SALT LAKE CITY — Utah State opened up Mountain West Conference play with a 23-17 victory over San Diego State on Saturday at SDCCU Stadium in a game where the Aggies held off a late Aztecs rally.
San Diego State cut a one-time 23-3 USU lead to six points with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. After the Aggies reached the SDSU 25 with less than a minute and a half to play, Utah State kicker Dominik Eberle missed a 42-yard field goal that would have iced the game, leaving the Aztecs with hope.
The Utah State defense kept San Diego State from threatening, though, eventually resulting in USU taking possession at the SDSU 2-yard line following a 37-yard intentional grounding penalty, and the Aggies moved to 2-1 on the year with their first conference win.
Here’s a look at three takeaways that defined the game:
Quick strike helps open up game
Late in the first half, the Aggies found themselves up 13-3 in a grind-it-out type game. Utah State, though, used a quick offensive spurt to find the end zone for the only time offensively.
After receiving the ball with 1:15 until halftime at its own 20, USU found the end zone in just 36 seconds on a seven-play, 80-yard drive.
Jordan Love put the Aggies in scoring position with a 48-yard pass to Savon Scarver to the SDSU 20.
Two plays later, Jaylen Warren burst up the middle for an 11-yard touchdown run to make it 20-3 lead heading into halftime.
In a game where yards were tough to come by — Utah State had 375 yards of total offense to 372 for San Diego State — the quick score was a welcome change.
Defensive red zone stop proves critical
After Eberle hit his third field goal of the game to make it 23-3 in the third quarter, San Diego State had its first substantive drive since the first quarter reach the USU red zone.
The 13-play, 55-yard drive hit a snag, though, when Utah transfer Nick Heninger came up with a third-down sack for a 9-yard loss. That left the Aztecs with a fourth-and-goal at the 14-yard line, and Ryan Agnew’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete in the end zone.
While San Diego State scored touchdowns on its next two drives, including a fourth-down touchdown pass and a 49-yard score, that stop gave Utah State enough cushion for the win.
Utah State’s defense also had an impressive first half, forcing SDSU into punts on four straight possessions after the Aztecs took their opening drive for a field goal.
The defense also provided a big early momentum shift, when Shaq Bond scored Utah State’s first touchdown on a 48-yard pick-six with six minutes to play in the first quarter. The Aggies never trailed after that point.
Stalling a bit, things to work on
While Utah State was 4-for-5 in the red zone — the only non-score came when it ran out the clock to end the game — the Aggies could have made the final minutes of the game less stressful if they would have capitalized on opportunities earlier in the contest.
Three times, the Aggies were forced into Eberle hitting short field goals, of 30, 29 and 32 yards. On those three field goal drives, USU faced third down distances of third-and-6, third-and-12 and third-and-3 before being forced to score via field goal.
Scoring summary: Utah State 23, San Diego State 17
First quarter
San Diego State, Matt Araiza 22-yard field goal (7:49)
Utah State, Shaq Bond 48-yard interception return (6:00), Dominik Eberle kick
Second quarter
Utah State, Dominik Eberle 30-yard field goal (13:08)
Utah State, Dominik Eberle 29-yard field goal (3:27)
Utah State, Jaylen Warren 11-yard run (0:36), Dominik Eberle kick
Third quarter
Utah State, Dominik Eberle 32-yard field goal (10:53)
Fourth quarter
San Diego State, Kobe Smith 25-yard pass from Ryan Agnew (10:03), Matt Araiza kick
San Diego State, Isaiah Richardson 49-yard pass from Ryan Agnew (5:19), Matt Araiza kick
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