Opponent Offense Preview: Utah State Aggies
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The Aggies are 0-1 after a stunning 29-17 loss to FCS Idaho State. They are coached by a familiar name in Bronco Mendenhall, who has faced the Huskies as coach of BYU three times, winning just once. The Washington defense largely played a great game last week and should be feeling confident against an Utah State offense that’s stuck in the mud. To the preview.
The Numbers
(Small sample size alert: they’ve played one game)
- Points per game: 17
- Total yards per game: 407
- Rushing yards per game: 162
- Passing yards per game: 245
- Turnovers per game: 4
- 3rd down conversion: 60% (9-of-15)
- 4th down conversion: 25% (1-of-4)
- Time of possession: 33:33
Key Players
QB McCae Hillstead is a name Aggie fans know well. He started as a true freshman at the school back in 2023 before transferring to BYU for two seasons, then came back to Logan this offseason and won the job outright in April. He’s got some mobility (nine carries for 43 yards in the opener) and reportedly impressed his new coordinator in the spring with how much of the complex playbook he could handle. But his first game this season was rough, going 15-of-30 for 178 yards and two touchdowns against FCS Idaho State, including two late interceptions when his team was down, which made it three total picks on the day. They were all very poor throws and reads. He’s the type of player almost better when the play breaks down and he can improv a little bit. If he struggles against UW, keep an eye on graduate senior Grady Brosterhous, who saw time late after Hillstead threw his third interception (5-of-13, 67 yards, a pick, plus 10 carries for 35 yards). Brosterhous also comes in for designed runs from time to time.
At running back, graduate senior Javen Jacobs is arguably their best player and probably the safest bet on this offense. He led the team with 80 yards on 20 carries in week 1 and also caught four passes for 27 yards. Last season, he had 65 carries and 47 receptions, as well as returned punts and kick offs, so he’s a do-it-all workhorse. Sophomore Noah White, who played as a true freshman last year, is behind him (though he had just three carries week 1).
The receiver room is almost entirely new, but a couple of guys flashed early. Graduate senior Eli Wood is a former walk-on from UVA and led the team with six catches for 90 yards and a score, and can make some nice contested catches. Graduate transfer Demick Starling added three catches for 30 yards and the touchdown that briefly put Utah State ahead in the third quarter. Junior Rex Haynes is a 6-5 option and started strong with a 23 yard catch in the opening play of the game (though he was left basically uncovered.) Lastly, senior Javon Robinson is the speedy playmaker (relatively) and they look for him on screens. He had three catches.
The one thing the offensive line can hang their hat on is continuity, as three of Utah State’s four returning offensive starters from a year ago are on the line, led by senior left guard George Maile, who started all 13 games there a year ago. With basically everything else turned over, this group is supposed to be the steadying influence. That being said, they gave up 3 sacks and 6 TFLs to Idaho State. Not terrible numbers, but it’s concerning from the experienced part of your offense against an FCS team.
The Scheme
Utah State handed the keys to OC Robert Anae this offseason after losing their previous play caller to Utah. Anae comes with some pedigree, especially under Mendenhall, with 15 years working together. They built a top-10 rushing attack at BYU, and a 2021 Virginia offense that finished third nationally in total yards per game while setting a school record for passing yards. His teams have finished top 25 nationally in an offensive statistical category 56 times over his career (per the schools press release when they hired him in January of this year).
The system is built on quick passing, power running, and a lot of pre-snap motion and formation shifts to put stress on a defense’s eyes. They also showed some “slow mesh” against Idaho State, where the QB and running back have a long, exaggerated hand off to read the defense before deciding which one takes the ball. If I were a Utah State coach, I would see all the young players in Washington’s front seven and do everything to confuse them about where the ball is going. Aggie players on the roster have called it different from anything they’ve practiced against before. In theory it should be an adaptable attack, but week 1 showed the growing pains of installing a new system with such a new roster.
Final Thoughts
Utah State actually won the numbers against Idaho State, but just played losing football. They had more total yards, more than double the first downs (29 to 14), and nearly seven more minutes of possession, yet still lost by 12 points, mostly because of four turnovers. If Washington’s front is half as active in this game as they were against Washington State, Utah State will likely cough up the ball multiple times and be unable to finish drives. They lack the explosive playmakers needed to consistently beat this defense.
If the Huskies can rattle Hillstead the way Idaho State did (likely), particularly on early downs, this offense shouldn’t find much success. The key will be not flushing him from the pocket into open space where he can use his mobility, but rather keeping him in the pocket and forcing him to throw downfield — or better yet — sacking him outright. I don’t think Washington’s defense needs to be dominant here, it just needs to not allow mistakes and penalties to keep give Utah State momentum and confidence.
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