The defense under first-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall and his longtime defensive coordinator, Nick Howell, gives off good vibes. It’s a unit that swarms to the ball fairly well, tackles fairly well and has some solid playmakers. In two previous Monday Cooldown articles, we’ve looked to varying degrees at the success the team has had in stopping the run. On top of all that, members of the Aggies’ defensive unit have spoken optimistically about their potential, depth and overall ability to win games through their efforts. The only problem is that vibes do not stop opposing offenses. And outside of one game, Utah State has not consistently stopped any FBS offense. Utah State’s defense entered the 2025 as the unit that would hopefully put a woeful 2024 defensive performance a long ways in the rearview mirror. The 2024 Aggies allowed the second-most points ever in program history (453 points, or 37.8 per game) and the second-most total yards (5,641, or 470.1 per game). An uncomfortable fact is that 2023 wasn’t too far behind 2024 in terms of lacking defense. So how are the 2025 Aggies doing in pulling off an about-face on the defensive competence trend? They are worryingly close