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IOWA CITY, Iowa — Utah State fell 24-14 to the 25th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes Saturday, though the team's performance was positive against a strong and formidable Big Ten opponent.
Iowa's defense was expected to be a problem for the Aggies, but the Hawkeyes' offensive strategy and early success caught Utah State by surprise.
"I was caught off guard," said linebacker MJ Tafisi Jr, who recorded 12 tackles and a career-high three tackles for loss. "They're obviously the bigger team … so I was expecting a lot more run."
The Hawkeyes ran for just 88 yards and passed for a total of 196 yards in the win.
Led by seasoned Michigan transfer Cade McNamara, Iowa's offense looked nothing like its one-dimensional offense of times past, and utilized air raid sets and a pass run mix that led the team to a passing touchdown on both of their first two drives.
The Aggies' inexperienced roster, which featured more than a dozen players who appeared in their first Division I game, got outscored 14-0 in the first quarter.
"You could tell we were nervous early, real jittery," Utah State head coach Blake Anderson said, while adding that the team played better once it calmed down.
Utah State's defense lacked veteran tackle Hale Motu'apuaka, who was day-to-day with an injury prior to the game. Starting linebacker Max Alford also left the game with a knee injury on the first defensive play of the game.
So for what Utah State had to work with, Anderson said he was very pleased with his defense.
After the first two scoring drives for Iowa, the remainder of the game was an even, low-scoring battle.
The Aggies appeared to have a boost of momentum at several instances — the Aggies even outscored the Hawkeyes in the final three quarters 14-10 — but it was the team's own mistakes that halted a comeback.
Utah State recorded five personal fouls, two missed fumble opportunities, two missed interception opportunities, an interception on offense, and unconverted third-and-shorts situations. In total, Utah State finished with 10 penalties for 75 yards and only converted five of their 17 third-down plays.
"Those are things we have to capitalize on and avoid," Anderson said. "Today we didn't, and we played a really good team, and you're going to see an outcome like this basically every time with those kinds of mistakes."
Even with the success Utah State did have to keep the game close, an Iowa long touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter put the nail in the coffin and secured a Hawkeyes victory.
Utah State made an effort to fight back late and scored a touchdown on a pass from quarterback Cooper Legas to Terrell Vaughn with a completed 2-point conversion with a few minutes left in the game.
And while the quick touchdown drive was a positive for the team, it was ultimately too little, too late for a comeback.
"I think we could have got that energy earlier in the game," said Legas, who completed 32-of-48 passes for 213 yards, a touchdown and an interception. "I think we were just not as locked in as we should have been."
Vaughn and running back Rahsul Faison had good showings despite the loss, both nearing 100 yards of total production. Faison averaged 8.4 yards per carry on seven attempts and made big plays in the Aggies' touchdown drive.
Anthony Switzer and Tafisi added to an impressive defensive performance, helping their team to a total of nine tackles for loss.
The Aggies will look to bounce back in the team's home opener next Saturday against Big Sky opponent Idaho State.
