Hosting Air Force in the midst of a four-game losing streak, the Aggies needed a win to begin the road to salvaging the season.

After showing promise in the loss to BYU last time out, the Aggies still had recorded just one win five weeks into the season.

Utah State football: Aggies show fight, promise in loss to BYU

First half

Facing 4-1 Air Force at home on Saturday, it didn’t seem like the losing streak was going to end.

Instead, Utah State continued its upward trajectory and beat the favored Falcons, 34-27.

The Aggies scored the opening touchdown when Cooper Legas found Brian Cobbs for a 31-yard score.

Air Force tied it up before a USU field goal reestablished the lead at the end of the opening frame, 10-7.

The Aggies were only able to score a field goal in the second quarter, while a Falcons touchdown gave the visitors a slim 14-13 lead at halftime.

Second half

Air Force added a field goal to make the score 17-13 in the third quarter, but the Aggies answered when Calvin Tyler Jr. found the endzone on a 21-yard run for the 20-17 lead.

Air Force regained the lead with a touchdown just under a minute and a half into the final frame, but Utah State was not about to be stopped.

Cooper Legas found Terrell Vaughn for a 34-yard touchdown just under three minutes later, giving the Aggies a 27-24 lead.

The Aggies’ defense then forced a fumble on the next Air Force drive, before the offense took over and added another touchdown. Just over three minutes after the last score, Legas used his running ability to rack up 32 yards for a score and the 34-24 advantage.

Despite an Air Force field goal with under two minutes to go, the Aggies held on for the 34-27 win.

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Offense shines

Facing a team that runs the triple option is never easy, but the Aggies got the job done. The offense performed admirably under quarterback Cooper Legas, racking up 414 yards of offense. Legas was an efficient 18-of-23 passing, tallying 215 passing yards and two touchdowns while also racking up 76 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Even better, Legas turned the ball over just once – an interception – and that gave USU the chance to win.

Brian Cobbs had a field day on the receiving end, catching eight passes for 136 yards and a touchdown. Calvin Tyler led the rushing attack, picking up 109 yards on 19 carries – 5.7 yards per carry – and adding a score.

Up next

The Aggies will now look to build on the win over Air Force, facing Colorado State on the road.

Utah State (2-4, 1-1 MW) will battle the Rams on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 5 p.m. The game can be seen on CBS Sports Network.

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Spencer Rodak
Spencer has always been passionate about sports, growing up playing and following various sports. He ran cross country in high school and began his journey in sports media in 2017 as a journalism intern at The Spectrum & Daily News. Since then, his work has been published in numerous outlets including Deseret News, Standard-Examiner, St. George News, Southern Utah Now, SUU's Thunderground, SB Nation's RSL Soapbox, FanSided's Venom Strikes, fan-insider.com, The Spurs Web, and Iron County Today. Spencer is the founder of Stadium Sportzz and both the Sportzz with Spencer and Mountain States Sports Report podcasts. His experience extends to public address announcing, having first served as the PA announcer for Southern Utah University soccer in 2017 and as a high school sports PA announcer. He is now entering his fourth year as a PA announcer at Utah Tech University, where he also occasionally takes on the role of in-game emcee. Spencer's versatility also extends to radio, where at The Fan Sports Network he produced high school and Utah Tech athletics broadcasts, hosted the weekly Region 9 Football Tailgate Show, and appeared daily on The Drive. Now working towards completing his Bachelor's degree in Media Studies, Spencer was recently named the Sports Director at Utah Tech University's 91.3 The Blaze for the 2024-25 year. He will host a weekly show and serve as a play-by-play broadcaster, continuing his dedication to sports journalism and broadcasting. When he isn’t talking, writing about, or watching sports, Spencer enjoys traveling and spending time with his amazing wife.

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