LOGAN — It was a dream start for one Mountain West football team Saturday evening on Merlin Olsen Field and a nightmare for the other.
Utah State went off for a season-high 24 points in the first quarter, took a commanding 41-0 cushion into halftime and rolled to a 51-14 drubbing of Nevada in front of an announced crowd of 19,418 at Maverik Stadium. The Aggies improved to 5-0 at home this season, in the process, and are only one win away from being bowl eligible.
“I’ve coached at a lot of places and for quite a while,” head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “There’s something about this stadium, our fans, the HURD, the connection. Our players feel it, I feel it. It’s just a beautiful place to play. I’d like to express gratitude to our fans, our alumni and our students.
“They’re making Maverik Stadium a really cool place to play and a true home field advantage, and being dominant at home matters when you’re trying to move a program forward. I shared that with my team in fall camp. That’s one of the first things that has to happen.”
USU’s dominance started from the get-go as it needed less than two minutes to dent the scoreboard. Aggie wide receiver Brady Boyd put a move on a UNR defensive back, who fell on the play and was wide open for a 53-yard touchdown pass from Bryson Barnes with 13:19 remaining in the quarter. Boyd set the tone with a really nice contested third-and-long catch the play before his TD.
“Coach (DeNarius) McGee said the biggest knock on me has been my contested-catch ability,” Boyd said. “He’s been working with me extra these past couple of weeks, especially over the bye weeks. Having him prep me and kind of pull it out of me to be able to make those plays, I owe it to him to be able to do that.”
It was a harbinger of things to come for Boyd and Barnes, who completed 19 of 26 passes for 267 yards in the opening half. The Aggies (5-4, 3-2 MW) scored on six of their seven opening-half possessions and racked up 335 yards of total offense.
USU was just as dominant on the other side of the ball as it limited Nevada (1-8, 0-5) to 46 total yards and one measly first down during the first two quarters of action. The Wolf Pack completed more passes to the Aggies (two) than they did to their own skill position players, and that one completion went for minus-1 yard.
“Our best week of practice was this past week,” Mendenhall said. “I didn’t see that score coming. Nevada’s been really good on defense, they’ve played one-score games regardless of who they’ve played all year long. Our offensive plan, defensive plan, but really how our team prepared was exceptional. They were physical, they were connected, trying hard and having fun. The energy around the building was different. I’m really glad that they could see a tangible result and a win that was probably atypical.”
Aggie tailback Miles Davis rushed for first-half TDs of 3 and 1 yards, with the second being on a fourth-and-goal plunge with seven seconds remaining in the second quarter. USU’s other offensive touchdown was a 15-yard dot from Barnes to Anthony Garcia in the corner of the end zone midway through the second quarter.
Utah State’s defense also put points on the board as safety Brevin Hamblin showcased his leaping ability on a first-quarter interception at the line of scrimmage and returned it 38 yards to the house. It was the Aggies’ first pick-six of the 2025 campaign.
“I’ve personally never seen it, but it happened to land right in my hands after I tipped it,” Hamblin answered when asked if he’s ever seen an INT like that. “It was fun to make a play.”
Additionally, the hosts got a second-quarter INT from linebacker Mataria Brown, which they converted into Garcia’s aforementioned scoring catch.
USU’s special teams units also factored into the opening-half scoring onslaught as standout kicker Tanner Rinker booted field goals of 32 and 44 yards. Rinker has been successful on all 10 of his field goal attempts this season.
Even Aggie punter Landon Rehkow helped made a difference as his lone punt of the half was a booming career-long 63-yarder that was downed at the Nevada 1-yard line. The Wolf Pack then proceeded to go 3 and out, punted from the back of the end zone and gave the Aggies a short field, which they turned into Davis’ TD in the waning seconds of the half.
There was no reprieve for the Wolf Pack at the beginning of the second half as they had to punt on their first possession, and the Aggies promptly marched 76 yards in seven plays to paydirt for a 48-0 lead. Barnes found Boyd all alone in the back of the end zone from 21 yards out and he was able to deftly drag his right foot in. The Texas Tech transfer finished with a career-high 117 yards on five receptions.
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