Utah State Falls to Washington State in Idaho Potato Bowl
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Utah State ended a disappointing 6-7 season with a 34-21 loss to Washington State in the Idaho Potato Bowl on December 22nd. The Aggies went down at the half 14-0, and before the Aggies scored their first touchdown of the game, the Cougars were up 20-0 in the 3rd quarter. The first score of the game for Utah State came on a two-yard run from Bryson Barnes with 2:27 remaining in the 3rd quarter to make the score 20-7. Not long after cutting the lead down, Washington State scored in the opening minute of the 4th quarter on a 39-yard pass from Zevi Eckhaus to make the score 27-7. Utah State would score again, not long afterwards, on a 21-yard pass from Jacob Conover to make the game 27-14 before Washington State would score again, this time on a 34-yard run by Julian Dugger to make the score 34-14. Utah State would score the final touchdown of the game with just over a minute left on a 26-yard pass from Jacob Conover, but a first-half performance with no points for Utah State proved to make a big difference.
Bryson Barnes was an abysmal 9 for 21 (43%) for 116 yards and an interception, by far his worst performance of the year. Javen Jacobs led the Aggies in rushing with 24 yards on three carries. Brady Boyd led the team in receiving with four receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown. Cornerback Dangelo Mayes led the Aggies in sacks with one sack, and safety Brevin Hamblin led Utah State in tackles with 12 total.
Washington State quarterback Zevi Eckhaus led the Cougars in passing yards with 334 yards, completing 26 of his 44 pass attempts (59%) and tossing three touchdowns and three interceptions. Running back Mazwell Woods led the Cougars in rushing with 117 yards on nine carries, while receiver Joshua Meredith led Washington State in receiving with eight catches for 84 yards. Linebacker Gavin Barthiel led the Cougars in sacks with one, and linebacker Caleb Francl led the team in tackles with eight total.
Statistics Comparison
1st Downs: WSU: 30; USU: 13
3rd Down Efficiency: WSU: 9-18 (50%); USU: 3-13 (23%)
Total Yards: WSU: 628 yards; USU: 254 yards
Passing Yards: WSU: 373 yards; USU: 194 yards
Rushing Yards: WSU: 255 yards; USU: 60 yards
Penalties: WSU: 6-72; WSU: 7-74
Turnovers: USU: 1; WSU: 3
Possession: WSU: 35:48; USU: 24:12
Overall Thoughts
The statistics absolutely told the story of this game. Utah State trailed in every category but one and only managed 13 first downs the entire game. The Aggies only had 64 rushing yards, and the inconsistency from Bryson Barnes led to 194 passing yards and a very poor completion percentage. Utah State allowed 628 total yards of offense while only putting up 254. The Aggies simply did not play well on either side of the ball. Sure, the offense could have played better, and that might have made the game a little bit closer. However, despite creating turnovers, Utah State’s defense was just unable to get stops. 30 first downs is a lot. 628 yards is a lot. Converting 9 of 18 first downs could be better, but it is also not terrible.
Utah State, throughout the season, has demonstrated an inability to run the football consistently. While Bryson Barnes is a playmaker and a veteran, you cannot expect to put the entire offense on one person; it simply doesn’t work that way. Utah State put themselves into obvious passing situations, which led to the abysmal play in the passing game. The running game is a big concern that Bronco Mendenhall will need to address over the offseason. With the offense being one-dimensional, Utah State was unable to turn turnovers into points, and this is a very big issue.
Overall, Utah State had high moments this season, such as the season-opening win over UTEP, a 51-14 beatdown of Nevada, and a 28-17 win over Fresno State. The Aggies, however, also had low moments that often saw inconsistency in the run game. Some of these moments included a 55-35 loss to Vanderbilt, a 44-26 loss to Hawaii, a 33-14 loss to New Mexico, a 25-24 loss to Boise State (a game where Utah State led most of the way), and a 34-21 loss to Washington State in the bowl game. Many of the losses that Utah State faced during the 2025 season were not close. This will be something else that Bronco Mendenhall and staff will need to address.
Bronco Mendenhall and his staff have a lot to look at and a lot of questions to answer heading into the PAC-12 for the 2026 season, but the program does seem to be heading in a better direction under veteran leadership. The first year in the PAC-12 will be a very important one for Utah State football, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.
The Aggies will open up next season at home against Idaho State on September 5th.
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