Utah State Blows Out Nevada
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The Utah State Aggies had a blowout victory over the Nevada Wolfpack this past Saturday, 51 – 14. Nevada did not score a touchdown until the third quarter. Utah State scored 41-0 points in the first half, scoring 24 points in the first quarter and 17 in the third quarter. Utah State slowed down in the second half, scoring just 10 points to Nevada’s 14.
Bryson Barnes had an extremely accurate night, completing 20 of his 27 attempts and passing for 288 yards and three touchdowns. Barnes also led the team in rushing, going for 40 yards on nine carries. Brady Boyd led the Aggies in receiving, gaining 117 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions, and defensive tackle Tyree Morris had 1.5 sacks for the Aggies, while safety Brevin Hamblin led the team in tackles with eight total and three solo.
Chubba Purdy led Nevada in passing yards with 80 yards and two touchdowns on three completions and seven attempts. Chubba Purdy was also the leading rusher for the Wolfpack, going for 45 yards on 10 carries, and was closely followed by Caleb Ramseur, who had 43 yards and an average of 5.4 yards per carry on eight carries. For the Aggies, Miles Davis had an impact with two touchdowns, as did Javen Jacobs and Noah Write, who had 65 yards and 63 yards, respectively.
Overall, Utah State scored on eight drives to have a very successful day offensively. Utah State dominated in several key phases to get back on the right track.
Statistics Comparison
1st Downs: USU: 23; NEV: 11
3rd-Down Conversion Rate: USU: 8-16 (50%); UVLS
Total Yards: USU: 522 yards; NEV: 242
Passing Yards: USU: 377 yards; NEV: 122 yards
Rushing Yards: USU: 145 yards; NEV: 120 yards
Penaltiues: NEV: 8-72; USU: 9-75
Turnovers:USU: 0 turnovers; NEV: 3 turnovers
Time of Possession: USU: 32:22; NEV: 27:38
Overall Thoughts
The overall thoughts on this game are that Utah State was dominant. Nevada has struggled in football for quite a few years, and this season has proven little different. Utah State had 522 yards of offense and took advantage of the possessions that they had. The Aggies still had issues, such as another game with a high amount of penalties committed, but forcing three turnovers and converting 50% of their 3rd Downs turned into a successful day for the Utah State offense. One of the other issues the Aggies faced during this game is that, aside from Bryson Barnes, nobody had consistently gained over 100 yards on the ground. Bryson Barnes can do it on scrambles, and while Miles Davis is explosive, it is important for Davis to continue to find holes to be successful.
While the Utah State offense was very successful, credit needs to be given to Utah State’s defense too, which forced three turnovers and gave the offense extra possessions. Holding a team to 122 passing yards is very successful, and this is something that the Aggies did held all night long. Utah State’s defense also held Nevada to 120 total yards rushing. This is a step forward as the Aggies have struggled to stop the run this year.
Overall, this was a much better performance for the Aggies after the bye week following the loss to New Mexico. However, as mentioned before, it is also important to remember the opponent that Utah State was playing, a 1-8 Nevada team that has yet to win a Mountain West football game this season. Up next for the Aggies is a road trip to 7-2 UNLV. ESPN analytics favor UNLV in this matchup by a significant margin. If Utah State can shut down UNLV’s offense and take advantage of offensive possessions, the Aggies will have a strong chance to take over this game.
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