Kyle Van Leeuwen (9) from the Utah Aggies runs the ball down the field while playing the UConn Huskies at the Maverik Stadium in Logan on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022. The Aggies won 31-20. (Ben B. Braun, Deseret News)
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LOGAN — Weber State head coach Jay Hill got his signature win, and it came in signature Wildcats fashion.
Backed by its feisty defense and steady rushing attack, Weber State dominated Utah State at Maverik Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats outgained the Aggies 402-278 yards, kept its offense from scoring and won 35-7.
The 17,781 Aggies faithful booed the offense throughout the game, the stands thinned out by the end of the third quarter, and Hill picked up his first-ever win against an in-state FBS opponent — and the Wildcats’ first win over Utah State since 1978.
The Aggies offense, which entered its third game of the season largely unproven, looked helpless throughout the game. Quarterback Logan Bonner went 12-of-31 passing for 120 yards and threw three interceptions. The run game was not much better as Utah State’s three running backs combined for 126 yards on 35 carries.
Weber State quarterback Bronson Barron had three interceptions himself, but also had 202 passing yards and two touchdowns in the win. Josh Davis rushed for 94 yards on 18 carries yards, and Damond Bankston had 18 carries for 54 yards.
Despite its offensive ineptitude, the Aggies kept the game close and trailed 13-7 in the third quarter. Then Weber State hammered out an 18-play, 86-yard drive that was capped off by a touchdown from Barron to TY MacPherson to give the Wildcats a two-score lead.
On the next Aggies possession, Wildcats safety Desmond Williams jumped on a read up the middle and picked off Bonner and then ran it into the end zone to give the visitors from Ogden a 28-7 lead. When Bonner trotted back to the field, the student section booed and the Aggies ended the drive by turning the ball over on downs.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the upset victory was Weber State’s ability to control the line of scrimmage. Against an Aggies defensive front missing defensive tackle Hale Motuapuaka, the Wildcats ran right through Utah State’s front, converted first downs in short yardage situations and totaled 200 rushing yards.
The Wildcats’ defense managed to pressure Bonner, who did not look like his 2021 self as he continues to rehab from a knee injury. The Wildcats put Utah State in several third-and-long situations, some of which the Aggies opted to just hand the ball off and then punt it away — much to the dismay of the blue-clad home fans.
The Aggies go into a bye week with lots to work on, while the Wildcats leave Logan with Northern Utah bragging right and a win to remember.
This story will be updated.
