Utah State’s trip to College Station and Kyle Field to take on the No. 19 Texas A&M Aggies didn’t end with a shocking upset. Or even a close and competitive loss.
USU was soundly outplayed by Texas A&M en route to a 44-22 setback. On the whole, Utah State was outclassed by Texas A&M.
It wasn’t exactly reminiscent of losses to USC, Alabama or LSU in recent seasons, though. USU was competitive at times in both the first and second halves.
What ultimately went wrong for the Aggies? What went right?
Here are three takeaways from Utah State’s loss to Texas A&M:
Utah State, unsurprisingly, isn’t built to compete in the trenches in the SEC
Texas A&M dominated up front Saturday, on both sides of the ball.
It wasn’t a surprise — Texas A&M has recruited the type of linemen needed to compete with the best teams in the country — but it was nonetheless eye-opening.
Utah State struggled to contend with Texas A&M’s O-line and D-line, at least consistently.
As evidence to that, Texas A&M rushed for 235 yards, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. A&M rushers routinely found open holes in the USU defense to run through.
On the other side of the ball, the A&M defensive front was, at times, overwhelming.
Texas A&M finished the game with six sacks and also had five quarterback hurries. What’s more, Texas A&M held Utah State to an average of 2.6 yards per rush.
USU left tackle Jake Eichorn will have nightmares of Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell.
But Utah State, to its credit, wasn’t dominated completely.
The Aggies’ rushing attack, when you take out Bryson Barnes, was actually fairly effective and there were times when both the O-line and D-line got the better of their A&M counterparts.
On the whole, though, Utah State just wasn’t equipped up front to compete with Texas A&M.
Miles Davis and Javen Jacobs are as advertised
Ahead of the game, Eichorn singled out USU running backs Davis and Jacobs as two of the best players on the team, calling the Utah State running back room the best on the entire team.
Of the bright spots in the loss, none were more obvious than the Davis-Jacobs tandem.
The pair combined to rush for nearly 100 yards, averaging better than 4 yards per carry. What’s more, they were effective weapons in the passing game too, combining for five receptions for 28 yards and two touchdowns.
Davis had both scores, a career high for the wide receiver turned running back.
Neither Davis nor Jacobs looked like they didn’t belong on the field against A&M. Davis was this close to breaking another 50-plus-yard TD run, and Jacobs proved elusive in the open field, evading multiple would-be tacklers time and again.
Given Utah State trailed 30-6 at halftime, USU didn’t exactly emphasize Davis or Jacobs for a good portion of the game, electing to try to play catch-up with the arm of Barnes.
But even with that, Davis and Jacobs proved pretty definitively that they are two of USU’s most dynamic offensive weapons.
The new culture of Bronco Mendenhall is clear to see
In previous seasons, after falling behind by multiple scores on the road in a hostile SEC environment, Utah State would’ve given up. If not the players themselves, then the coaching staff, evidenced by play-call selection and players sent onto the field.
There is a reason the Aggies were blown out by Alabama in 2022, without registering a single point. Last year’s loss to USC, although not an SEC team, was a similar story.
Money games can be difficult to play in, especially when things tip dramatically in the direction of the host and favorite.
Not at any point on Saturday did this version of Utah State concede the victory, however.
Not when down 30-6 at halftime, nor when trailing 44-14 early in the fourth quarter.
Mendenhall’s version of Utah State competed the entire game, and at times in both the first and second halves put itself in position where an upset was at the least a possibility.
Moral victories can sometimes feel like a way for teams to avoid responsibility for defeats, but in this instance, the new culture of Mendenhall was clear to see.
