PROVO — Utah State was looking for its second straight win in Provo and a way to end its season on a positive note after struggling through the Mountain West Conference.

The Aggies had a solid performance for the majority of the game, especially on defense. However, with an inconsistent offense that lacked the big play, the defense was called upon way too much and finally wore down in the second half.

Here are the grades for USU from the 86th meeting of the battle for the Old Wagon Wheel.

Offense: C+

It wasn’t a bad effort by the USU offense. In fact, the Aggies took the opening drive 64 yards on 12 plays and put three points on the board. Yes, it would have been good had they finished it with a touchdown, but they got an early lead so give them credit. However, the same inconsistency that has plagued the Aggies all season came to fruition Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Although the stats after three quarters were almost identical, the score wasn’t, and that was the difference. USU just couldn’t put the ball in the end zone and thus the end of a miserable year for the Aggies.

Defense: B-

Let’s give some credit where credit is due. The USU defense forced two Taysom Hill interceptions and for the majority of the game held the BYU offense in check. It was a matter of fatigue and being on the field a lot in the second half that doomed the Aggie defense. Jalen Davis had the big play on defense with a 37-yard return that set up the first USU touchdown right before halftime. Although BYU racked up over 200 yards rushing on the night, they held Hill in check and didn’t really allow the big play.

However, with an inconsistent offense not producing any points, it was a tall task to keep the Cougars off the scoreboard.

Special Teams: B

It was a so-so night for the USU special teams. Brock Warren made a 28-yard field goal to give the Aggies the lead, but Dominik Eberle missed a 46-yarder on the second USU drive of the game.

Marquan Ellison had two kick returns and one went for 24 yards, giving the Aggies good field position in the second quarter, but the USU offense couldn’t do anything with it. Other than that, not much going on in the special teams department.

Coaching: C-

It just wasn’t a good year for Matt Wells and company. The fourth-year head coach struggled with consistency, and the Aggies lacked discipline as they racked up over 70 penalty yards. The defense played well for the majority of the game, but the offense struggled to score points once again. The thing is, at halftime BYU made adjustments and were able to increase the lead. USU didn’t and once again lost the game in the second half.

Overall: C+

USU scored first, the defense played solidly for the majority of the game and they knocked Hill out of the game for the third time in four years — thus the reason for this grade. Unfortunately, the Aggies (3-9) will end their season with a loss and their worst season since 2007 when they won two games. In a game that represented their bowl game, USU showed life but just seemed overmatched and outcoached at times. Mistakes, penalties and lack of consistency have been symptoms of the USU struggles all season and they reared their ugly heads again Saturday night.

Kyle McDonald is sports fan who loves the Chicago Cubs and the Utah Valley University Wolverines. He is a communication major at UVU and will graduate in the spring of 2017. Follow him on Twitter at @kylesportsbias

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