Utah State came up short in many ways in a Saturday gridiron matinee against 19th-ranked Washington. The Aggies were outgained 356 to 271 by the Huskies. They lost the turnover battle 3-0. And for most of the afternoon, the only play that made it inside the Washington 40-yard line was a one-off explosive play. Despite all that, in the final seconds of the contest, Utah State was lining up for a potential game-winning play. It would all come to naught. Grady Brosterhous — who made the start at quarterback on Saturday in place of an injured McCae Hillstead — had his Hail Mary heave into the end zone intercepted (and nearly returned for an entirely unnecessary pick-six), and the Huskies escaped with a 16-14 victory over the Aggies. But given the fact that Utah State entered the game as four-touchdown underdogs, being a stone’s throw away from a walk-off touchdown showed how hard the team fought. “I love my football team, love their resiliency, love their heart, love their commitment, their dedication, representing their team, their school, and the principles of our program,” USU head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “They came here with every intent to win the game, and

Almost exactly three years ago, McCae Hillstead was subbed in at quarterback for Utah State during the fourth quarter in what was eventually a 78-28 win for the Aggies over Idaho State. He would take the final snaps in a victory he played little role in. This past Saturday, Hillstead was subbed out during the fourth quarter of USU’s loss to the same Idaho State team. He would watch from the sidelines as his teammates tried to salvage a victory after it became clear Hillstead couldn’t deliver that. Long story short, it would be an understatement to say that Hillstead did not perform to expectations in his return debut for Utah State. It’s almost never fair nor prudent to pin the blame of a loss in gridiron football onto one person. More than 60 Aggies stepped onto the field at some point for a live snap. Every one of them, plus all of the coaches on the sidelines, took a share of the shame for Saturday home with them that night. Hillstead’s share feels larger for a couple of reasons. For one, he plays quarterback. It’s a position that takes an extra portion of the credit when things go well