Taggart’s return sparks Utah State in Homecoming win over Troy
Sep 26, 2026, 9:38 PM
The Utah State Aggies hosted the Troy Trojans at Maverik Stadium for homecoming on Saturday, September 26, 2026. (Photo courtesy Brian Preece)
(Photo courtesy Brian Preece)
LOGAN – Homecoming in Logan turned into a happy day for Utah State before the ball was even kicked.
A week after leaving the Aggies’ loss to Utah in an ambulance, injured linebacker Harrison Taggart surprised his teammates by joining the USU captains for the pregame coin toss. It was an emotional lift for a team looking for something to rally around.
The Aggies found it.
Utah State’s defense responded with its best performance of the season, forcing the team’s first three interceptions of the year in a come-from-behind 21-10 victory over Troy.
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The win gave the Aggies more than a Homecoming celebration.
It proved the defense can close games, the offense can lean on the run, and quarterback Grady Brosterhous can create plays with both his arm and his legs. After weeks of searching for takeaways and a consistent rushing attack, Utah State found both when it needed them most.
Brosterhous turned in the most complete performance of his career. The graduate senior quarterback finished with career highs in rushing yards (94) and passing yards (242). He also threw a career-high two touchdown passes, finding Javon Robinson and Eli Wood.
The ground game finally got moving, too.
Utah State rushed for 178 yards, its best effort of the season, and Javen Jacobs delivered another breakthrough moment when he crossed the goal line for the Aggies’ first rushing touchdown of the year.
𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐔𝐁 🤘#ShowMe | #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/leBs0hd02s
— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 27, 2026
But the story of the day belonged to the defense.
Brevin Hamblin led the way with 12 tackles, his first double-digit tackle game of the season, and added an interception to help seal the win. D’Angelo Mays and David Kabongo also picked off passes as the Aggies repeatedly slammed the door on Troy’s comeback chances.
For a turnover-starved unit, the three interceptions were more than just big plays. They were signs of progress.
Utah State entered the day still searching for its first interception of the season. By the time the Aggies lined up in victory formation, they had three of them — and a Homecoming win to show for it.
It started with Taggart’s return.
It ended with the Aggies celebrating a 21-10 victory, powered by a defense that finally got its hands on the football and an offense that found enough balance to finish the job.
Utah State vs. Troy Trojans recap
Utah State won the toss and, as has become standard, deferred to the second half, electing to kick off first.
The Aggies’ defense was ready. Utah State forced a three-and-out on Troy’s opening possession, giving the offense an early chance to strike.
It would only need one snap.
On USU’s first play from scrimmage, Grady Brosterhous found Javon Robinson, and the wide receiver did the rest. Robinson slipped a couple of tackles before bursting through the Troy defense for a 57-yard catch-and-run touchdown, the Aggies’ second-longest play of the season.
What it sounds like when @ScottyGZone calls a touchdown pass on the first play of the game.#Glorious #AggiesAllTheWay @kslsports pic.twitter.com/2BVJpGXac6
— Sam Farnsworth (@Samsworth_TV) September 27, 2026
The longest? Another Brosterhous-to-Robinson touchdown strike against Washington.
Troy answered with an 11-play, 75-yard scoring drive to tie the game. The drive’s big play came when Aggies cornerback Kye Stokes was flagged for a 15-yard personal foul, moving the Trojans into Utah State territory.
USU’s offense showed more signs of life on its next possession.
Brosterhous broke loose for a 21-yard gain, giving the Aggies their longest run of the season. The drive eventually stalled, but Landon Rehkow flipped the field with a beauty of a punt, pinning Troy at the 5-yard line. It was Rehkow’s ninth punt of the season downed inside the 20.
Two pass interference penalties helped Troy move the ball once again, but the Aggies’ defense stiffened when it mattered. Quarterback Goose Crowder fumbled on fourth down, turning the ball over and giving Utah State possession near midfield.
