Traveling to Wyoming on a two-game winning streak, Utah State was looking for a third straight win to move back to .500 on the season.
After taking down Air Force and Colorado State, a win over the Cowboys would’ve meant a 3-1 record in Mountain West play. It also would’ve meant the return of the Bridger’s Rifle to Logan and some revenge from last season’s blowout home loss to Wyoming.
Making his first career start, it was apparent that there was a reason Bishop Davenport was the fourth-string quarterback at the start of the year. It was also apparent that the coaching staff was going to limit the playbook for him.
Davenport completed 17-of-24 passes but threw for just 104 yards and an interception.
While the running game had been the highlight of the back-to-back wins, the ground game struggled against the Cowboys.
The Aggies were only able to muster up 113 yards on the ground on 31 carries, an average of just 3.1 yards per carry.
Utah State’s defense wasn’t the worst either, keeping the game close until the Cowboys made it a two-score game in with just under five minutes to go. The defense did allow 528 yards of offense however and forced just one turnover on the night.
Overall, the injuries and inconsistency on offense prevented a win for the Aggies, with the Cowboys winning 28-14 and keeping the rivalry trophy in Laramie for at least one more season.
Thoughts
One can only wonder what the outcome might have been if Cooper Legas was starting at quarterback, or even third-string, and former Cowboy Levi Williams.
The Aggies had to make do with what they had, and because the running game wasn’t able to lead the way like the past few weeks, there was really no hope for the Aggies to win the game.
The defense has been getting better each week after a rough start to the season, but that side of the ball can only do so much when the offense can’t sustain any kind of momentum.
It’s tough to lose to Wyoming two years in a row, and it unfortunately all but ended the Aggies’ chances at a division title. It also likely ended the team’s hopes for a bowl invitation.
At 3-5 overall, USU will need to win three of its final four games to reach the 6-6 threshold for bowl eligibility.
It may be possible, with a bye week first to get healthy before games against New Mexico and Hawaii. The Aggies would then need to either beat San Jose State or Boise State in the final two games.
Up next
Utah State has a bye week before facing New Mexico at home on Saturday, Nov. 5. The game will kick off at 1:30 p.m. and can be seen on CBS Sports Network.
