LOGAN — In the second half of Friday’s homecoming game for Utah State against UNLV, the Aggies outscored the visitors 27-9, drawing significant praise from head coach Nate Dreiling for the effort and execution in that half.
The only problem with that is USU went into halftime down 41-7, making the better second half meaningless when it came to the final results as UNLV walked off the field with a 50-34 victory. It was a first-half performance so bad and, according to interim head coach Nate Dreiling, so far from who the Aggies believe they are that he had to make a bit of an ultimatum.
“Halftime speech was simple,” Dreiling said. “It was they either need to go and execute, be a smart football team and have discipline, or don’t go back on the field. I said, I’m simply tired of it. We are so much better than what we’re playing. We do silly things to stop ourselves on offense, stupid turnovers, unsportsmanlike conducts, defense. We just don’t get lined up because we’re not focused and that’s what it looks like.”
But as well as USU played in the second and as close as they tried to make it, the first-half deficit was simply too much for the Aggies.
It was a woeful second quarter that doomed the home side for the most part, USU being outscored 27-0 in that frame. Oddly enough, USU actually outgained UNLV in that quarter by 21 yards (167 to 146). The problem mainly came from short fields given to the Rebels on turnovers.
Quarterback Spencer Petras committed four turnovers in the game and three of them happened in the second quarter. All in a row. The first was a fumble on a designed run and the rest were interceptions. Those kept the Aggie offense well out of reach from any chance of keeping pace with UNLV, which started the game by jumping out to a 17-7 lead.
By the time USU had a drive that didn’t end in a turnover during the second quarter, the score was 34-7 and UNLV would tack on another TD for good measure heading into the halftime break. The Rebels ran the ball incredibly effectively, with two different 100-yard rushers, Jai’Den Thomas (139 yards) and Kylin James (107). Hajj-Malik Williams threw for 233 yards and three TDs with his top target, Ricky White III, catching seven passes for 138 yards and two of those scores
Fans were incredibly frustrated by what they saw on the field, especially from Petras. A few times when Petras made his way back onto the field, boos could be heard, reminiscent of when the crowd booed during USU’s loss to Weber State in 2022 when Logan Bonner kept coming out and the offense was ultimately shut out by the Wildcats’ defense. A few fans in the student section chanted “We want Bryson” in reference to reserve QB Bryson Barnes who started two games earlier this season.
The difference between Friday and that day two years ago is that Petras and the offense did not stay in a funk. In fact, Petras had the most productive game of his collegiate tenure, putting up 461 passing yards and three touchdowns (and also three interceptions). He went 41 of 59, shattering the old Utah State record for completions in a single game (the old record was 34).
“He’s a competitor,” Dreiling said of Petras. “The best part about it is when Spencer’s on, he is on and he is very talented.”
Jalen Royals caught 10 of those passes and had a team-leading 155 yards plus a touchdown, not a terribly surprising night for the star wideout. What was a bit of a surprise was Jack Hestera, who was playing in place of Kyrese White. Hestera also caught 10 passes and had 152 yards and a touchdown himself.
“We just have great guys all over the field,” Hestera said. “And everybody’s worried about Jalen and Rahsul (Faison), and so it just opened me up today. So I’m just super grateful I got great teammates.”
“Got unbelievable hands, unbelievable smile,” Dreiling said of Hestera. “He’s definitely the cool kid on the block when he walks around here. But he brings this swagger around him and he constantly makes plays. He did an unbelievable job. He’s always running these routes across the middle. And you see how tough he is in bringing them in. A lot of receivers get little gator arms and pull them back, but he doesn’t care about collisions.”
With Petras slinging the ball around the field, the Aggies not only moved the ball but got it into the end zone. The second half began with two straight scoring drives by USU, capped off by a 24-yard pass from Petras to Hestera and then on a 13-yard toss to Royals. Early in the fourth, Petras added his third TD of the game on a short six-yard pass to Broc Lane.
The offense wasn’t the only part of the team that got their rear in gear, though, as the defense held the Rebels several times in the second half, unlike in the first half in which UNLV scored on seven out of eight possessions (including six straight to end the half).
“Tonight was the first time that we played complimentary football,” Dreiling said. “Our defense was getting stops, our special teams was on point and our offense was driving the ball at will.”
USU’s defense gave up one touchdown in the second half — right at the start on UNLV’s first possession — with one field goal coming after the last of Petras’ interceptions. The rest were punts or a turnover on downs. UNLV went from gaining 367 yards in the first half to just 179 in the second.
“I feel like things definitely slowed down in the second half,” USU defensive end Cian Slone said. “You saw the score in the first half. 41-7 isn’t where you want to be, but I feel like we all came together and we realized how good we can be. We just chilled out and played our brand of football and we were much better in the second half.”
Utah State edged close to UNLV, but the final vestiges of hope for a comeback were extinguished when Petras threw his third interception — a downfield pass that bounced off the torso of Otto Tia (who fell to the ground in attempt to catch the ball) and right into the hands of a lucky UNLV defender. Had that interception not happened, the Aggies could have cut the lead down to 47-35 with around six minutes to play. Desperate for sure, but perhaps possible.
Dreiling insists his team, now 1-5 on the season, is close to turning a corner.
“I know I sound like a broken record up here. This team is so close to really taking off. so close. And you guys saw it,” Dreiling said.
The Aggies’ schedule will get considerably easier the rest of the season — something else Dreiling mentioned as a positive for the rest of the season. After facing four teams that have been at some point ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll in the span of five games, Utah State will face six teams the rest of the year that have losing records. It could make a bowl appearance a realistic goal for a team now desperate for something to salvage from this season.
