Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LOGAN — Weber State head coach Jay Hill got his signature win, and it came in signature Wildcats fashion.
Backed by its feisty defense and steady rushing attack, Weber State dominated Utah State at Maverik Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats outgained the Aggies 402-278 yards and kept its offense from scoring and won 35-7.
The 17,781 Aggies faithful booed the offense throughout the game, the stands thinned out by the end of the third quarter, and Hill picked up his first-ever win against an in-state FBS opponent — and the Wildcats' first win over Utah State since 1978.
"Wow, this for sure, is one of the best (games), and it rivals those playoff wins and it rivals a lot of great games I've been involved with," Hill said about the magnitude of the win. "So proud of the players. They executed the game plan so well and they were tougher than nails tonight. They came with a purpose."
The Aggies offense, which entered its third game of the season largely unproven, looked helpless throughout the game. Quarterback Logan Bonner went 12-of-31 passing for 120 yards and threw three interceptions.
The run game was not much better as Utah State's three running backs combined for 126 yards on 35 carries. For the second straight game, the Aggies offense was withheld from scoring. Their lone touchdown came on a first-quarter kick return from Terrell Vaughn. On their one trip to the red zone, Bonner threw a goal-line interception at the end of the half.
"Lack of consistency, turnovers, not being able to run the ball effectively at times — that was a problem tonight," Utah State head coach Blake Anderson said. "Not being able to win main coverage, that was a problem tonight."
Despite its offensive ineptitude, the Aggies kept the game close and trailed 13-7 in the third quarter.
Then the Wildcats flexed their muscles.
Weber State hammered out an 18-play, 86-yard drive that was capped off by a touchdown from Bronson Barron to Ty MacPherson to give the Wildcats a two-score lead.
On the next Aggies possession, Wildcats safety Desmond Williams jumped on a read up the middle and picked off Bonner and then ran it into the end zone to give the visitors from Ogden a 28-7 lead. When Bonner trotted back to the field, the student section booed and the Aggies ended the drive by turning the ball over on downs.
Barron, who finished the game 11-of-22 passing for 202 yards, three interceptions and two touchdown passes, padded the scoreboard with an 18-yard touchdown to MacPherson with 6:42 to add to the scoreboard.
"They were absolutely outstanding," Hill said. "I can't say enough about the coaches and the game plan. But ultimately, it comes down to players making plays, and they all did it on both sides of the ball."
The Aggies, who are coming off an 11-3 record, entered the season expecting to compete for another Mountain West championship. Three games into the season, they have an unconvincing win against Connecticut, were trounced by Alabama and now have a blemish at home against Weber State.
The most disconcerting thing about the latest loss is it wasn't a fluke; Weber State took control of the line of scrimmage and looked like the better team.
Against an Aggies defensive front missing defensive tackle Hale Motuapuaka, the Wildcats ran right through Utah State's front, converted first downs in short yardage situations and totaled 200 rushing yards. Josh Davis rushed for 94 yards on 18 carries, and Damond Bankston had 18 carries for 54 yards.
The Wildcats' defense managed to pressure Bonner, who did not look like his 2021 self as he continues to rehab from a knee injury. The Wildcats put Utah State in several third-and-long situations, some of which the Aggies opted to just hand the ball off and then punt it away — much to the dismay of the blue-clad home fans.
The Aggies go into a bye week with lots to work on, while the Wildcats leave Logan with Northern Utah bragging right and a win to remember.
"I thought we'd be a better football team by Week 3 than we are, but this is where we're at," Anderson said. "We lost some really, really good players, we lost some phenomenal leaders. We're struggling to get consistent play and we're struggling to get leadership. Until we find those two things, we'll be frustrating, so we've got to get to work."
