I’ll be honest, as a Utah State supporter, I was not particularly looking forward to playing BYU on Thursday night.
Seeing how the team had played so far during the season – the offense in particular – did not make a matchup with a Top 20 team on the road sound enticing whatsoever.
Yet the Aggies came to play, or at least for the first half.
Learning just before kickoff that Logan Bonner was injured and learning that Cooper Legas was now the starter at quarterback actually gave a sense of hope for the unknown. With how many times Bonner had turned the ball over this season and with the Aggies staring down a likely 1-4 start, it seemed about time for someone else to get their shot.
First half
Utah State scored first, with Legas using his legs for a seven-yard score just over four minutes into the game.
First-career rushing TD for @cooperlegas.#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/lL5WZgQ5Qu
— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 30, 2022
BYU would counter with back-to-back touchdowns – one was a pick-six – to take the lead, and it seemed like that would be all the Cougars would need to roll to another win.
Instead, the Aggies stayed in it, fighting back when no one gave them much of a shot.
The defense held the BYU offense in check for the remainder of the quarter and the opening portion of the second before USU cut the deficit to 14-10 via a Connor Coles 50-yard field goal.
Four minutes later, Legas delivered a 14-yard touchdown pass to Brian Cobbs, putting the Aggies ahead 17-14 while silencing the home crowd.
8️⃣-ball corner pocket! @cobbs_brian#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/6WZxdgJ12z
— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 30, 2022
BYU added a field goal before the half, tying the score at 17 heading into the break.
Second half
Things were much different in the second half, and it was clear the Cougars came out more ready in half number two than they did to start the game.
BYU took the lead back early, but the Aggies answered with a field goal to make the score 24-20.
The Cougars responded with a touchdown, taking a 31-20 lead before they missed a field goal on their next possession, giving the ball back to Utah State.
Needing to take advantage of BYU’s mistake and make it a one-score game with the momentum possibly shifting, the Aggies instead went conservative.
After two poor plays, a BYU penalty gave USU a first down. The Aggies then basically ran the same two plays again – both runs – which resulted in no movement and ended a play later with a punt.
This was the time in the game when it was clear USU was outmanned. It was unfortunate, seeing as a touchdown would have made the game close again, but the Aggies seemed to give up or run out of ideas and at that point, BYU took control.
The next Cougars score came halfway through the final frame, putting the game out of reach with a 38-20 lead. The Aggies scored a meaningless touchdown late but missed the two-point conversion, losing 38-26.
Positives
Legas shows promise
Making his first start of the season and seeing his most playing time since last season’s LA Bowl, quarterback Cooper Legas played an up-and-down game overall.
However, considering the circumstances, he performed well and showed moments of promise.
The running touchdown was one example, while also adding two scores through the air while keeping the game close in the first half was a plus.
He did turn the ball over three times – two interceptions and a fumble – but it is still better than the six turnovers from Logan Bonner last week.
And with the official announcement being made on Friday morning that Bonner’s season and career are now over, it’s time to see what Legas can do the rest of the way for the Aggies in 2022.
The running game showed up
The running game that has struggled all season likely had its best performance against the Cougars.
Starter Calvin Tyler Jr. rushed for 104 yards on 18 carries, while backup Robert Briggs added 10 carries for 46 yards. Legas also added 57 yards and a score on the ground.
The running backs in particular will need to step up the rest of the season and will likely be heavily relied upon with an inexperienced quarterback now running the offense.
Negatives
Crunch time play calling
Down 11 and with BYU having just missed a field goal, the Aggies needed a solid offensive possession to make the score close again.
Instead, they went conservative, gaining a first down thanks only to a BYU penalty. They then virtually ran the same two plays but gained six yards on third down to make it a short 4th and 1. The Aggies went for it but BYU read it the whole way, coming up with the stop.
BYU scored on the next drive and now with the game likely out of reach, the Aggies should have at least attempted to make it a game. They went only five yards on three plays instead, sealing the Cougars’ win with a lack of creative play calling.
With the season likely over with a 1-4 record, the Aggies should take some shots in games if it can possibly make the score closer going forward. Doesn’t hurt when you’re likely going to lose either way.
Defense gives up big plays
The defense held strong at moments in the game, but too often gave up big yardage plays to the Cougars that resulted in quick scores.
It only took BYU two plays and 43 seconds to drive 65 yards for their first score, while the Aggies’ defense also allowed scoring drives of six plays and 70 yards (11.6 yards per play) and seven plays and 75 yards (10.7 yards per play).
In other words, the defense gave up an average of more than a first down every play for three BYU scoring drives. It was also clear that there is an issue with one-on-one coverage, which is how many of the big plays for the BYU offense came about.
Either the schemes need work, the personnel needs changing, the coaching needs improvements, or a combination of all three needs to occur to stop allowing chunk yardage plays to opposing offenses.
Final thoughts
Overall the Aggies played better than really anyone thought they would, but a loss is still a loss. They showed much more promise and played better in the first half than they’d played in a half all season to this point.
While there will be some expected growing pains, Cooper Legas will hopefully blossom into the next star quarterback while Robert Briggs becomes the top option in the backfield.
But this loss still hurts particularly because it’s a rivalry game, and one that doesn’t seem like it will be played again for some time. As a USU fan, it is really disappointing that within the last decade both the Utes and Cougars
It’s also the fourth loss of the season, all in a row. With a 1-4 record, the Aggies are more than likely not going to a bowl game this year, needing five wins in seven games to reach the 6-6 record to go to the postseason. A year after winning the Mountain West and they can’t even reach .500 for a bowl invite? It definitely leaves a bad taste in the mouth knowing that this season is already lost and it’s not even halfway through and that there’s nothing left to play for. Also, what game is there to look forward to every year now?
Up next
The Aggies face Air Force at home on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 5 p.m. MT. The game can be seen on FS1.
