LOGAN, Utah – The Utah State football team suffered the first loss of the 2021 campaign in a big loss to the Boise State Broncos.

The Aggies hosted the Broncos at Maverik Stadium on Saturday, September 25.

USU had its opportunities, but failed to convert and made multiple mistakes throughout the contest.

Boise State beat Utah State, 27-3.

The Aggies suffer the first loss of the Blake Anderson era.

FINAL@BroncoSportsFB 27@USUFootball 3

Up next for USU is a meeting with No. 15 @BYUfootball on Friday, October 1.#AggiesAllTheWay #BSUvsUSUhttps://t.co/bObaL87bEH

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 25, 2021

How It Happened

The Aggies got off to a rocky start when quarterback Logan Bonner threw an interception on the opening possession of the game.

Boise State turned the turnover into the first points of the contest with a field goal.

On USU’s subsequent possession, the Aggies turned the ball over on downs after playing to convert on 4th & 7 from the Boise State 35-yard line.

After forcing a Boise State punt, Utah State had a 41-yard field goal blocked by the Broncos.

The Broncos responded by scoring the game’s first touchdown to take a 10-0 lead on the next drive.

After one quarter in Logan

End 1Q@BroncoSportsFB 10@USUFootball 0#AggiesAllTheWay #BSUvsUSUpic.twitter.com/buULP9scJ8

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 25, 2021

Utah State’s struggles continued as Bonner threw his second interception on the Aggies’ following possession.

Fortunately for USU, the Broncos failed to capitalize on the turnover when they missed a field goal attempt.

Late in the first half, Utah State kicker Connor Coles missed his second field goal try of the first half. Despite putting up over 300 yards of total offense, the Aggies went into the locker room at halftime down 10 points.

USU started the second half by forcing the Broncos to punt. Unfortunately for the Aggies, their problems continued. Utah State turned the ball over downs on their first offensive drive of the third quarter.

Boise State responded with its second touchdown of the game and took a commanding 17-0 lead.

He put it on a rope.@broncosportsFB goes up 17-0 after the touchdown toss. pic.twitter.com/euTiUdivUt

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 25, 2021

One bright spot for the Aggies came late in the third quarter when Ajani Carter picked off Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier.

Utah State’s Ajani Carter picks off Boise State QB Hank Bachmeier.@BroncoSportsFB 17@USUFootball 0

1:57 3Q#AggiesAllTheWay #BSUvsUSU pic.twitter.com/RSwTH2BcVN

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 25, 2021

Early in the fourth quarter, USU turned the interception into points with a 20-yard field goal by Coles.

The kick is up and good for 3💪

⚡️@ColesKicking #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/CUXOICEx7X

— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 25, 2021

The Broncos marched down the field and responded with a field goal of their own.

Utah State fumbled the ball on its next drive and Boise State turned the giveaway into points. With the touchdown, the Broncos took a 27-3 lead.

BIG BOY TD

Defensive lineman Scott Matlock hauls in the TD 💪 pic.twitter.com/yesl8QqPw7

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 25, 2021

The Aggies waived the white flag on their next possession and punted the ball to the Broncos with under four minutes left to play.

Utah State Stats

The Aggies finished the game with 443 yards compared to the Broncos’ 435 yards.

USU outgained the BSU on the ground, 235-148.

Bonner ended the game 11/25 passing for 173 yards and two interceptions.

Utah State’s Calvin Tyler Jr. ran the ball 20 times for 126 yards.

Up Next

The loss was the first of the Blake Anderson era after the Aggies started the season with a 3-0 record before Saturday’s loss.

With the loss, the Aggies fell to 3-1 on the season, including 1-1 in Mountain West Conference games.

Utah State’s next game is a home contest against the BYU Cougars on Friday, October 1 at 7 p.m. (MDT). The game will broadcast on CBS Sports Network and KSL NewsRadio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM.