Utah State Takes Down Fresno State

The Utah State football team (6-5) (4-3) was able to take down Fresno State on the road this past Saturday, 28-17. Bryson Barnes was 16 of 30 with 150 yards and an interception. Barnes also rushed for 113 yards on 23 carries. Braden Pegan caught eight passes for 79 yards, but was injured in the second half of the Fresno State game. No update was provided on Pegan during the weekly press conference, so it is unclear what his status is for the Boise State game. Linebacker Bronson Olevao Jr. had a sack for the Aggies, and Ike Larsen led the team in tackles with eight solo tackles.

Fresno State quarterback E.J. Warner threw for 187 yards and a touchdown in addition to an interception. Warner completed 23 of his attempted 33 passes (70%). Running back Rayshon Luke led the Bulldogs in rushing with 81 yards on four carries and a long touchdown run. Jahil McClain had 45 receiving yards on two receptions and scored a touchdown.

Fresno State, a -1.5 favorite coming into the game, led 17-7 at the half and looked to be in good position receiving the second half kickoff. Utah State was able to force a punt to start the second half and then scored a touchdown on its first drive of the half to make the score 17-14. Utah State, at its own 15-yard line, fumbled the football away to Fresno State, and the Bulldogs were in place to take a 21-17 lead. Three plays later, E.J. Warner would throw an interception, and Utah State would take advantage of a long drive and score another touchdown to take their first lead of the game. The interception that led to a touchdown drive was the turning point of the game, as Utah State would then score another touchdown to take a 28-17 lead. That would be the last touchdown of the game, and Utah State would come away with a very important victory that changed the shape of the Mountain West championship race.

Statistics Comparison

First Downs: USU: 27; FSU: 12

3rd Down Conversions: USU: 8-16 (50%); FSU: 3-14 (21%)

Total Yards: USU: 403 yards; FSU: 365 yards

Passing Yards: FSU: 187 yards; USU: 176 yards

Rushing Yards: USU: 227 yards; Fresno State: 178 yards

Penalties: USU: 7-40; FSU: 10-93

Turnovers: FSU: 2 turnovers; USU: 1 turnover

Time of Possession: USU: 33:04; FSU: 26:56

Overall Thoughts

Utah State could have had a more successful game on offense, but they did something that they haven’t been able to do consistently, which is run the ball. If the Aggies can run the ball against Boise State this upcoming week, they will have a much stronger opportunity to beat the Broncos. Fresno State has done a great job with pass defense this season, Boise State has at times struggled in pass defense. The Aggies are going to need Bryson Barnes to use his legs in this one, but more on that later in the week for the game preview.

Fresno State, coming into the game against Utah State, was 7-3 (4-2) and had a trutle. e opportunity to play for a Mountain West title. With the loss to Utah State, the chances of Fresno State reaching the championship are extremely low. Utah State will have a chance to play spoiler once again this week, hosting championship hopeful Boise State, which is in the conference championship with a win over Utah State and a San Diego State win over New Mexico.