde Washington and Jordan Vincent led the team with 11 tackles each.

Up Next: Date set for Temple

While the state of Utah has 30 LDS temples that are either in operation, under construction, under renovation, or announced, it is just the Temple Owls that the Utah State Aggies are concerned about this week. This is a hungry team that is coming off a close home loss to Coastal Carolina.

The Aggies will look to get back in the win column and beat their first FCS opponent of the season. This will be an important win to get before the bye week when they will get ready for Mountain West play starting in October. The game will be available to watch on ESPN+ at noon MDT.

Featured image courtesy Joe Oliver