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COLORADO SPRINGS — Down 22-0 after just one quarter of play in Colorado Springs, Utah State's first promising drive was finally coming together after back-to-back 23 yard receptions.
Just outside of the red zone, Cooper Legas made a poor read on first-and-10, and his pass was intercepted for the Aggies' second turnover of the game. Utah State found itself in a predicament extremely early in the game — for the third time this season.
In the season opener against Iowa, the Aggies went down 14-0 in the first few minutes of the game. Despite recovering well and outscoring the Hawkeyes 14-10 in the remainder of the game, Utah State lost the battle due to the early deficit. In fact, the Aggies outscored both the Hawkeyes and the Falcons in the final three quarters of the two losses.
Even in Utah State's Week 2 game, which ended in a massive blowout win in the Aggies' favor, it featured a much less discussed first quarter where the Aggies and Bengals were tied 7-7. While that is not the same type of "predicament" that the Aggies found themselves in their other two contests this year, they still had certainly underperformed and had not matched expectations through the first quarter of that game.
Of the Aggies' 113 total points scored this season, only seven have come in the first quarter. Head coach Blake Anderson attributed the team's first quarter woes to a widely inexperienced team, many of whom are still playing some of their first Division I snaps.
So, when in their third contest of the season things didn't change, Anderson decided it was time for a change.
With just over 11 minutes left in the second quarter, after the Falcons marched down the field and scored their fourth touchdown to put them up by 29 points, true freshman McCae Hillstead trotted onto the field to lead the Aggies offense, even though he was listed behind both Levi Williams and Cooper Legas in the team's depth chart.
Wide receiver Micah Davis, who secured four receptions and a touchdown on the evening, said it was a shock when he was told Hillstead was going to play over Legas and Williams.
"We knew we had to rally and help him out, just make some plays for him, get him comfortable, and he did the rest," Davis said.
"I love Levi to death and he's got a role in our team," Anderson said of his decision to bring in Hillstead over Williams. But Anderson said, ultimately, the two players' "skill sets are different." He explained that while Williams finds answers with his legs, Hillstead answers with his decision-making and his arm, using his legs when necessary — something that fits the Aggies' scheme better.
Hillstead, though a true freshman, was a three-star recruit according to 247Sports and was recruited by other programs, including Washington State. He has much less collegiate experience than his fellow teammates in the quarterback room, but has provided the Aggies offense with production that his counterparts have largely failed to match in similar matchups.
From the minute he took the field in the second quarter, the Aggies outscored the Falcons 21-10 without any interceptions or fumbles. He threw for over 200 yards and three touchdowns with a 67% completion rate. Of the five drives he led, three ended in touchdowns.
Anderson said it was "pretty darn good" to see the freshman's performance, especially considering his inexperience.
With such success, it appears Legas' starting spot is certainly in jeopardy, but Anderson said he does not plan to make the decision based on emotion; he'll take the time to study the film before making a decision. But it is entirely possible that Hillstead could be the starting quarterback moving forward for the Aggies.
