The halftime entertainment was killer. A pair of musicians wailed through a powerful rendition of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" down on the field, noting that there ain't no valley low enough, either, to keep them from their destination.
Of course, they never played football for Utah State.
There actually are mountains too high, valleys too low, end zones too far and defenses too strong.
Maybe the Aggies should invite someone to sing "Help!" for their own halftime shows.
The latest game in a venerable in-state series ended Saturday with BYU eclipsing Utah State, 38-0. That makes it Opponents 106, USU 0 in the last three games. For the season the Aggies have been outscored 144-7.
"I've got to figure out a way to create enough positive imagery for them in their minds to win," USU coach Brent Guy said.
Imagery, schimagery. How about a good slap upside the helmet?
As for the rivalry, that's getting as stale as "Cheers" reruns.
"I think it's good for our state, and I think our fans want it," said Guy, sounding like he was trying to convince himself.
"Do I want the same results? No," he said. "When you play like we play, giving up 24 points at the half, no, we don't want to play those kinds of games. We've got to be more competitive."
Is he talking about now, or for the past 20 years?
Following back-to-back shutout losses to Utah and BYU this year, the question is whether Utah State should play its Division I-A in-state rivals every year. Answer: Yes. In basketball.
Otherwise, it should be on an as-needed basis.
"I'd like to play (USU) every year, not necessarily based on the outcome of this game, but for Utah State, BYU and Utah it would be nice for that to happen every year," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "I'd like to do it every year if possible."
One question: Why?
The Aggies' traditional games with Utah and BYU have produced many great memories. It's hard to forget the days of Louie Giammona, Rulon Jones, Merlin Olsen, Rick Parros and Eric Hipple. Those were the days when there was actually doubt as to which team would win.
But along came the future, and darned if it didn't blow an ill wind on the Aggies. They jumped from conference to conference, struggled to acquire funds and fans, making do as they went. Unfortunately for them, that wasn't good enough. They fell behind with their facilities, their recruiting and their wins. Only recently have they begun renovating the stadium.
Truth is, the games really aren't much of a rivalry any more. Aggie fans, beaten down by years of losing, don't even get all that riled when their team is dismissed by the media. Why should they?
Saturday's loss marked the 17th straight against Utah and BYU combined.
Utah has beaten the Aggies nine consecutive times, BYU eight.
Moreover, USU has lost 17 of 19 to Utah and 18 of 19 to BYU.
Meanwhile, the gap between USU and its Mountain West brothers is widening. The Aggies are just 28-74-4 all-time against Utah.
They have fared far better against BYU (33-41-3), but that was mostly before the arrival of LaVell Edwards in Provo. Since then they are 6-23 against the Cougars.
It's not a rivalry, it's a ritual.
There are times when USU has played such games close, as it did in 2002 against BYU, losing 35-34. But equally often there have been blowouts, such as the 1988 38-3 loss to BYU or the 48-6 loss to Utah in 2004.
The Aggies were outscored by a combined 86-0 against Utah and BYU this year.
There are reasons, of course. This year's Aggie team is young. There have been injuries and dismissals. But Guy admits those are things other teams go through. "Nobody's going to feel sorry for us," he said.
Cold facts aside, there is a singular appeal to in-state games. Several years ago, BYU decided it wasn't financially viable to play the Aggies on a yearly home-and-home basis. Saturday's game was the first since 2002. So far, Utah has continued on an annual basis, home-and-home.
But that might change. Especially the part about playing in Logan, where the guarantee is low. The Utes could earn several times more money by playing on the road against a BCS team.
While it might be harder to beat those teams, it would also be more prestigious.
For the time being, the rivalries continue as they have.
You have your Aggies and you have your in-state opponents. And you have less reason than ever to say, "Wait until next year!"
E-mail: rock@desnews.com