Utah State defeated McNeese State 48-7 on Saturday night to move to 3-1 on the season. Bryson Barnes threw for 293 yards and three touchdowns, completing 19 of his 27 attempted passes. Bryson Barnes was
also the leading rusher for the Aggies, rushing for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Braden Pegan was once again the leading receiver for Utah State, catching three passes for 95 yards. William Holmes managed to get two sacks for the Aggies, too, while Carson Tujague led the team with 11 total tackles (3 solo). Utah State started the game with a 45-yard touchdown pass from Bryson Barnes to Kahanu Davis. Less than a minute later, Bryson Barnes threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Braden Pegan to go up 13-0. Utah State would score again in the second quarter on a 30-yard run by Miles Davis, and the Aggies would score three more times before halftime. With just over nine minutes left in the third quarter, Bryson Barnes took off on a 21-yard touchdown run, and later in the quarter, Bryson Barnes threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Brady Boyd. This would be the final score of the game for the Aggies in a successful game. Utah State held McNeese State quarterback Jake Strong to 89 passing yards as he only completed 7 of his 23 passes. On 12 carries, McNeese State running back Trevonte Citizen rushed for 71 yards. The leading receiver for McNeese State was Jonathan Harris, who had one catch for 20 yards and a touchdown. The Aggies were dominant throughout the game, not getting outscored in any of the quarters that they played.
Statistics Comparison
First Downs: USU: 27; McNeese State: 13
3rd Down Efficiency: USU: 6-12 (50%); McNeese State: 6-18 (33%)
Total Yards: USU: 630 total yards; McNeese State: 239 total yards
Passing Yards: USU: 293 passing yards; McNeese State: 130 passing yards
Rushing Yards: USU: 337 rushing yards; McNeese State: 109 rushing yards
Penalties: McNeese State: 3-22; USU: 6-55
Turnovers: McNeese State: 0; USU: 2 turnovers
Time of Possession: USU: 31:14; McNeese State: 28:46
Final Thoughts
Overall, Utah State did exactly what it needed to do to be efficient in a tune-up game. They managed to score a lot of points and managed to create several big-time offensive plays, which has been a strength of the offense this year. Bryson Barnes was expected to have a very successful season, and thus far, Barnes has lived up to the hype. The connection he has created with Braden Pegan has been a key part of the offensive success the Aggies have had. Utah State had a very efficient day offensively and did a much better job of converting third downs in this one. Looking at the game details, two areas where Utah State can work on continued improvement are penalties and creating turnovers. Against Air Force, Utah State forced three turnovers. This is something the Aggies need to get back to doing, especially against Vanderbilt next week. This has been an opportunity that Utah State has been working for. If the Aggies can play with efficiency next Saturday and create turnovers on defense, they will have an opportunity to take down Vanderbilt on the road. This will be the final week for Utah State until their Bye Week after this week. Utah State is going to want to make the most of this week.
