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LOGAN — For the first time since 2014, the 14th-ranked Utah State football team finished a perfect 6-0 at home.
Despite a slow start, Utah State used a dominating second quarter en route to a 62-24 win over San Jose State on Saturday afternoon at Maverik Stadium.
It is the ninth straight win for the Aggies who improve to 9-1 overall and 6-0 in the Mountain West Conference.
Quarterback Jordan Love had another career day as he finished 32-of-42 for 497 yards and five touchdowns. Love also added a 1-yard rushing touchdown in a 28-point second quarter that saw the Aggies take a 38-10 lead into halftime.
The two-headed monster known as Gerold Bright and Darwin Thompson led the Utah State rushing attack, finishing with 54 and 150 yards, respectively, on the ground. Both backs also had two touchdowns apiece.
Utah State's defense recorded three more turnovers on the day, and about the only thing the Aggies didn't do in the blowout win was have a non-offensive touchdown.
Here are some thoughts on the Utah State win.
Darwin Thompson is a man among boys
When people see the Twitter handle of Darwin Thompson, they will probably understand why. Thompson has 140 yards rushing, 115 yards receiving and three touchdowns on the day. It is the fifth game that Thompson has recorded 100-plus yards rushing.
Thompson was coming off an impressive performance at Hawaii in which the junior for Jenks, OK rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns.
Coming into Saturday, Thompson had 13 rushing touchdowns and was averaging 7.5 yards per carry.
Thompson isn't just a bruiser. The man has speed as shown on his 88-yard touchdown catch and run against San Jose State on Saturday.
Keep an eye on this huge weapon as the Aggies inch closer to their goal of a Mountain West Championship.
Jordan Love has another career day
When Jordan Love went out of the Hawaii game a week ago due to an undisclosed injury and didn't return, there was no hesitation from Utah State head coach that Love would play on Saturday in the home finale.
And the sophomore quarterback put on a clinic. Love completed 32 passes, threw for a career-high 497 yards and finished with six total touchdowns. Love helped the Aggies set a new program record for total offense with 804 yards.
Efficient, quick, and decisive are adjectives that describe Love. With a 213.7 quarterback rating, it is safe to say that Jordan Love is living up to the hype that has led to him being named a semifinalist fo the Davey O'Brien Award, given out to the nation's best offensive player.
Nine straight wins and counting ...
Another Saturday afternoon and another Aggie win. Since falling at 11th-ranked Michigan State to open the season, Utah State has run off nine straight wins. In those nine wins, Utah State is averaging 53 points per game, over 400 yards of total offense per game and look nearly unstoppable.
A team with 25 seniors is putting on a clinic in 2018 and it looks to keep it rolling when the Aggies travel to Colorado State on Nov. 17.
Last note
- Utah State racked up 510 passing yards and 294 rushing yards on the day.
- With the win and with Boise State beating Fresno State on Friday night, if the Aggies can win out and beat Boise State on Nov. 24 in Boise, Utah State will host the Mountain West Conference Championship game on Dec. 1 at Maverik Stadium.
- The Utah State defense recorded three more turnovers on the afternoon to add to its season total of 26.
- In the six wins at Maverik Stadium, Utah State averaged 59.5 points per game.
Kyle McDonald is sports fan who loves the Chicago Cubs. Follow him on Twitter at @kylesportsbias
