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		<title>San Diego State kept things interesting for a bit — and then Bryson Barnes made Aggie history</title>
		<link>https://www.habbytechie.com/2024/11/24/san-diego-state-kept-things-interesting-for-a-bit-and-then-bryson-barnes-made-aggie-history/</link>
		
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		<pubDate>Sun, 24 Nov 2024 13:17:07 +0000</pubDate>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.habbytechie.com/2024/11/24/san-diego-state-kept-things-interesting-for-a-bit-and-then-bryson-barnes-made-aggie-history/</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Through most of the first half of Utah State’s home finale against San Diego State on Saturday, the Aggies didn’t play particularly well. On offense especially. It was supposed to be something of a shootout given the season-long struggles on defense for both the Aggies and Aztecs, but with just over three minutes left in the first half the scoreboard read 13-0 in favor of visiting SDSU. What’s more, USU starting quarterback Spencer Petras was injured, doubtful to return. Starting running back Rahsul Faison was also banged up and his return was questionable, too. And even though Utah State’s defense…]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Through most of the first half of Utah State’s home finale against San Diego State on Saturday, the Aggies didn’t play particularly well.<br />
On offense especially.<br />
It was supposed to be something of a shootout given the season-long struggles on defense for both the Aggies and Aztecs, but with just over three minutes left in the first half the scoreboard read 13-0 in favor of visiting SDSU.<br />
What’s more, USU starting quarterback Spencer Petras was injured, doubtful to return. Starting running back Rahsul Faison was also banged up and his return was questionable, too.<br />
And even though Utah State’s defense had played well — good enough to limit the Aztecs to a touchdown and two field goals — on the whole the Aggies had not.<br />
It increasingly appeared that Utah State was going to lose yet another game, the good vibes of the win over Hawaii disappearing almost as quickly as they arrived.<br />
When the final whistle blew inside Maverik Stadium a couple of hours later, though, the scoreboard read 41-20 in favor of Utah State. Instead of falling to 3-8 on the season, the Aggies were 4-7 overall and .500 in Mountain West Conference play with a 3-3 record.<br />
USU can thank Bryson Barnes for that.<br />
The Utah transfer filled in for Petras and then some, leading the Aggies to their second straight victory. Barnes’ entry into the contest completely changed the game, sparking a 41-0 run for Utah State before San Diego State added a late touchdown after the final result was decided.<br />
Barnes finished the game with four touchdowns — three passing and one rushing.<br />
He completed 87% of his pass attempts and rushed for a new USU record for a quarterback — 193 yards — breaking the record held by Kent Myers since 2015.<br />
Perhaps most impressively of all — crazy as it might sound — Barnes led the Aggies to their first ever home victory over San Diego State.<br />
“Spencer goes out with an injury and we put Bryson in,” USU interim head coach Nate Dreiling said. “(The offensive coaching staff) had to alter the game plan and they didn’t miss a beat. It felt like the offense scored just about every series (Barnes) was in.”<br />
While that wasn’t completely true, Barnes did invariably change the game.<br />
His ability to execute the RPO, with the real threat of the quarterback run, proved the biggest difference.<br />
San Diego State had simply not answer for it.<br />
“When you prepare all week for a non-running quarterback, it just changes the dynamic,” Barnes said. “You put five, six days of preparation into a non-running quarterback it just changes things for a defense.<br />
“Credit to (offensive line) Coach (Cooper Bassett). We were dialing different read runs up and it’s just hard to keep track of that stuff if you don’t have six days to prepare for it.”<br />
Barnes considers himself a pass-first quarterback — he threw for 11,344 yards, 137 touchdowns and 29 interceptions during his prep career at Milford High — but time and again he proved ready to exploit whatever the SDSU defense left open.<br />
“I’m going to sit back there and throw, but if I see a lane I’m definitely going to take advantage of it,” Barnes said.<br />
He tied his career long run, set earlier in the season against Robert Morris, a game-high 63 long scamper. He also converted key third downs again and again, even though it was apparent to pretty much everyone what was coming.<br />
“When Bryson has the ball on third and short, everyone in the stands knows that Bryson is getting the ball and he gets it every time,” Dreiling said.<br />
Barnes’ entry into the game changed things for Utah State, and not just for him. After the middling first half by the Aggies, nearly everyone flipped a switch when Barnes came in — on offense especially, but even on defense.<br />
For the second straight game Utah State rushed for over 300 yards as a team. Faison and fellow running backs Herschel Turner and Derrick Jameson all had success and for the most part got whatever they wanted on the ground, even when SDSU loaded up the box to stop the run.<br />
Receivers Grant Page and Kyrese White both had notable outings too. Page set a new career high in reception yardage and scored the first touchdown of his Aggie career.<br />
That touchdown was a highlight, a one-handed grab while Page dragged his right foot on the ground.<br />
“Unbelievable,” Dreiling said. “&#8230; What a cool year. What a cool season (for him). It has been the next-man-up mentality all year and he had his time to shine tonight.”<br />
Tight end Josh Sterzer got involved too with two receptions, one going for a touchdown.<br />
Defensively, the Aggies nearly pitched a second half shutout and limited San Diego State to only 214 passing yards and 188 rushing yards in the game.<br />
USU racked up 13 tackles for loss — 10 different players contributed for that statistic — and forced SDSU to go 6 for 16 on third downs. USU largely dominated an Aztecs offense that has real talent — running back Marquez Cooper is one of the most prolific rushers in FBS history — and high expectations under head coach Sean Lewis.<br />
“Our coaches came up with a great game plan,” Utah State cornerback Noah Flores said. “Our goal was to send out the seniors with a win. We have nothing really to play for other than to finish the season strong for our brothers.”<br />
Fair or not, Lewis blamed himself for the Aztecs’ struggles.<br />
“Not the result we were looking for tonight,” he said. “I need to coach better, we need to play better, we need to do everything better in all three phases.<br />
“We can’t take the opportunity we had in the first half where we were in a pretty dominant position, then lose the middle eight as dramatically as we did. We never got momentum back on our side, and that thing ran away from us in a hurry.”<br />
The win for Utah State — a second blowout in as many weeks — is further evidence that the Aggies have slowly started to turn things around. On the field for sure, but maybe even off it.<br />
It is too little, too late for bowl eligibility or anything other than bragging rights really, but the smiles visible after the win went ear-to-ear. After many struggles, setbacks and disappoints, the Aggies have found something, though they’d argue its been there all along.<br />
“We’ve got a great group of guys,” Dreiling said. “It’s up to the locker room. The locker room can turn it off and everyone can quit, or they can come together. That has been my most proud moment. Not the record, not the wins recently, but how hard these people play. They play their tails off— not for me or anything, but for each other, and that’s how it has been the whole time.<br />
“I told them a quote — in the Marine Corps, they say ‘You’re judged by how you reload under fire,’ meaning you are going to show your identity when the circumstances are terrible. How do you respond? That’s what this year has been. It’s been tough. There has been ups and downs. We had a player pass away, we’ve had a bunch of injuries and they just keep coming back and they keep fighting. That’s because of this senior class. They are going to go out on top regardless of the record, and that is something they can be proud of for the rest of their lives.”</p>
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