Utah State Stuns Washington State With Comeback Win In Season Opener

LOGAN, Utah – The Utah State Aggies started the Blake Anderson era with a 26-23 comeback win over the Washington State Cougars in Pullman.

Utah State scored the game-winning touchdown with 13 seconds left in the game to give Blake Anderson a win in his USU debut. The Aggies were 0-12 against Power-5 opponents on the road over the past 10 years. Their win over Washington State snapped that skid.

Heading into the game, Utah State alternated Andrew Peasley and Logan Bonner on each possession. Bonner got the start. It was a quarterback battle that leaked into the regular season. Bonner completed 17 of his 24 pass attempts for 143 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while rushing for 15 yards. Peasley went 6-of-12 passing for 76 yards, along with 43 rushing yards.

Calvin Tyler Jr. led the rushing attack for Utah State with 14 carries for 84 yards and one TD. Deven Thompkins was the leading receiver with eight receptions for 94-yards and the game-winning touchdown grab.

Utah State Stuns Washington State

Logan Bonner got the start but couldn’t get anything going on offense and the Aggies had to punt. When Andrew Peasley came in on the second drive, he found Deven Thompkins for a 45-yard gain down to the one-yard line. Utah State committed three false start penalties and had to attempt a field goal which was good from 23-yards out and USU had a 3-0 lead with four minutes left in the first quarter.

After Washington State tied the game with a field goal of their own, Utah State punted the ball and pinned Washington State at their own one-yard line. The Aggies took advantage by tackling the Cougars in their own end zone for the safety. USU held a 5-3 lead early in the second quarter.

Washington State was able to get a field goal in the final minute of the second quarter and the Cougars took a 6-5 lead into the halftime break.

NEVER. IN. DOUBT!#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/rm2KANVjJu

— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 5, 2021

Max Borghi scored the first touchdown of the game for both teams as he took it to the house on a 64-yard run. That put Washington State ahead 13-8 with 10:47 remaining in the third quarter. Utah State later responded with another field goal, this time from 28-yards out to trim the deficit to 13-11 with 7:23 left in the quarter.

Jayden de Laura was able to make it a two-possession game with a 12-yard TD pass to Donovan Ollie to put Wazzu up 20-11 with under four minutes to play in the third. Early in the fourth quarter, Washington State added a field goal to extend their lead to 23-11.

Utah State finally scored their first touchdown of the night when Calvin Tyler Jr. ran it in from two-yards out. USU was within five points, 23-18 with 5:25 remaining in the game.

Utah State’s defense came up big as they stopped the Cougars. Logan Bonner came back out for the second straight drive and led the team down the field with big plays. Bonner found Deven Thompkins for a 7-yard touchdown to take the lead with just 13 seconds left in the game.

The Aggies improved their record to 1-0 on the season. They will return home to Maverik Stadium for their home opener on Friday, September 10 against North Dakota. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. MDT and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

Washington State dropped to 0-1 on the year. They will