Tyler Jr. Breaks Free For 31-Yard Scoring Run As Aggies Find Life

LOGAN, Utah – With Utah State trailing 17-7 and in need of a spark, Calvin Tyler Jr. broke loose for a 31-yard score to bring the Aggies within three, 17-14.

Utah State is playing Wyoming in the ‘Battle for the Rifle’ at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, WY.

say it with us … CALVIN TYLER JUNIOR!@BlessedAthleteC in for 6️⃣‼️#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/fgAmpPIgr0

— USU Football (@USUFootball) October 23, 2022

Tyler Jr. accounted for 56 of the 62 Utah State yards on the drive, including a fourth down conversion that kept the drive alive.

The 31-yard score was the Aggies second longest rush of the season.

After a slow first half, Tyler Jr. now has 69 yards on 10 carries as he looks for his fourth straight 100-yard rushing game of the season.

Utah State Aggies (3-4, 2-1) vs. Wyoming Cowboys (4-3, 2-1)

Utah State lost Cooper Legas (concussion) and Levi Williams (ankle) to injuries last week against Colorado State. Down to their fourth QB of the season, redshirt-freshman Bishop Davenport led USU to a second-half, come-from-behind win over the Rams.

Though Legas and Williams each have more time in Anderson’s system, Davenport has been with the Aggies since early summer. With a week of practice reps under Davenport’s belt, a luxury Utah State didn’t have in last week’s win, he should be able to handle running a larger portion of the offense.

Battle for The Rifle‼️

🆚 Wyoming
⌚️ 7:45 PM
📺 FS2
📊 https://t.co/zJdoJ3Wp9y
🔊 https://t.co/vioCVQHXMY#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/fGEIG6dsIK

— USU Football (@USUFootball) October 22, 2022

As a team, USU is piling up 173.5 yards per game on the ground and their 1,215 rushing yards are good for second in the Mountain West and top-20 nationally. Utah State’s 294 rushing attempts are the second most in the conference, behind only a passing challenged Air Force team.

The Cowboys rush defense has been stout, allowing a fifth in conference 147 yards per game on the ground.

Calvin Tyler Jr. has been on a tear in recent weeks. In his second season with the Aggies, Tyler Jr. has four 100+ yard rushing games, including topping the century mark in his past three games. Tyler Jr. is the first Aggie back since Kerwynn Williams to top 100 yards in three straight games. Despite his success piling up the yardage, Tyler Jr. has found the end zone once this season.

ℝ𝕦𝕟 𝕀𝕥 🆙💨 pic.twitter.com/DgUzNTtg91

— USU Football (@USUFootball) October 20, 2022

Behind Tyler Jr. is freshman Robert Briggs. In his college debut, Briggs carried 10 times for 85 yards and a touchdown. After earning Mountain West Freshman of the Week honors in that win over UConn, Briggs has only reached double-digit carries twice since then.

A pair of Aggies find themselves in the top-20 nationally for most tackles. Junior linebacker MJ Tafisi is averaging more than nine tackles per game and is 12th in the nation with 66 stops. Senior linebacker AJ Vongphachanh’s 61 stops is third in the Mountain West and 20th nationally.

This dynamic pair of linebackers will need help stopping a Wyoming offense that is averaging a fifth in the Mountain West, 23 points per game.

Game Eight Captains

As customary, Utah State has named five captains for today’s game. Junior defensive end Patrick Joyner Jr.; graduate-junior defensive end Daniel Grzesiak; sophomore long-snapper Jacob Garcia; graduate-senior offensive lineman Jacob South and graduate-senior offensive lineman Wade Meacham.

𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝟖 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 🏈

▫️Jacob South
▫️Wade Meacham
▫️Jacob Garcia
▫️Pat Joyner
▫️Daniel Grzesiak#BeatWyoming | #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/jI8PSd9i1L

— USU Football (@USUFootball) October 22, 2022

Stay Awhile & Listen

Every Utah State football game can be heard on the KSL Sports Zone with Scott Garrard and former Aggie quarterback Kevin White on the call. Fans can watch the game on Fox Sports Networks.

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