- Bryson Barnes led Utah State's offense to a 48-7 victory over McNeese.
- Barnes achieved 421 total yards and five touchdowns in just three quarters.
- Utah State now holds a 3-1 record averaging 36.75 points per game.
LOGAN — Utah State's offense rolled again on Saturday as Aggies quarterback Bryson Barnes and company ran the McNeese Cowboys out of the stadium.
Utah State's offense, led by Barnes, lit up the scoreboard again on Saturday in a 48-7 win, their second straight game of at least 48 points scored.
Barnes had another big night for the Aggies, putting up a career-high 421 yards of total offense and tallying five total touchdowns — three through the air and two on the ground.
"He's exceptional in every way. He's also been used in a magical way by coach (Kevin) McGivin," Aggies head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "Bryson does a lot on his own and improvises on his own after the plays, but the number of plays that are designed right and are working, that's highlighting it."
Barnes accomplished that stat line in just three quarters of football, as Jacob Conover replaced him in the fourth quarter with Utah State up big.
Additionally, in Utah State's four games this season, Barnes has recorded both a rushing and passing touchdown in three of them. The lone exception came in the Aggies 44-22 loss to a ranked Texas A&M team.
Barnes' career night comes just a week after his similarly big night against Air Force, where he passed for two touchdowns and rushed for three. That performance a week ago earned him Mountain West offensive player of the week honors, a recognition he is surely in line to win again.
"The resolve, the physicality, the decision-making, the toughness — I mean, he's the leader of our team, and our team is taking on his identity," Mendenhall said.
Barnes wasn't the only Aggies player who had a big night against the Cowboys, as graduate transfer Miles Davis rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown, plus 39 receiving yards. With his 118 rushing yards, the BYU transfer marked his first 100-yard rushing game in Logan.
Barnes and Davis have become a lethal combination, as both have become legitimate dual-threat players in both the passing and the running game.
"When I'm carrying the ball, when (Davis) is carrying the ball, we're making the most of the opportunities we have with the carries that we have," Barnes said. "A lot of my success that came from tonight was our O-line, and then Miles, he was making (McNeese) pay."
The fact the Aggies' impressive offensive night came against an FCS McNeese team, a team that gave up 447 total yards and 42 points to Weber State last week, may be considered a caveat by many.
However, Utah State's 48 points or more in back-to-back games is the first time the Aggies have accomplished that feat since 2021, when they put up 48 points against an FCS North Dakota team and 49 points against the Air Force Falcons. Utah State started that 2023 season 3-0 and ultimately went on to win the Mountain West Championship later in the year.
In a season where many fellow Mountain West programs have struggled against FCS foes, as recent as San José State squeaking out a three-point win over Idaho on Saturday, taking care of business offensively against FCS teams is little to scoff at.
With their win over McNeese, they move to 3-1 on the year, scoring an average of 36.75 points per game in those four games. Only Air Force has a higher average, at 38.6 points per game through three games. UNLV is also on pace with the Aggies with an average of 36.75 points per game; however, both teams have done so without playing a top-25 team.
Despite their early proficiency, Barnes still sees additional room for improvement.
"It didn't feel like I had that much production this game. There were some things I left out there that I'm a little frustrated about," Barnes said. "I feel like there's a lot of things. There hasn't been a team that we have played yet that when we are clicking on all cylinders that we've been stopped."
Barnes' confidence will be put to the test against another top-20 team next week on the road against the Vanderbilt Commodores.
