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Logan • The baddest dude with the nastiest reputation in the Mountain West Conference strolled into Cache Valley on Friday night.
Utah State was unimpressed, apparently.
The Aggie defense bullied Boise State into eight turnovers and USU rolled to a shocking 52-26 victory over the fumbling, bumbling and previously 21st-ranked Broncos.
Sophomore quarterback Kent Myers passed for three touchdowns and ran for another score, but Utah State's defense turned the expected showdown with perennial power Boise State into a lopsided rout that jumbled the Mountain West race.
The Aggies forced seven turnovers in the first half, including three in the final two minutes. Utah State used the Boise State mistakes to turn a 24-10 advantage into a difficult-to-believe and insurmountable 45-10 lead.
"What an unbelievable performance by our players," said Utah State coach Matt Wells. "… Just an unbelievable night. I don't know if I've ever seen anything like it — those first-half turnovers. They were the key to the game."
"I thought the defense played pretty well," said linebacker Nick Vigil. "… We knew how good they were coming in. But the D-line did a heck of a job tonight."
The win bumped USU's record to 4-2 overall and 3-0 in the Mountain Division of the MWC. Boise State, which had trailed for only 43 seconds during its first six games of the season, dropped to 5-2 and 2-1.
Going into the game, Aggie coach Matt Wells said the winner would find itself "in the driver's seat" in the league race.
Bronco coach Bryan Harsin agreed, saying, "I think this would be a really big step toward [winning] the conference."
Boise State was favored, of course. The Broncos had won their last four games by a combined score of 204-24. Utah State had not beaten them since 1997.
No matter.
On a 71-degree night at Maverik Stadium, Boise State won the toss, deferred, stopped Utah State's first possession on three plays and forced a punt.
The Broncos' Shane Williams-Rhodes took Aaron Dalton's line-drive kick and returned it 38 yards to the Utah State 34-yard line. The Aggie defense held, however, and Boise settled for a 3-0 lead on Tyler Rausa's 46-yard field goal.
Utah State quickly countered.
On the next possession, LaJuan Hunt took a screen pass and ran 51 yards to the Boise 25. The Aggies eventually moved to the Broncos' two, where they faced fourth-and-one for a first down.
With the Boise defense jamming the line of scrimmage, Myers made a superb play-fake up the middle and tossed to tight end Wyatt Houston, who was wide open at the back of the end zone.
The 71-yard drive consumed 4:17 and gave Utah State a 7-3 lead. It also marked the first time the Broncos trailed in a game since the final minute of a 35-24 loss at BYU on Sept. 12.
But it was about to get worse for Boise State.
After Utah State took a 10-3 lead on Jake Thompson's 51-yard, the Aggie defense forced its first turnover when Ricky Ali'ifua sacked Bronco freshman quarterback Brett Rypien and he fumbled.
Kyler Fackrell recovered at the Boise 11 and, on third-and-nine from the 10, Myers hit Hunter Sharp for a touchdown that made it 17-3.
Boise seemed close to getting back in the game when it cut the lead to 24-10, but Utah State forced three more turnovers on the Broncos' final three possessions.
The Aggies broke the game open on Myers' 39-yard touchdown run, his 21-yard touchdown pass to Sharp and safety Marwin Williams' 90-yard interception return on the final play of an unbelievable first half.
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