SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah State Aggies suffered another heartbreaking in-state road loss Thursday night, relinquishing a 23-14 lead late in the third quarter and going on to lose 30-26 in the "Battle of Brothers" against the Utah Utes.

The first game of the 2013 season, it was expected to be a true battle as both teams came into this game expecting a win, and that was displayed. The Aggies showed why they were optimistic about their chances going into this game, but certain miscues prevented them from leaving Rice-Eccles Stadium with a win.

Here is a graded breakdown of the Aggies performance:

Offense (overall): B+

The Aggie offense moved the ball well in the first half, with junior quarterback Chuckie Keeton completing 10 of his first 12 passes. Every drive but one in the first half ended up in Utah territory, resulting in two touchdown passes by Keeton to sophomore wide receiver Brandon Swindall, as well as a 26-yard field goal by junior kicker Nick Diaz. Everything was working for the Aggies in the first half Thursday night, and they moved the ball almost at will against the Utes to begin the game.

The Aggies picked up right where they left off in the second half, driving 75 yards on nine plays, culminating in a Keeton 15-yard rushing touchdown. As well as the Aggies had moved the ball to this point, the offense began to stall, going three-and-out on their next two possessions. Playing with a lead hasn't been all that kind to the Aggies in the past, and Thursday night must have seemed like deja vu for Aggie fans.

The run game wasn't very effective most of the night (outside of Keeton). The running backs combined for 88 yards on 24 carries, and the Utah State coaches tried to run the ball with the lead ineffectively in the second half, leading to those two crucial quick three-and-outs. The Aggie offense only gained 79 yards in the second half after the initial 75-yard touchdown drive at the beginning of the third quarter.

Related:

Keeton looks like Heisman contender in loss

There were a lot of things that left Utah State fans scratching their heads, but on the flip side, there were a lot of positives to take away from the 30-26 loss. Let's look at a few.

Quarterbacks: A

Chuckie Keeton was brilliant Thursday night, completing 31-of-40 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran the ball 15 times for 85 yards and one touchdown. The only thing stopping him from getting an A+ was the fumble deep in Utah territory in the first half, otherwise Keeton was outstanding and showed exactly why he was listed as a Heisman candidate going into this season.

Running backs: C+

Joe Hill was solid, running the ball for 75 yards on 18 carries. He was also effective in the passing game, catching seven passes for 39 yards. However, the Aggies weren't able to run the ball effectively in the second half with the lead. Backup runningback Joey Demartino only had three carries for seven yards after having a nice fall camp. Wide receiver Jojo Natson also had three carries, but only for a total of six yards after a crucial five-yard loss late in the fourth quarter.

Wide receivers/tight ends: A-

The biggest surprise Thursday night was how good the Aggies looked at wide receiver. Travis Van Leeuwen caught five passes for 107 yards, sophomore Jojo Natson looked explosive in the slot catching nine passes for 83 yards, and sophomore Brandon Swindall caught three passes for 23 yards, with two of them going for touchdowns. Tight ends D.J. Tialavea and Keegan Andersen were effective in the passing game as well.

Offensive line:B

The offensive line was solid Thursday night. Pass protection was good for most of the game, allowing only two sacks, but could have been more had Keeton not broken out of several tackles. The run blocking was unspectacular but not terrible. Much of this could be contributed to the Utes' strong defensive line play and front seven.

Defense (overall): C+

The Aggie defense was a bit of an enigma Thursday night. The run defense was very stout as expected, only giving up 148 rushing yards on 44 carries. When blitzing, they were able to get decent pressure on Travis Wilson, sacking him three times and pressuring him throughout the game. However, there were times when Wilson had way too much time to throw. The secondary was not great, giving up passes of 56, 51, 30 and 26 yards. The long ball hurt the Aggies often last season and looks like it might continue this season, as new strong safety Maurice Alexander had a tough time adjusting in coverage during his first game at his new position.

Defensive line: C+

Some of this could be contributed to losing starting defensive end Connor Williams early in the first half, but the Aggies' front three were often non-factors in this game. The 15-yard penalty on senior defensive end B.J. Larsen in the first half was a killer, and overall they were not getting much pressure on Wilson without the help of a blitz. While the Utes were not able to run the ball very effectively, only part of that could be contributed to the defensive line.

Linebackers: A-

The linebackers were often very good Thursday night for the Aggies. Sophomore Kyler Fackrell was all over the place, finishing with six tackles, two for a loss, one sack and one forced fumble. Senior Jake Doughty and Junior Zach Vigil were stout in the middle, containing the Utes run game and racking up tackles. Vigil also had a half sack and a forced fumble.

Defensive backs: C+

The biggest issue for the Aggie defense Thursday night was the long passes given up. While Nevin Lawson was able to shut down Dres Anderson most of the night, he did give up a huge 56-yard completion on third-and-14 in the third quarter (partly due to the lack of safety help over the top. Alexander took a bad route to the ball on that play). The Utes' top two receivers combined for 11 catches and 192 yards. The long ball was an issue, but much of it can't be blamed squarely on the cornerbacks. Overall, they played all right, but there is room for improvement.

Safeties: C-

Much of the blown coverage and deep passes by the Utes could be attributed to poor safety play. Aggie fans expected some bumps in the road with senior Maurice Alexander, as it was his first game at safety, but neither he nor junior Brian Suite were very good against the pass Thursday night. However, Alexander looked explosive at times and was able to get to the quarterback on the safety blitzes. He ended up with nine tackles, one and a half sacks, and two pass breakups. He showed why many Aggie fans were high on him coming into this season while also showing why many were a bit worried about him playing a new position for the first time after switching over from linebacker. He is learning on the go and will likely provide many highlight reel plays as well as playing a huge role in the run defense, but the deep ball could be a problem going forward and is something he must work on.

Special teams:D+

A missed extra point that certainly came back to bite the Aggies, and a poorly defended onside kick were two of the biggest miscues of the game. Otherwise, the kickoffs, punting and coverage were solid.

Overall team: B-

It was certainly a tough loss for the Aggies, who at one point looked like they could have run away with the game in the third quarter. There were several bright spots, mainly Keeton, the wide receivers and the linebackers, but also several areas that will need some improvement. It was another heartbreaking in-state road game for the Aggies. Playing any team on the road is tough in college football, especially against a Pac-12 team and in a rivalry game, but one can't help but feel that the Aggies might have been their own worst enemy Thursday night.

Going forward there is still plenty to be optimistic about with this Aggie team. Some areas certainly need to be worked on, but there is no doubt this team looks like it has the talent to be even better than last season's 11-2 team. With that said … on to Air Force.

David Lieberman is currently a senior at Utah State University and a part time sports writer. Contact him at: David.Lieberman@aggiemail.usu.edu

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