Utah State was on an eight-game win streak against the Warriors heading to the islands. Utah State was coming off a Bye Week after falling to Vanderbilt against Utah State. The Aggies were 1-0 in conference
play and were looking to build on their 3-2 record. Everything halted on Saturday night. After taking a 26-24 lead in the 3rd Quarter on a 32-yard touchdown pass from Bryson Barnes to Broc Lane, Hawaii hit a 46-yard field goal to take a 27-26 lead into the 4th Quarter. Hawaii would go on to score 17 unanswered points in the 4th Quarter to get a 44-26 victory.
Bryson Barnes threw for 175 yards and completed 14 of his 26 pass attempts. Barnes also threw a touchdown and an interception in one of his less productive performances on the season. Running back Miles Davis 102 yards on 15 carries and scored a touchdown. Braden Pegan was the leading receiver for the Aggies as he caught three passes for 84 yards. Chris Joe had two sacks for the Aggies, and safety Brevin Hamblin had seven tackles for Utah State. The Aggies allowed Micah Alejado to throw for 413 yards and three touchdowns. Alejado completed 34 of his 54 pass attempts and also threw an interception. For the Warriors, running back Landon Sims rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Jackson Harris caught seven passes for 117 yards for the Warriors, and defensive back Elijah Palmer had six tackles to lead the defense.
Utah State lost in three major categories against Hawaii, losing the turnover battle (2-1), penalties (11-5), and time of possession (34:01 – 25:59).
Statistics Comparison
First Downs: HAW: 26; USU: 20
Third Down Conversions: HAW: 5-16 (31%); USU: 2-12 (16.7%)
Total Yards: HAW: 549 yards; USU: 435 yards
Passing Yards: HAW: 413 yards; USU: 269 yards
Rushing Yards: USU: 166 yards; HAW: 166 yards
Penalties: HAW: 5-44; USU: 11-73
Turnovers: HAW: 1 turnover; USU: 2 turnovers
Time of Possession: HAW: 34:01; USU: 25:59
Analysis
The keys to the game for Utah State were to limit its penalties and create big plays. Utah State also needed to get off the field on defense and wear down the Hawaii defense with longer drives. Utah State didn’t do this, and a big part of why was that Utah State went 2-12 on 3rd Down. Utah State, over the past couple of seasons, has really struggled on 3rd Downs, and this has been a common problem. Utah State also had penalty problems, which have affected 3rd Down conversion rates. Utah State needed to stop the explosive Hawaii passing game, and they could not stop Alejado. Part of the problem was that the Aggies’ defense was on the field a lot. They didn’t get the rest that they needed. By my count, Utah State gave up 7 explosive plays to the Warriors, five passing plays and two running plays. Utah State wasn’t able to score any points in the 4th quarter. The Warriors scored 17. That truly was the difference in this game as before the 17-point 4th quarter, it was a one-point game in Hawaii’s favor. Hawaii, as mentioned in the preview, is a tough team to play when they are at home, and the Warriors have also found success this season, with their only conference loss coming in a close game to Fresno State on the road. Utah State needed Bryson Barnes to step up in a big way in this game, and he just wasn’t able to have the type of performance that he needed to keep the Aggies in it.
Utah State falls to 3-3 (1-1) and will face San Jose State (2-4) 1-1 on Saturday.
