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LOGAN — Utah State ran literally and figuratively right past its FCS opponent Saturday night, racking up 380 total rushing yards.
Since the beginning of fall camp, Aggies head coach Blake Anderson has said the team feels good about its three-deep running back room, but it wasn't until Saturday that that depth was truly evident.
Robert Briggs Jr., who appears to be Utah State's lead running back, finished the game against Idaho State with nine carries for 101 yards and a touchdown. Rahsul Faison added 95 yards and a touchdown on five rushes, and Davon Booth recorded 83 yards and two touchdowns.
The trio of running backs each had breakout touchdown runs of 58, 60, and 40 yards, respectively. Combined, the trio ran for 279 yards and averaged nearly 14 yards per carry.
"Tonight, everything worked on the ground," Anderson said.
The long runs from each running back were especially impressive, making defenders miss and running through tackles until they crossed the goal line.
"I just see the end zone," Briggs said of his own breakout run. "I just keep going and keep running fast and don't get caught, because that's embarrassing."
Of course, an impressive rushing attack and solid pass protection wouldn't be possible without a surprisingly stalwart performance from the Aggies' offensive line through two games. The unit returned only one starter in Wade Meacham and relied heavily on the transfer portal to fill important gaps this season. The unit has been, arguably, one of the most surprising and impressive parts of the Aggies team this fall.
After the game at Iowa, quarterback Cooper Legas praised his offensive line, saying that he expected to be pressured a lot more than he was. Legas threw for 213 yards in the season opener on 48 pass attempts and was only sacked just once against one of the top defenses in the country.
The unit's unsuspected success continued against Idaho State, too. The offensive line helped the Aggies reach nearly 300 rushing yards in the first half and allowed only one sack all game.
Anderson said that although the coaching staff was happy with their running backs' performance, the offensive line certainly deserved credit for its "phenomenal job creating gaps."
Briggs said he saw "nothing but a big hole … everybody on the ground. I love it." He added that his offensive line "got down and dirty today."
Utah State's rushing attack will be vital to finding success throughout the remainder of their season. Though the run-game success against an FCS school certainly doesn't guarantee similar success against schools in their league, it is a spark for an offense that will need as much as it can take in conference play.
