It wasn’t the ideal opener, but Bryson Barnes and the Aggies teased their potential

Through a half of play Saturday night at Maverik Stadium, it appeared as though everything that happened during the offseason had had an effect on Utah State football, and a particularly detrimental one.
The firing of former head coach Blake Anderson, the tragic death of defensive back Andre Seldon Jr., the exodus of numerous players via the NCAA transfer portal and arrival of 50-plus new ones as replacements. It all seemed to come to a head against Robert Morris, an FCS program that won only four games a season ago.
Through two quarters in Logan, the Aggies trailed the Colonials 14-10.
Starting quarterback Spencer Petras was out with injury, severity unknown, and that came after he had thrown two interceptions. One of them was the fault of star receiver Jalen Royals, the other a combination of mistakes by Petras and receiver Otto Tia.
The vaunted Aggie offense had failed to fulfill on its considerable promise, outside of a single touchdown reception by wide receiver Kyrese White.
Backup quarterback Bryson Barnes, the injury replacement for Petras, hadn’t inspired much confidence either. He had completed only 2 of 7 pass attempts after entering the game, and had thrown an interception.
What’s more, the Aggies’ defense, expected to be much improved from the 2023 season under new defensive coordinator/interim head coach Nate Dreiling, looked completely gassed.
There were too many missed tackles and missed assignments, and at the most inopportune times. The Colonials’ offensive line was holding its own against a revamped USU defensive front, and RMU quarterback Anthony Chiccitt looked a little bit too comfortable.
It looked like disaster was incoming for Dreiling and Utah State. A season opening loss to an FCS opponent was a real possibility.
And then, just like that, everything changed.
Where USU’s first half performance was dismal, the second half was the complete opposite.
Barnes figured things out in a hurry and finished the game 11 of 21 through the air for 198 yards passing and two touchdowns. The former University of Utah quarterback also rushed for a score — a new career long that went 63 yards — and looked good enough that Dreiling called him potentially one of the best quarterbacks in the Mountain West Conference after the game.
Running backs Rahsul Faison and Robert Briggs proved a dynamic duo — as expected — and after Briggs was lost to a leg injury, true freshman Herschel Turner showed that Utah State wouldn’t take a step back without Briggs in the lineup.
The defense, so woeful a season ago, didn’t allow another score in the game. Linebackers made tackles, defensive linemen got to the quarterback and defensive backs made plays on the ball, most notably an interception by star Ike Larsen.
It was a tale of two halves, a season opener that had plenty of bad and a lot of good, too.
What more could be expected from Utah State?
“That kind of summed up our last 60 days,” Dreiling said. “We took some blows. Adversity hit and then we finished with a group of people coming together, finishing, rolling their sleeves up and just being tough players, tough players that compete with love, integrity and toughness.
“That is what we want this program to be about, and the second half was a great snapshot of how we need to run it. Obviously a lot we need to clean up, from penalties to defense. The biggest jump is from Game 1 to Game 2, so hopefully we can make that jump next week.”
Utah State ultimately defeated Robert Morris 36-14, an easy enough victory in the end over an overmatched opponent.
Barnes was a game changer for the Aggies, especially.
The transfer from the University of Utah jumpstarted USU’s offense in the second half, and by the end of the game he had completed over 50% of his passes while also averaging 17.6 yards per carry.
Filling in for the injured Petras didn’t faze Barnes given his history at Utah, and Dreiling and others expressed complete confidence in Barnes going forward, for as long as Petras is sidelined with an ankle sprain.
“One thing with Bryson, he’s got more confidence than anyone in the world,” Dreiling said. “So if he started 0 of 7 or 0 of 4, it wouldn’t have mattered. Hats off to (offensive coordinator) coach (Kyle) Cefalo for tweaking the game plan (when Petras left injured).
“We had a pretty simple game plan coming in and we needed a little bit more and so they made adjustments and it worked coming out of the gates (in the second half). The other thing with Bryson, and it is why Utah loved him, he’s so tough. He is going to find a way to make plays, and he is so mobile. He can do it all and the team loves him.”
It wasn’t just Barnes, though.
On offense, Faison willed the Aggies to key first downs multiple times, as did Briggs before he was sidelined with a fractured leg.
White proved a dynamic playmaker out of the slot. The Robert Morris defense simply couldn’t handle his speed, and Royals shook off a slow start to finish with five catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, transfer linebackers Jon Ross Maye, John Miller and Clyde Washington combined for 22 tackles and a tackle for loss, lessening some of the concerns about USU’s linebacking corps.
The Aggies’ defensive front slowly took over the game, with edge rushers Blaine Spires, Marlin Dean and Cian Slone all making impacts in the second half with their harassment of Chiccitt.
And USU’s secondary, led by Larsen and New Mexico State transfer Jordan Vincent, were in position again and again. The Colonials simply couldn’t gain more than 10 yards on a single play in the second half, and usually their tries went for much less than that.
Of course, USU wasn’t perfect, even in the second half. The Aggies are very much a work in progress still, a new team with a new coaching staff.
“Don’t get me wrong, it was not a clean football game,” Dreiling said. “We have a lot we have to fix.”
Specifically, he noted that on offense penalties were a concern. In total, USU finished the game with 10 penalties for 105 yards, many of which were committed by the offense.
“They killed drives,” Dreiling said. “It wasn’t what Robert Morris was doing. We’d have a big play and then get a holding or a personal foul.
“All stuff that is easy to fix. You have to be a smart football team and control your emotions, which we’ve talked about. Obviously we have to be better on that end.”
On defense, tackling was a major concern, although it improved as the game wore on.
“That was one of the adjustments we made,” Dreiling said. “In the first half, there were a lot of cut back plays and we were overrunning the ball. It is all about angles, so we adjusted that at halftime and that was a big factor.
“In the first half, we had a missed tackle on a screen (pass) that went 40 yards. We had a missed tackle on an inside zone that went for a touchdown and another missed tackle on a chunk play we missed. Other than that it was solid, but we have to fight so we don’t miss. We have to be 100%.”
While he walked away a winner in his first game as head coach — he is the 11th Utah State coach to win his debut — Dreiling was far from satisfied.
“I don’t know if I’ll be proud for a little bit,” he said. “It was a rough start and we were down at the half to a team that we felt that we should handle. But that is football. … We need to play complementary football, and that is what the second half looked like. Defense and offense. That is how the game is supposed to be played.”
Dreiling wasn’t alone. The Aggies’ on the whole weren’t satisfied with their overall performance, but even with a rough start against an overmatched opponent, belief hasn’t diminished. They believe they are capable of surprising people this season.
“No one is feeling sorry for us,” Barnes said. “When you’ve been through it a couple of times, and I have, it comes down to preparation. You are either a deer in headlights or you are calm and collected.”
Added Maye: “The ceiling is a Mountain West championship. We are a good team and just have to do what we do. … Once this team gets headed in the right direction and we will, the sky is the limit.”