Utah
Utah State loss to Wyoming a blow to postseason aspirations
Estimated learn time: 4-5 minutes
LARAMIE — Sitting in Wyoming’s indoor monitor adjoining to Conflict Memorial Stadium that doubles because the visiting media’s press room on Saturday night time, Utah State senior linebacker AJ Vongphachanh clenched his swollen finger and shook his head.
“It wasn’t ok,” he mentioned.
The dejection that adopted Utah State’s 28-14 loss to Wyoming on Saturday night time was clear — not simply from Vongphachanh, who led the Aggies with 10 tackles, however from all the crew. Sullen expressions have been plastered on gamers’ and coaches’ faces alike as they stumbled out of the locker room and onto the crew buses.
The aftermath of every Utah State loss this season has rung completely different tones — embarrassment after the Weber State sport, disappointment but constructiveness following the BYU loss.
However a loss to Wyoming appeared crushing.
Regardless of opening the season 1-4, the Aggies cling to aspirations of successful a convention championship. At 3-4 getting into Week 8, these aspirations have been nonetheless in play after Utah State defeated Air Drive and managed its personal future within the Mountain Division.
Now 3-5 (2-2 in convention play) on the season, the Aggies not solely do not have management of their very own future in convention play, they’re in critical hazard of lacking a bowl sport. To rally within the division requires 4 straight wins, together with wins over Boise State and San Jose State, and the Broncos to drop one other sport, together with the Cowboys.
Contemplating Utah State’s collective play by means of its first eight video games of the season and Boise State’s sudden dominance in convention play, none seem like sensible eventualities, which makes the Wyoming loss a gut-punch.
“Yeah, I imply it was robust,” Vongphachanh mentioned.
The magic the Aggies present in final 12 months’s convention championship season clearly will not be replicated in Yr 2 of the Blake Anderson tenure.
Saturday night time’s sport sealed that destiny, but it surely additionally illustrated some variations about this 12 months’s crew to final 12 months’s championship crew: an underwhelming offense, an lack of ability to capitalize on alternatives, and accidents upon accidents.
Whittled right down to a fourth string, true freshman quarterback in Bishop Davenport, the Aggies offense was actually restricted in opposition to Wyoming. However they hardly gave themselves an opportunity and mustered simply 113 yards on the bottom and 103 yards by means of the air.
The receiving corps let Davenport down and dropped 4 catchable balls within the sport, and the offensive line struggled to hold with the Cowboys, at instances. The perfect offensive weapon not sidelined attributable to concussion protocol, Calvin Tyler Jr., had simply 15 carries.
“We didn’t shield the quarterback extraordinarily nicely. We have to maintain him cleaner than we did,” Anderson mentioned. “We didn’t make a ton of aggressive catches. They did job in protection, however we have got to combat by means of a few of that to make it simpler on Bishop.”
Additionally hampered with accidents was the protection, which was down two starters and misplaced one other throughout the sport. And in some way, regardless of giving up 529 yards of offense to the Cowboys, it was the group that saved the Aggies within the sport. The protection held Wyoming out of the top zone from 8:01 left within the second quarter to the 4:02 left within the sport.
Alternatives have been missed, nonetheless, which can have modified the decision of the sport.
Within the third quarter, when Utah State trailed 17-14, Wyoming’s quarterback overthrew his goal and it went towards security Gurvan Corridor. If Corridor had caught it, he’d have had inexperienced grass in entrance of him and would have scored the possible go-ahead interception for a landing.
As a substitute, it bounced off his chest and Wyoming tacked on a subject objective the following play.
“We had a few actual alternatives to make a sport of it,” Anderson mentioned. “And we simply missed them.”
The Aggies, who landed in Salt Lake Metropolis early Sunday morning earlier than driving again to Logan, enter a a lot wanted bye week to heal up, retool and discover that means at some stage in the season.
“I simply informed the crew, I desperately need to get this crew bowl eligible,” Anderson mentioned. “And that is going to be a problem. We have to discover a method to win the following three to get that achieved; and who is aware of, perhaps you get some assist and also you go into that final sport and it is value one thing.”
Chances are high, although, the most effective alternative for Utah State to play significant November soccer in a championship contending context was shot down by the Bridger Rifle wielding Cowboys on Saturday night time.