Utah State football lays an egg against Idaho State in 2026 debut

LOGAN –  Utah State football got off to a rough start in 2026, suffering a 29-17 loss to Idaho State.

The loss ended a six-game Aggie winning streak in the series and was Idaho State’s first win in Logan since 2000.

Final | Idaho State 29 – Utah State 17

— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 6, 2026

It was also USU’s first loss to an FCS team since falling to Weber State in 2022.

First Quarter

Utah State won the toss and deferred, putting Idaho State’s pass-heavy offense on the field first.

USU opened in a soft zone, and the Bengals took advantage, marching into the red zone on their first possession. After an Aggie personal foul set up first-and-goal, the defense stiffened near the goal line and forced a 28-yard field goal attempt.

Max Lindberg split the uprights to give ISU an early 3-0 advantage. True to form, the Bengals’ 13-play opening drive featured 12 passes and just one rushing attempt.

The Aggies wasted no time in McCae Hillstead’s first career season-opening start, as the sophomore quarterback completed his first pass of the year to Rex Haynes for 23 yards.

Two plays later, an Idaho State pass interference penalty set USU up with first-and-10 at the 26-yard line.

Moments later, Hillstead looked right and found Eli Wood in the end zone. Wood timed his jump perfectly and got a toe down in bounds for Utah State’s first touchdown of the season.

Welcome back @mccaehillstead! pic.twitter.com/cvNC4iScP2

— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 5, 2026

USU led 7-3 with 5:52 left after the extra point.

Idaho State quickly moved back into scoring position, but the Aggie defense sniffed out a trick play and dropped the Bengals for a 12-yard loss. The Bengals still came away with points, ending the drive with a 48-yard field goal.

The first period ended with Utah State nearing the red zone thanks to back-to-back ISU penalties.

Second Quarter

The drive stalled after a sack, and USU transfer kicker Kian Afrookhteh missed a 47-yard field goal attempt.

Idaho State’s offense continued moving the football too comfortably against an Aggie defense still trying to find its footing.

A 30-yard gain on an option play set the Bengals up with first-and-goal at the 6-yard line. Three consecutive stops at the goal line forced ISU to go for it on fourth-and-goal, but quarterback Jordan Cooke powered through on second effort for Idaho State’s first rushing score of the year.

The extra point gave the visitors a 13-7 advantage with 8:23 left in the half.

Idaho State’s Jacob Perez ended the Aggies’ next drive when he picked off a Hillstead pass and returned it to the 5-yard line, giving ISU another first-and-goal.

To say Utah State looks rusty would be an understatement. Procedural penalties and poor execution have the Aggies in a halftime hole.

USU has been out gained 175 yards to 167 yards after a strong final drive that resulted in a FG.

At halftime, @USUFootball trails 16-10.

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 6, 2026

This time, the Aggie defense answered again. Utah State held firm near the goal line and forced a 25-yard field goal that pushed the deficit to 16-7.

By that point, Utah State had yet to establish anything on the ground, totaling minus-2 rushing yards on eight carries.

Both teams traded punts late in the quarter before Utah State found one final scoring chance.

Hillstead and running back Javen Jacobs resuscitated the running game, moving the team into scoring position with the help of two Bengal penalties.

The Aggies added a late field goal to trail 16-10 at the half.

Nursing an apparent hand injury, Hillstead completed 9-of-19 passes in the opening half, including just two of his final nine attempts.

Third Quarter

Bronco Mendenhall’s team came out of the break with a clear adjustment, leaning on the rushing attack as Jacobs picked up 51 yards on six quick carries.

On his career-high 13th carry, Jacobs broke loose for 25 yards — USU’s longest play of the day to that point — and moved the Aggies into Idaho State territory.

USU went with a change of pace at quarterback on its first drive of the half, bringing graduate transfer Grady Brosterhous in for a play. The former Virginia quarterback’s first pass attempt as an Aggie fell incomplete, but a pass interference call on Idaho State helped set up first-and-goal.

But after all that work, the drive came up empty. Brosterhous was brought down behind the line of scrimmage on fourth down, ending an 18-play march that burned 8:26 off the clock.

Idaho State took over at its own 3-yard line, but the Bengals could not escape the shadow of their own goal posts. Three consecutive incompletions scuttled the drive before it could begin, forcing a punt.

A short punt was returned by Jacobs to the Idaho State 24-yard line.

Four plays later, Hillstead found Demick Starling in the back of the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown. It was Starling’s first touchdown since 2021 with Virginia.

The extra point made it 17-16 with 4:39 left in the third.

On the ensuing drive, a 30-yard pitch-and-catch from Cooke to Jimmy Trilla set the Bengals up in Aggie territory.

Idaho State retook the lead with a 43-yard field goal as Lindberg improved to a perfect 4-for-4 in the game.

Utah State’s momentum lasted one play. Hillstead threw his second interception on the Aggies’ next snap, and Idaho State returned it inside the 5-yard line to set up another golden scoring chance.

END 3️⃣ | 15 minutes to go pic.twitter.com/ftTitd82N1

— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 6, 2026

Fourth Quarter

Idaho State needed two plays to find the end zone. Cooke connected with Chedon James to take an eight-point lead.

The point-after put USU in a 26-17 hole with 14:13 to play.

Hillstead’s third INT of the night ended Utah State’s last best chance to get back into the game.

After an Idaho State punt, Brosterhous took over at QB.

The Bengals added a final field goal to go up 12.

ISU’s 29-17 victory was the program’s first win over a Pac-12 program.

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USU will face the Big Ten’s Washington Huskies in their next game on Saturday, September 12. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. MT.

Find Utah State football’s entire 2026 schedule here.

Find the entire 2026 Pac-12 schedule here.

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Catch Utah State football live with Scott Garrard and former Aggie QB Kevin White on KSL Sports Zone radio. You can also stream every game online at sports.ksl.com or on the go with the KSL Sports app, available for download on iOS and Android.

Parts of this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team.

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