What was expected to be a tune-up opener for Utah State turned into a frustrating nightmare on Saturday evening at Maverik Stadium. Four costly interceptions and an inability to stall Idaho State’s special teams led to a disappointing 29-17 defeat at the hands of the FCS No. 23 Bengals. Despite taking a brief 17-16 lead late in the third quarter, the Aggies surrendered 13 unanswered fourth-quarter points, handing Idaho State its first win over Utah State since 2000.

Idaho State scored an early field goal and the Aggies responded well with the first receiving touchdown of Eli Wood’s Aggie career. They looked to be operating smoothly, but Idaho State responded with 13 unanswered points to take a 16-7 lead.

Utah State scored their first field goal before halftime and saw Demick Starling’s first receiving touchdown as an Aggie. They seemed to be recovering from the slow early start, however, Idaho State put the pressure back on. The turnover margin was a key factor in the Aggies’ 50-point win over Idaho State back in 2023. Coach Hawkins has since rebuilt the Bengals into a top contender in the FCS. They have pressured New Mexico and UNLV considerably in recent years.

“We did not play clean,” Coach Mendenhall said. “We didn’t execute well. We weren’t consistent not only in the play making but in the penalties we had. So basically the team wasn’t prepared well enough to win.”

After some concern on McCae Hillstead’s performance, Coach Mendenhall clarified that his hand was bothering him. He was tough and didn’t want to use that as an excuse. He lost velocity on some of those throws down the field. That is what led to the decision to put backup QB Grady Brosterhous in the game.

“The greatest inconsistency came from our offensive front,” Coach Mendenhall said. “There were some injuries. We need consistency. Ball security matters. When you also don’t convert fourth downs, that’s a lot to overcome.”

The Aggies failed to punch the football a few inches away from the goal line on a fourth down in one situation, and played conservative to get 3 points on the board on fourth and goal in another situation.

While it is frustrating to lose to FCS opponents, Coach Mendenhall had some unique insights on his previous experiences in those situations.

“With Virginia, we were a first year team and not a strong team,” Coach Mendenhall said. “Richmond was a good FCS team at that time. In our first year at New Mexico we lost to Montana State who was a good team. There is some commonality with our first year teams losing. Idaho State I also think will be a great FCS team. They are three quality football teams. Some could argue against that”

The Aggies will face a ranked Washington Huskies squad on September 12th (Saturday) at 1:30 pm on the Big Ten Network. The Huskies have a 94% chance according to ESPN Analytics, and are currently 26.5 point favorites.

“You want discipline,” Coach Mendenhall said. “But you also want players to play free and confident. I like players who take chances and are confident. I’m really impressed with the quarterback we will be facing this week. I know a lot about Demond and he’s a good player.”

Demond Williams has 268 passing yards and one passing touchdown in the opening Apple Cup rivalry victory over Washington State on Sunday afternoon. The Washington defense gave up only 10 points. It will be a unique challenge for a Utah State team that looks to protect their quarterback more at this time as they look to make improvements following a tough opening loss to the Idaho State Bengals.