Utah State puts up dud against Washington State in its third consecutive bowl loss

BOISE, Idaho — It was an ugly look for Utah State in its Famous Idaho Potato Bowl performance on Monday.

The issues were nothing new with the lack of QB protection, struggles on third downs and a missed field goal. Still, the result is the same, and the Aggies walked away with a 34-21 loss against future Pac-12 foe Washington State.

Monday’s loss was the third straight bowl game loss for the Aggies.

“We just ultimately didn’t play consistently enough, really in any phase, to end up having a chance to take over and win the game,” said Aggies head coach Bronco Mendenhall. “When there are moments we start to battle back, our execution didn’t hold, or our consistency didn’t hold, and that’s exactly where we were. So, I’m looking forward to the continued growth of this program, really looking forward to the Pac-12.”

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The offense looked bad at times and inept in others. For the first time this season, Utah State was completely shut out in the first half.

As they had for much of the season, the problems started with the offensive line. Washington State’s defense had three sacks, six TFLs and four QB hurries in the win.

Utah State had a total of just 49 yards in the first half.

“(Washington State’s defense) was outstanding and there’s a reason they’ve been statistically strong not only this year at Washington State but the defensive coordinator, the previous two years, and his FCS staff were leading the country in defense,” Mendenhall said. “So, really strong scheme, really good players that execute well within that. Again, they were consistent. They were consistently better, really, in most circumstances until the very end, where we were able to make a last-minute push.”

Washington State also dominated time of possession, 35:48 to Utah State’s 24:12. The Aggies also converted on only three of 13 total third downs.

Bryson Barnes had very little protection all day and finished his final college game with 116 passing yards, no touchdowns and one interception.

Barnes ran it into the end zone for Utah State’s first touchdown in the third quarter. It was his 10th rushing touchdown of the year, which extends his school record.

Despite giving up 34 points and 628 yards, the Utah State defense played decently well. It held Washington State to 14 points in the first half. It also had two sacks, nine TFLs and three interceptions.

The issue arose when the offense couldn’t stay on the field, forcing the defense back onto the field. It played well in red zone situations, but the defense was just asked to do too much.

Washington State largely got it done in the air. Quarterback Zevi Eckhaus led with 334 passing yards and three touchdown passes. The Cougars finished with a total of 373 passing yards.

“You have to give Washington State credit because they were executing,” Mendenhall said. “There was really no intent nor capability to run the ball in the first half. Washington State was mostly in the air, and they had success being able to run the football in the second half, which then kept our defense off balance in playing run calls, pass calls, and neither very consistently, which led to some big plays.”

The game went from bad to worse for Utah State as Ike Larsen was ejected from the game in the third quarter following a targeting call. He finished with an interception for the Aggies in his final game.

In the fourth quarter, Barnes went down after taking a rough hit and exited the game.

Backup quarterback Jacob Conover did give the Aggies a slight boost and something positive to look at on the stat sheet. He finished with 78 yards and two touchdown passes.

“We preach just always being ready,” Conover said. “I think that just goes to show the culture that Coach Mendenhall has established. Week 13, guys are going down and it just shows the relentlessness of our team.”

Monday’s bowl game felt emblematic of all the issues Utah State had. It showed that it often had the talent to play with good teams, but a few Achilles heels kept it below its potential.

The Utah State program has been full of optimism about the future over the past few weeks. Despite ending the season with two losses in its final three games, the guys were excited to get one last game.

That, combined with the excitement of a new conference and the stability of a seasoned FBS coach, created a hopeful atmosphere around the program. The poor bowl game performance definitely left a bad taste in the mouth, but it hasn’t dampened any excitement for the future of football in Logan.

“I’m thrilled with the direction of Utah State football, but also Utah State athletics,” Mendenhall said. “Our athletic director is here, and I think there’s just fantastic leadership and alignment that exists there. Our new president is, man, the trifecta seems to be lined up really well. I certainly have to do my part, but I love the leadership, I love the direction, I love the support and now I love the opportunity with a new league and this program.”