Hope and despair is the Utah State University football team’s unofficial motto as they look to flip the script going into the second half of the season.
The Aggies started the 2024 season off right with a win at home against Robert Morris University. USU defeated the Colonials with a final score of 36-14 in Logan. Following their win, the Aggies hit the road to face the University of Southern California Trojans in a game that would start the penultimate collapse. The Trojans outplayed the Aggies in all three facets of the game shutting out the Utah State offense and scoring 48 points of their own.
The next week brought in the in-state rival the University of Utah Utes. The game started with a promising first quarter leading at the break with a score of 7-3 and ultimately going up 14-3 before the Utes and freshman quarterback, Isaac Wilson, came back and took over the game. The Utes outscored the Aggies in the final three quarters of the game giving USU their second loss of the season—with a final score of 38-21.
Utah State quarterback Spencer Petras has not lacked in the statistical department despite the lackluster record. Petras has led the Aggies to a No. 19 national offensive efficiency rating and had a completion percentage of 66% on the season. With 1,631 passing yards and 11 touchdowns, the offense is putting up numbers.
The defense for the Aggies is where the struggle has been this season, allowing an average of 43 points per game, which has proven to be the difference in their high scoring shootouts like a 45-50 loss to the University of New Mexico Lobos Oct. 19.
The next four games had similar results as the Aggies have dropped six straight games and sit at 1-6 before a matchup with the University of Wyoming Cowboys Oct. 26. Looking at these losses, however, three of the six teams have been ranked at one point of this season, as well as the Trojans, having a top 10 win against the currently ranked No. 8 Lousiana State University Tigers.
Looking forward, the Aggies have a difficult slate ahead of them, with their four remaining conference games being with higher-rated teams like San Diego State University and Colorado State University. They also are slated to play the current Pac-12 Conference front-runner and future conference rival Washington State University.
In all, I see the Utah State Aggies finishing the year with an underwhelming 2-10, willing themselves to one last win against the University of Hawaii in a close game. This comes with losses in the other four games on their schedule.
The Aggies have a hill to climb as they conclude their final season as a member of the Mountain West Conference and look for new beginnings in the Pac-12 next fall.
