Bronco Mendenhall-coached teams don’t lose to Air Force. Not often at least, and it’s a trend that has now continued at Utah State.
Mendenhall was 6-1 against Air Force in his head coaching career entering Saturday night’s game against the Falcons, and after the Aggies defeated Air Force 49-30, that record is now 7-1.
Utah State outplayed Air Force in almost every facet Saturday, answering nearly every push made by the Falcons, of which there were many.
Be it the Aggies’ offense — led by quarterback Bryson Barnes and wide receiver Braden Pegan — or defense — led by linebackers John Miller and William Holmes — Utah State was arguably the best it had been so far this year.
Now 2-1 overall this season, Utah State is 1-0 in Mountain West Conference play and looks more and more like an intriguing team in the conference race.
Here are three takeaways from Utah State’s victory over Air Force.
Takeaways for Utah State a welcome sight
In multiple seasons prior to this one, the Aggies struggled with turnover differential.
Basically, Utah State had a predilection for turning the ball over and at the same time wasn’t particularly adept at forcing turnovers, routinely giving opponents an advantage. That generally meant that the Aggies needed to be excellent across the board to even have a chance to be competitive in games.
Against Air Force, though, Utah State was excellent in generating Falcon turnovers while avoiding any itself.
The Aggies intercepted both of Air Force’s QBs — Josh Johnson and Liam Szarka — once, and also recovered an Air Force fumble and forced a few that were called back only because of replay review.
Be it Holmes, Brevin Hamblin, Noah Avinger or DeAngelo Mayes, Aggie defenders made plays when Air Force was careless with the ball, a welcome and somewhat unusual sight given recent history.
On the flip side of that, Utah State’s offense took great care of the ball. Barnes completed 77% of his pass attempts and not once did he miss a throw in a way that offered Air Force a chance for an interception.
He and running backs Miles Davis and Javen Jacobs were also great at securing the football when they carried it, 34 times in total.
It can feel simple at times, but the turnover battle can often decide which team wins and which team loses. Saturday night, the Aggies won that battle in convincing fashion and unsurprisingly walked away victorious.
A burgeoning star in William Holmes?
Holmes has one of the more interesting stories of any Aggie. A former Minor League Baseball player — he was selected in the fifth round of the 2018 Major League Draft by the Los Angeles Angels — he gave up baseball in order to play a sport he hadn’t really played before while in his mid 20s.
A freak athlete, potential has been idea with Holmes, and already it appears he is making good on that potential.
A former running back turned defensive end turned outside linebacker, Holmes was one of Utah State’s best defenders against Air Force.
He finished the game second on USU in tackles with 12 and was one of just two Aggies — Miller was the other — with a quarterback hurry.
He also had a fumble recovery and a tackle for loss, and all of those numbers might not do him justice. Holmes was a wrecking ball against the Falcons. He was everywhere, with his length, strength and speed making him a menace.
Still only a sophomore in terms of eligibility, Holmes quickly has established himself as a key piece on Utah State’s defense, and if his trajectory continues the way it has, it won’t be long before he is arguably Utah State’s best defender overall.
When he puts it all together, Bryson Barnes is a problem
Barnes has been good in his Aggie career. He was a great backup to Spencer Petras a season ago, and as a starter — filling in for Petras lat year and then as a full-time starter this season — he’s had some moments — record breaking ones and forgettable ones.
He played arguably the most complete game of his Utah State tenure Saturday, and if that Barnes becomes a regular thing, the Aggies’ ceiling changes dramatically.
Barnes was a game breaker against the Falcons. He threw for nearly 300 yards (287) and two touchdowns while completing nearly 80% of his pass attempts.
His short and intermediate throws were accurate, timely and frequently delivered into the hands of the Aggies’ best playmakers.
His deep ball was still something of a work in progress, but he threw it and connected with Pegan for a touchdown.
Was he perfect as a passer? No, but Barnes was arguably the best he’s been in Aggie blue throwing the ball.
Per the usual, he was a difference maker in the run game, too. Barnes rushed for 44 yards (61 if you take away sack yardage) and three touchdowns on a team-high 15 carries.
He showed a little bit of everything, too, avoiding pressure en route to a first down, juking defenders in the middle of the field on touchdown runs and even running through defenders. The works, really.
If the version of Barnes who showed up against Air Force becomes a regular thing, he has a chance to be the best QB in the Mountain West Conference this season, and the Aggies go from a team that might make a bowl game to a team that could make some serious noise in the conference title race.