Utah State offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach David Yost has been named a semifinalist for the 2018 Broyles Award, it was announced by the Frank and Barbara Broyles Foundation on Tuesday.
Yost is one of 15 coaches nationwide to be selected a semifinalist for the award and the only nominee from both the Mountain West and Beehive State.
The Broyles Award honors the top assistant college football coach in America and was established in 1996 to honor legendary Arkansas head coach Frank Broyles. Broyles had a track record of producing some of the most successful assistant coaches in college football history.
A 19-member selection committee of distinguished former head coaches, along with a committee representing the Football Writers Association of America, will select five finalists and an overall winner. Those finalists will be invited to travel to Little Rock, Arkansas, where the 2018 Broyles Award winner will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 4, at the Marriott Hotel.
Under Yost’s direction, Utah State has already set school records this season with 69 touchdowns and 542 points scored, bettering the previous marks of 60 touchdowns in 2011 and 454 points in 2012. The Mountain West record for points scored in a season is 608 by BYU in 2001.
Utah State is averaging 49.3 points per game to rank second in the nation behind Oklahoma (49.5 ppg). The Aggies also rank first in the MW and 11th in the nation in total offense (498.6 ypg), second in the MW and fourth in the nation in sacks allowed with eight (0.73 ppg), third in the MW and 13th in the nation in completion percentage (.675), third in the MW and 15th in the nation in passing efficiency (156.8), third in the MW and 26th in the nation in rushing offense (216.5 ypg) and fifth in the MW and 22nd in the nation in passing offense (282.1 ypg).
Prior to Utah State’s 29-24 Mountain West road win at Colorado State last weekend, the Aggies had scored at least 50 points and recorded at least 600 yards of total offense in each of their previous three games, which is a school record. In fact, no other team in school history has ever had 600 yards in back-to-back games. During that three-game stretch, USU averaged 59.7 points and 703.0 yards (400.3 passing, 302.7 rushing).
Utah State has scored 40-plus points in eight games, 50-plus points in six games and 60-plus points in four games this season, all of which are school records. The previous school record for 40-point games in a season was six set in 2012. The previous school record for 50-point games was three set in 2017, while the previous school record for 60-point games was two in 1961.
Furthermore, Utah State has produced 700-plus yards of offense twice and 600-plus yards of offense four times this season, both of which are school records. In fact, USU has set the school record for total offense twice this season as it had 704 yards against New Mexico, then broke that mark with a staggering 804 yards against San José State. Prior to this season, the only team to have more than 600 yards of offense in multiple games was the 1996 squad that did it twice.
During its current 10-game winning streak, which is a school record, Utah State is averaging 51.1 points and 514.1 total yards per game (278.4 passing, 235.7 rushing) while converting 45.9 percent of its third downs (62-135) and committing just 13 turnovers (11 fumbles, two interceptions).
Yost, who is in his second season at Utah State, has been instrumental in quarterback Jordan Love’s success this season.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound sophomore ranks second in the MW and 11th in the nation in points responsible for with 186 (16.9 pg), second in the MW and 12th in the nation in passing efficiency (162.2), third in the MW and 12th in the nation in passing touchdowns with 25 (2.3 pg), third in the MW and 17th in the nation in completion percentage (.664), fifth in the MW and 23rd in the nation in passing (258.6 ypg), fifth in the MW and 32nd in the nation in total offense (264.7 ypg), fifth in the MW and 32nd in the nation in completions (19.7 pg) and 10th in the MW in rushing touchdowns with six (0.6 pg).
This season, Love is 217-of-327 (.664) passing for 2,845 yards (258.6 ypg), 25 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
Utah State (10-1, 7-0 MW) wraps up the regular season with a road game at Boise State (9-2, 6-1) on Saturday, Nov. 24, at Albertsons Stadium. The game, which is set to kick off at 8:15 p.m., will be televised live on ESPN, and it will determine the Mountain Division champion in the Mountain West.