Utah State (4-4) (2-2) fell to New Mexico in a 33-14 game that was never even close. New Mexico scored the only touchdown of the 1st quarter, scoring on a 49-yard punt return. The New Mexico offense had a much stronger second quarter, putting up 19 points, including scoring on a 40-yard pass from Jack Layne to Cade Keith. Utah State scored on a 64-yard run by Miles Davis to make the score 26-7 at the half. There were no scores in the third quarter by either team, but Bradaen Pegan began the 4th quarter with a score on a 14-yard pass to make the score 26-14. Around 4 minutes later, with 8 minutes 28 seconds left in the game, Damon Bankston would score on a 41-yard run to put the Aggies away for good for the final score of 33-14.
Bryson Barnes completed 13 of his 23 passes (57%) and threw for 164 yards and a touchdown in addition to an interception. Miles Davis ran for 110 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, most of those yards coming on the 64-yard run in the second quarter. Braden Pegan had five catches for 108 yards and a touchdown. Nobody had any sacks for the Aggies, and Brevin Hamblin had 11 tackles with five solo tackles.
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For New Mexico, quarterback Jack Layne passed for 183 yards and a touchdown, completing 77% of his passes. Running back Damon Bankston rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Tight end Cade Keith led the Lobos in receiving yards, going for 104 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions.
Statistics Comparison
1st Downs: UNM: 21; USU: 15
3rd-Down Efficiency: USU: 4-10; UNM: 4-12
Total Yards: UNM: 407 yards; USU: 306 yards
Passing Yards: UNM: 183; USU: 164
Rushing Yards: UNM: 224 Yards; USU: 142 yards
Penalties: USU: 7-46; UNM: 7-65
Turnovers: UNM: 0; USU: 1
Time of Possession: UNM: 38:16; USU: 21:44
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Analysis
One of the keys to the game was to stop the New Mexico running game and force turnovers. Utah State could not do either of those things, and New Mexico had a decent amount of success in the run game. When New Mexico has been able to run the ball, they have been able to control the clock and put up strong performances, and that is exactly what happened in this game. Another key to the game was for Bryson Barnes to be consistent and to make connections to Braden Pegan. While Pegan was able to make some plays, Bryson Barnes was not all that consistent. Utah State was able to get more of a run game going, but that wasn’t as effective as it needed to be, either. Without the 64-yard run, Miles Davis only rushed for 46 yards. Utah State also committed seven penalties, which was not helpful in consistency for the offense.
Overall, Utah State was outgained in quite a few statistical categories, the most glaring of which are total yards (101-yard difference), rushing yards (82-yard difference), and time of possession, where New Mexico had almost a 17-minute advantage. That’s at least two offensive possessions. Utah State’s defense found itself on the field a considerable amount, and it just could not answer to the challenge. A consistent Utah State team would have made the score a lot closer and likely would have won this game. Unfortunately for the Aggies, Bryson Barnes just wasn’t efficient enough, and the run defense was not able to slow down New Mexico. I mentioned it in the preview: if Utah State showed up with inconsistency on offense and couldn’t stop the New Mexico running game and force turnovers, this one could turn ugly in some ways. That is exactly what happened to Utah State on the road at New Mexico this past Saturday night.
This was not a good game at all for the Aggies, and if Utah State wants to find a way to make it to bowl eligibility, they must win two of the final four games. That seemed likely to happen just a few weeks ago, but this Utah State team clearly has a lot of questions going about right now that need to be addressed. The Bye Week comes at a perfect time for the Aggies as they get prepared to reevaluate the last few games and find a way to get back into the win column as November, the final month of the regular season, comes closer.
Up next for Utah State is a Bye Week before the Aggies face Nevada in Logan on November 8th.
