Utah State received some reinforcements when it travelled up to Boise for a conference battle with Boise State, and it helped in the Aggies 93-68 victory over the Broncos.
Nearly 200 students, members of The HURD, made the impromptu trip to Boise after a social media post from a Boise State student section account offered free tickets to “any and all” students at any level, elementary all the way up to college. And even when the post later clarified it was only for students in Idaho, The HURD didn’t back down. More than $3,000 was raised, with $1,000 of that coming from the Utah State coaching staff itself, to help those students purchase seats in the upper levels of ExtraMile Arena.
“When we found out that they couldn’t get in with the student tickets, the staff put some money together, donors put some money together, our athletic director, and helped fund it,” USU head coach Jerrod Calhoun said. “But they came out in droves. I mean, it was pretty incredible at the end of the game, all of the chants. But I think it just shows the commitment that this student body has, not only for our program, but for athletics.”
Image via Utah State Basketball social media
The HURD stayed after the final buzzer to celebrate with the players, and were so loud that Mason Falslev could hardly hear as he spoke with media after the game.
“They’re so loud right now,” Falslev said. “And it’s pretty awesome they came out and supported. You know, last year we got beat by like, I think it was 20 or 18 here. And this is a hard place to play. And having them really, really helped us along. So HURD, we love you, we appreciate you and keep showing up and we’ll keep doing our part.”
Those students bore witness to the beatdown that the first-place Aggies put on the preseason No. 3 team in the Mountain West. A 25-point victory that marked the worst home loss for the Broncos since 1999. It was also the most points scored by the Utah State in any game against Boise State in the 52-year history of this series.
Said beatdown did not get delayed for a second. The Aggies were galloping from the opening tip with a 10-0 run that forced a timeout from Rice less than three minutes into the game. Boise State made just two of its first nine shots, Utah State sank seven its its first nine. That fast start was a very deliberate points of emphasis for the Aggies against a team only a few days removed from a 17-point home loss to Grand Canyon.
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β USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 11, 2026
“We watched the Grand Canyon game versus Boise and we knew that they were going to be to be a little bit angry,” Falslev said. “So we knew we had to come out and punch them in the mouth and show them that, you know, we mean business and we’re here to stay.”
Utah State never really relented. The lead ballooned from 10 in the early minutes, to 15 by the mid-way point of the first half, and finally 23 when Falslev hit a last-second 3-pointer.
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β USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 11, 2026
The Aggies continuously punished Boise State for its mistakes. On the one hand, the Broncos had 12 turnovers, from which Utah State garnered 23 points. And in a battle of strength-versus-strength on the glass, the Aggies came out on top. Boise State entered the game ranked second in the nation in defensive rebounding percentage, Utah State were 28th in offensive rebounding percentage. The Aggies wound up with 12 offensive rebounds, more than the Broncos have allowed in any game this season, and scored 26 points on those second chances.
How did the Aggies clean the glass so well against a team so good at defending it?
“Just fight,” Falslev said.
Boise State’s biggest amount of fight came in the opening few minutes of the second half. They trimmed Utah State’s 23-point lead down to 16, but when a 6-0 Aggie run reversed the momentum, the game came anywhere close to being competitive. USU’s lead grew to as high as 30 points, with the HURD providing a helpful reminder by chanting “UP BY 30”Β from its perch high up in the stands.
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β USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 11, 2026
MJ Collins went off for another classic performance, scoring 25 points in only 27 minutes on the court. It’s his ninth game of the season with at least 20 points, the most of any Mountain West player this season. Falslev was asked about how the team has managed to score 90+ points in four out of five games in Mountain West play and the junior guard placed much of that on Collins along with a few other key factors.
“It’s pretty easy when you just throw it to MJ and he makes it every time. So that makes it easy on all of us,” Falslev said. But I think our point guards have done a great job and our coaching staff, too. We’ve tried to implement things and put in some stuff that plays to our strengths. And just playing hard. I think our defense leads to our offense.”
Falslev went off for 16 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals himself, though it was Drake Allen who ended up with one of the more notable statlines in a bounce-back performance for him. In the previous three games, Allen had averaged a less-than-desirable 4.3 points, 3.0 assists and 2.7 turnovers assists as the starting point guard. For reference, he averaged 6.0 points, 7.5 assists in the first six games of the year. But on Saturday he was back to his old self, scoring 14 points, eight assists and only one turnover despite not being in the greatest of health.
“He battled sickness,” Calhoun said. “He was on an IV today. I didn’t know if he was going to play, to be honest with you. He hadn’t eaten in 24 hours. So he was tremendous. This is going to be a great confidence booster for him. I think he had been struggling a little bit. But I think Drake’s a warrior.”
Collins, Falslev and Allen led the way on offense as the only players in double figures, though every main rotation player for the Aggies scored in this one (four players who stepped onto the court for the first time during blowout minutes ended with zero points). Adlan Elamin continued his good run of play with nine points. Kolby King added eight points with Karson Templin adding seven points and four rebounds. Garry Clark and Elijah Perryman each had six with Zach Keller recording two points and five rebounds in his time on the court.
Utah State is now 5-0 in Mountain West play, alone in first place at the time of victory, though it will be a tie should San Diego State finish with a win over Fresno State in a late-night Saturday matchup. And after a two-game road trip to Air Force and Boise State, the Aggies will return home Wednesday to host Nevada. The Wolf Pack are 4-1, with their only loss being to San Diego State.
