Was Utah State really as bad as it looked against USC?

Southern California running back Quinten Joyner, left, is pushed out of bounds by Utah State safety Ike Larsen during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) | Mark J. Terrill

After last weekend’s loss to USC, the general narrative surrounding Utah State football is that the Aggies are not good.

ESPN’s Football Power Index now has USU as the second worst team in the Mountain West Conference, ahead of only Wyoming, which is 0-2 with losses to Arizona State and Idaho.

Nevada Sports Net’s Chris Murray similarly rates the Aggies No. 11 in the 12-team league following the loss to USC, the scoreless nature of the Aggies’ loss to the Trojans being a real issue.

Mountain West Connection’s Mike Wittmann is a bit more optimistic at this point, ranking USU No. 6 in the MW, but that placement has as much to do with what the Aggies have done in past seasons — rallying from poor starts to become bowl eligible — as it does with how this season has gone.

Nevada head coach Jeff Choate, while discussing his team’s schedule this season, bemoaned missing the Aggies this year, describing them, along with Wyoming, New Mexico and San Jose State, as the bottom half of the league.

None of it is all that surprising.

Losing 48-0, even against a team the caliber of USC, tends to deflate opinions.

Throw in early struggles against Robert Morris, an FCS team that lost to a Division II team (Edinboro) last week, and the fact that Utah State entered the season with plenty of question marks to begin with and it would be much more surprising for anyone to be optimistic about Utah State.

Were the Aggies actually as bad against the Trojans as they appeared, though?

That is one of biggest questions looming ahead of Utah State’s rivalry matchup with No. 12 Utah this…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/utah-state-really-bad-looked-002408891.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2024-09-11 00:24:08

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