Power Four Castoffs Leading Utah State’s Offensive Backfield
Sep 5, 2025, 3:55 PM
Utah State football will break out the Battle Cattle helmets for the 2025 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.(Photo courtesy Utah State athletics)
(Photo courtesy Utah State athletics)
LOGAN, Utah – Once considered afterthoughts at Power Four schools Utah and BYU, Bryson Barnes and Miles Davis are getting the chance to prove they can carry an offense with Utah State.
Aggie head coach Bronco Mendenhall discussed his team’s week one performance on KSL Sports Zone‘s DJ & PK on Monday, September 1.
“In regard to the UTEP game, again, gratifying and really excited for our team,” Mendenhall began. “I was encouraged by the quality of football, I would say, the base level of consistency and coordination, and how the plans held for the first game, certainly improvements to make, but encouraged for sure, I think lots to build on.”
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The backfield tandem of QB Bryson Barnes, a transfer from Utah, and RB Miles Davis, a transfer from BYU, provided a spark as a young team finds its way under Mendenhall.
“You want to be needed, and you want to be wanted, and then you get a chance to prove if you’re capable,” Mendenhall said of helping Barnes and Davis take ownership in their roles. “Both of these kids have been with other programs and were needed to a degree, and wanted to a degree, but it wasn’t quite what they were hopeful for. Maybe not quite what the institution they were leaving was hopeful for.”
Barnes is in his second season with Utah State after spending four seasons in the Utes’ QB room. The 2020 walk-on played 24 games for the Utes, making 11 starts. He completed 181 of 301 passes for 2,025 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He added 391 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
Davis swapped BYU’s royal blue for Aggie navy this season after spending the previous five years in Provo. He appeared in 27 games, making just one start. He combined for 46 touches on the ground and through the air, scoring three times with the Cougars.
The Barnes and Davis running attack finished with 158 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Davis also caught a team-high six passes, totaling 61 yards.
“They’re here now, and they’re the primary player at quarterback and the primary player at running back,” Mendenhall continued. “I think that allows them to prepare mentally for, really, a whole different type of role in a different type of game.”
Utah State football is moving in the right direction
The film never lies, and the week one film for Utah State football against UTEP revealed a handful of concerns for first-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall. After watching the tape, Mendenhall was encouraged but not satisfied with his team’s performance in week one.
Specifically, Mendenhall saw a little bit of everything at fault from the six sacks USU allowed on Saturday.
“There’s communication, usually, where it starts,” Mendenhall began. “We had communication sacks. We had a few technique sacks. We had assignment sacks. Then, there was some with the quarterback, quite frankly, just staying on time will fix.”
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Recapping our Week 1 win against UTEP! 🎥#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/nqBGidmr75
— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 1, 2025
Deficiencies aside, Mendenhall saw plenty from his team that gives hope moving forward.
“We play complimentary football and that’s our style,” the Alpine, Utah, native said. “We’re very clear about our metrics. I’m very clear about what it looks like for 11 players out there, and what that composite and collective should look like—the collective effort of the Utah State football players and our team from beginning to end. While it wasn’t perfect, it was coordinated, it was consistent, and it did last. That was really gratifying for game one as we launch this season.”
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Utah State faces its first road test of the season when it takes on the No. 19 Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field in Bryan-College Station, Texas, on Saturday, September 6. Kickoff is at 10:45 a.m. MT. This game will be televised on the SEC Network.
Listen to USU football games on KSL Sports Zone with Scott Garrard and former Aggie QB Kevin White on the call.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
