In the first game of the season, the Aggies came away with 646 yards for the home win over Robert Morris, 36-14. After two quarters, USU was behind 14-10 at Maverik Stadium, and they started to take the game back by scoring 26 unanswered points. One of the largest factors might have been former Utah State QB Bryson Barnes, who played in the third and fourth quarters, making the USU play like a completely different team. In his time on the field, he scored three touchdowns, one of which was on the ground and two passing, while the Aggie defense Morris scoreless in the second half.
USU Has Great Second Half
The excitement started for USU when they started the game with back-to-back interceptions leading the way for graduate senior wide receiver Kyrese White to run for a 57-yard touchdown. His quick catch-and-run came late in the first quarter, giving USU the lead. RMU came back, scoring their touchdown, and went on driving the Aggies back into their territory, scoring a field goal from 36 yards thanks to senior placekicker Elliott Nimrod, giving them the lead.
USU Suffers First Injury
USU strived to take back the lead now that they were down by three as they pushed down the field long and hard but weakened when senior quarterback Spencer Petras was injured. Though unable to continue, he gave the Aggies 145 yards with 10 out of 15 completed passes and a touchdown.
With USU down a quarterback, RMU took the game momentum with a late second-quarter touchdown, giving them the lead 14-10 before the half. With their quarterback out and down by three, USU made a lot of changes going into the third quarter, mostly defensively.
Second Half Came With A Price And Change
The Aggie defense modifications held RMU scoreless and with only 115 total yards. With White still leading USU, he swung a pass for 53 yards for another touchdown. Nimrod then added more to the Aggie scoreboard by connecting a career-long 50-yard field goal making the score 20-14.
Going into the fourth quarter, RMU seemed to be going down without a fight. USU junior safety Ike Larsen intercepted a third-down pass, giving junior quarterback Bryson Barnes a chance to take off through the middle for a 63-yard touchdown. This seemed to take the heart out of RMU.
There wasn’t anything that RMU could do as USU forced a three-and-out, giving them the ball back. Junior running back Robert Briggs Jr shot through the defense going for 55 yards, followed by Barnes finding Jalen Royals for a score, and later Nimrod connected a 42-yard field goal for their final drive.
Key Moments In Game
For their first game there was a pair of new Aggies that stood out on defense. Graduate senior linebacker Jon Ross Maye and senior safety Jordan Vincent both contributed ten tackles each. They were not alone as senior defensive end Cian Slone and graduate senior defensive end Blaine Spires both sacked RMU quarterback.
Offensively, the Aggies gained 343 passing yards and 303 yards on the ground. Barnes finished with 11 of 21 passing for a total of 198 yards and two touchdowns. Both Briggs and Barnes tied in rushing yards for 88. Also, senior running back Rahsul Faison carried 12 times for 78 yards. Then there was freshman Herschel Turner Jr., who carried for 44 yards for four carries on his career opener. For receiving the ball, Aggie White led for 131 yards with only three catches, and Royals caught an Aggie-high 5 catches for 77 yards.
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