When Grant Page’s football playing days are over, he may have a future in prognostication.
In the lead up to Utah State’s game against Hawaii on Saturday, the sophomore wide receiver wasn’t shy about his belief that the Aggies were going to going to close out the season well.
“I think we are getting better each week,” Page said. “I think we are going to have a good next three games.”
It was only one game, but what Utah State did against Hawaii in Logan may have people going to Page for more than just football predictions in the future.
In a word, Utah State was exceptional against Hawaii.
The Aggies were nearly flawless in their 55-10 victory, and what mistakes they did make didn’t matter much. It was, after all, USU’s most dominant victory since 2018.
Offense, defense, special teams — the Aggies put it altogether against a team that had legitimate bowl game aspirations. Those aspirations are now gone for Hawaii and Utah State is riding high after it most complete performance of the season.
“First off, that’s a huge win,” USU interim head coach Nate Dreiling said. “Hawaii is a dang good football team. I couldn’t be more proud of our offense. Hawai’i is ranked first or second (in the Mountain West) in just about every defensive category. Coach (Kyle) Cefalo and those guys did an unbelievable job of finding ways to move the ball and finish drives.
“Defensively, we had a bunch of turnovers and a bunch of players playing hard. It isn’t easy when you’re 2-7. Everyone in the country quits, and that was the last thing that this team is going to think about doing. Just an unbelievable performance from where we’re at and where we can get to these next couple of weeks. Awfully proud of those guys.”
Utah State was on point from the opening kickoff. This wasn’t a slow build or anything. The Aggies were sizzling from the get-go.
USU scored a touchdown on its opening drive on a 41-yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Otto Tia. Five minutes later, the Aggies added a field goal by Tanner Cragun and, following an interception by safety Jordan Vincent, tacked on another touchdown four minutes after that score, this one on a 16-yard touchdown reception by tight end Will Monney.
After the first quarter, Utah State led 17-0 and that lead would only continue to grow.
At halftime, the Aggies led 24-3.
At the end of the third quarter it was 45-3.
The dominance by Utah State was in every facet.
Quarterbacks Spencer Petras and Bryson Barnes combined to throw for 259 yards and four touchdowns, completing 69% of their pass attempts.
Petras did throw a pair of interceptions and had some other throws he would surely like to have back, but the veteran QB spread the ball liberally throughout his receiving corps, with seven different players recording receptions.
He also utilized the tight ends better than any USU quarterback has since Jordan Love, connecting with Josh Sterzer and Monney for a combined 11 receptions for 117 yards and three touchdowns.
It wasn’t just the passing game, though. Utah State’s rushing attack erupted. The Aggies finished the game with 321 yards on the ground and 299 of those game from a quartet of backs.
Leading the way was senior tailback Rahsul Faison, who rushed for a career-high 191 yards and two touchdowns. Faison averaged nearly 10 yards a carry — he had 20 in total — and both of his touchdowns went 30-plus yards.
It was a return to form for Faison after he missed the Washington State game with a knee injury.
“I couldn’t figure out how to get loose, then I finally got loose today, so it felt good,” he said. “Shoutout to my (offensive) line, they did a great job, as usual.”
Utah State finished the game with 580 yards of offense, averaging nearly eight yards a play. Were the Aggies perfect? No. They converted less than 50% of their third down tries and there were the turnovers by Petras and a few unneeded penalties, but it was far and away the best offensive performance of the season for a team that boasts one of the better offenses in the MW, if not the country.
“Felt good!” offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo wrote on social media after the game. “The boys deserved that, so proud of them!”
It wasn’t just the offense, though.
Utah State’s defense played its best game this season, bar none. Hawaii’s offense didn’t come into the game elite at anything, but what the Aggies did to them was nearly unprecedented.
The Rainbow Warriors were held to 309 yards of offense. They converted just four of 14 third down tries. They turned the ball over five times, all interceptions.
Hawaii surrendered seven sacks and ran for only 47 total yards.
It was simply the best defensive performance by Utah State this season. Possibly in years.
For a defense that came into the game ranked second to last in the country in most of the major statistical categories, it was a performance that was almost difficult believe, and it left Hawai’i struggling for answers.
“This is just not the football team that I’ve coached all year,” Hawaii head coach Timmy Chang said. “Looking at the yardage. Giving up 74 plays and 580 yards of offense, that’s a lot different. We had five interceptions. When it comes down to it, we’ve got to play better. We have to play better, and I have to coach better.”
Then there was special teams.
Yes, the Aggies were even great there, be it a pair of field goals by placekicker Tanner Cragun, or 86 kick return yards by Kyrese White, or 58 punt return yards by Kahanu Davis.
Utah State didn’t need special teams to do much of anything in the game and yet the Aggies did.
Again and again and again, it was a complete showing by Utah State.
“Going into this week, our offense, defense and special teams just came together,” linebacker Bronson Olevao Jr. said. “The camaraderie of this group, we deserved this win.
“Defensively, I think we flew around. We had nothing to lose this week. All Coach Dreiling was telling us was to go out there, have fun, fly around. We held onto our keys, and we were able to make plays. Shoutout to the defensive line, shoutout to the back end. You see Noah Flores, a walk-on corner, coming in and grabbing an interception. I think it’s just super fun playing with all of them and getting after their offense.”
The win won’t alter the trajectory of Utah State’s season, not really. The Aggies won’t be able to qualify for a bowl game, even if they win out.
A 5-7 record is the best Utah State can do now, which would be the worst season for Aggie football — excluding the 2020 pandemic-altered season — since 2016.
None of that mattered after Saturday’s game, though, because at long last, the Aggies were able to play to their potential and then some. If it only lasts one game, it was still something to remember — a bright spot in what has been a dark and difficult season and more for USU.
“It felt really good,” Faison said. “We’ve put a lot of hard work in and kept working, and even through all the things we’ve been through this year, we’ve never stopped fighting. We finally got a W, and that felt good at home for sure.”