Last week, Utah State was able to get a big win against Air Force to move to 2-1 on the season. This is the best start for Utah State since 2021, when the Aggies were 3-0 before falling to Boise State 27-3. Utah State is now 2-1 as noted to start the 2025 season. Against the Falcons, the Aggies had 473 yards of total offense and had 287 passing yards and 186 rushing yards. Utah State went 4-9 on 3rd Down and had five penalties and no turnovers. Bryson Barnes threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns,
and Javen Jacobs ran for 71 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Braden Pegan was one of the stars of the game, garnering 147 receiving yards and two touchdowns on seven catches. Utah State did a great job of creating explosive plays, scoring long touchdowns of 17 yards or more four different times. This week, the Aggies will face a much different opponent in McNeese State, the second FCS opponent that the Aggies face this season.
Game Information
Date: Saturday, September 20th
Time: 8:00 P.M. EST
TV/Radio: Mountain West Network / KMYU My Utah TV
Line (Provided by DraftKings Sportsbook): TBD (FCS lines typically release later in the week)
Series History: This is the first time that Utah State has met McNeese State in program history.
Three Keys to the Game
1. Don’t look to next week.
Next week is a big week for Utah State. The Aggies will have the opportunity to compete for a monumental win against Vanderbilt on September 27th. In truth, the game against Texas A&M was more competitive than the 44-22 score showed. Utah State didn’t have its best day, and Texas A&M was able to control most of the game. There are so many teams that look towards bigger games and end up not performing in the weekly game. Utah State has to stay focused in this game. While they are playing an FCS team, there are going to be opportunities to practice execution and focus on efficiency. The Aggies need to take advantage of these opportunities, building on their strengths and identifying weaknesses.
2. Continue to build continuity
This is the perfect type of game for Utah State to build continuity, especially on the offensive line. One of the big questions for the Aggies coming into the season was the offensive line, which lost quite a bit of production, and the receivers, a group that lost one of the best receivers in school history and one of the best in the Mountain West. Braden Pegan is a receiver who seems to have separated himself from others in the group, with 208 yards and three touchdowns on the season. Utah State is not going to have many games like this during the season before they enter Mountain West play, so the Aggies need to take advantage to build relationships in the position groups quickly. Utah State can use this opportunity to build continuity between the backups as well. The Aggies still have some execution to clean up, and now is the time to become more consistent.
3. Avoid penalties, turnovers. and injuries
The last thing that Utah State needs is injuries before a huge matchup at Vanderbilt. While Utah State needs to build continuity and practice execution, it is very important for the Aggies to keep their starters healthy. Utah State needs to practice a strong first half of efficient football. What this looks like is a high third-down conversion rate, creating explosive plays, and forcing turnovers. If the Aggies can do these three things in the first half, they will look to be in good shape. If Utah State struggled into the third quarter and only managed to put up just over 30 points, a point could be made that the Aggies looked ahead to Vanderbilt, but that would still be concerning.
Prediction
Utah State had a really good game against Air Force, especially offensively. This is not the same offense as the past couple of seasons. The Aggies have a confident quarterback, and they have a playmaker who seems to be establishing himself as a difference-maker at wide receiver. Utah State’s defense has been decent this season as well, stepping up and making big plays where needed. Utah State needs to take this game seriously, as it is a chance for a tune-up game and strength-building game before one of the biggest games of the season on the road. Utah State takes this one seriously, and the Aggies roll in a very convincing win, building on continuity and execution.
Score Prediction: Utah State: 45; McNeese State: 7
