The Hive Sports

by: Joe Oliver

November 28, 2025 – Logan, UT : The Boise State Broncos outlasted the Aggies of Utah State.

The game that was supposed to be an outright victory for Boise State turned into a back-and-forth battle to the end! 

Utah State came to play! They took an early lead with a touchdown run by senior QB Bryson Barnes. After an outstanding defensive stand by the Aggies, Boise State settled for a 27-yard field goal by Colton Boomer. The placeholder was Oscar Doyle (punter and former Weber State Wildcat). 

Max Cutforth completed an 11-yard TD pass to Matt Wagner. Wagner was tackled at the 1 yard line and rolled over the defender into the end zone. The play was reviewed and it was confirmed that he was not down prior to scoring the TD.

The first half was filled with multiple official reviews. Leading some on the sidelines to speculate the accuracy and motivation of the officiating crew. Nonetheless, the battle dragged on. 

After a turnover on downs by BSU, Utah State failed to capitalize and were forced to punt. Later on, USU’s Javen Jacobs rushed 56-yards to bring the Aggies back into the lead. After a PAT by Tanner Tinker, the score at the end of the first half was USU 14, BSU 10. 

Utah State went into halftime with a leader of 21-13. As the Boise State players exited the field at halftime, they were not sulking or down. I listened to several players hype each other up. One even saying, “This is going to be a battle! We’ve gotta play all game for this win!” 

The second half began without much bang. With 4 minutes left, USU kicked a field goal increasing their lead to 24 – 13. In less than a minute, BSU stuck back with a 66-yard TD pass by Quinton Brown.

Tensions were high on both sides throughout most of the 4th quarter. Then, with just over 2 minutes left in the game, the Broncos scored putting them on top 25 – 24. That’s where the game ended.

Utah State finished it’s first season under the leadership of head coach, Bronco Mendenhall, at fifty percent. Ending with an overall record of 6-6 (4-4 in conference play). 

* After Saturday’s games, the Broncos won the Mountain West Conference regular season title. BSU will now host UNLV this Friday, December 5th for the MWC football Championship.

The Broncos finished their season 8-4 (6-2 in conference play). They were *tied with SDSU, New Mexico, and UNLV at 6-2. However, due to season matchups and the outcome of yesterday’s game, the home field advantage fell to BSU. They will face a tough opponent this Friday in UNLV. 

Photos by: Joe Oliver