Javen Jacobs provided the final spark of the quarter, racing 36 yards down the left sideline to move the Aggies into the red zone.
After one quarter, Utah State and Troy were tied, but the Aggies had momentum — and a chance to take the lead.
Good to have you home @HarrisonTaggar4!
💙0️⃣ pic.twitter.com/qiYUUyZHqN
— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 27, 2026
The Aggies came up empty-handed when the drive stalled, and Kian Afrookhteh pushed a 27-yard field goal attempt wide right.
Troy took over and quickly flipped the field.
Gavin Griffin gashed the Aggies’ defense for a 39-yard gain, putting the Trojans back in Utah State territory. A replay review wiped a touchdown off the board later in the drive, but Troy still cashed in with a 45-yard field goal to take a 10-7 lead.
Utah State’s next possession ended with Grady Brosterhous’ first interception of the day, giving Troy the ball at its own 40-yard line.
From there, both defenses settled in.
The teams traded four consecutive punts as neither offense could find much rhythm. Then, with the Trojans threatening late in the half, D’Angelo Mayes delivered the play Utah State’s defense had been waiting for.
Mays intercepted a pass deep in Aggie territory and returned it to the Troy 45-yard line with 25 seconds left in the half.
It was Utah State’s first interception of the season — a much-needed takeaway for a turnover-starved unit.
PICKED ➡️ @DAngeloMayes10 #ShowMe | @CBSSportsCFB pic.twitter.com/hjEPHPjBDJ
— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 27, 2026
Brosterhous and company could not turn it into points, though, and the half ended with an incompletion.
The teams went into the break separated by just three points on the scoreboard and one yard on the stat sheet. Utah State finished the half with 196 yards of offense, while Troy had 197.
For the Aggies, the biggest positive was the run game. Utah State put together its most productive rushing half of the season, totaling 103 yards on the ground behind Brosterhous, who had 48 yards, and Javen Jacobs, who added 55.
The biggest concern remained the penalties. USU committed four in the first half, including three in the defensive backfield, helping Troy extend drives and keep pressure on the Aggies.
At halftime, Troy led Utah State 10-7.
Second Half
The Aggies’ offense started rolling to open the third quarter.
After a Troy personal foul gave Utah State some early momentum, Bronco Mendenhall kept the offense on the field for a key fourth down. On fourth-and-2, Grady Brosterhous rolled to his left and lofted a pass to Eli Wood, who pulled it in at the 5-yard line.
One play later, Brosterhous went right back to Wood, who reeled in his third touchdown of the season to give the Aggies a 14-10 lead with 11:02 left in the quarter.
.@Eli_wood_14 got that DAWG in him! #ShowMe | @CBSSportsCFB pic.twitter.com/bYYgHIP8kJ
— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 27, 2026
Troy didn’t blink. The Trojans took advantage of a broken tackle to rip off a 24-yard run and move near midfield. But Utah State’s defense tightened from there, forcing Troy’s fourth punt of the game.
The Aggies went back to work on their next possession, helped by three costly Troy penalties. Utah State moved into the red zone for the second time in the half, and after a pass interference call set up first-and-goal, a holding penalty on offensive lineman K’Ieyone Iosua pushed the Aggies back 10 yards.
It didn’t matter.
On second-and-6, Javen Jacobs took a delayed handoff, weaved through the Troy defense, and found the end zone for Utah State’s first rushing touchdown of the season. The extra point pushed the Aggies’ lead to 21-10.
Not keeping @_JavenJacobs out of the end zone! #ShowMe | @CBSSportsCFB pic.twitter.com/sGWXxitdPD
— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 27, 2026
Troy’s next drive got a boost from Utah State penalties, allowing the Trojans to reach the red zone late in the quarter. But the Aggies made another timely stop. Defensive lineman Carson Tujague tipped a third-down pass, forcing a field goal attempt that sailed wide right.
Utah State took a 21-10 lead into the fourth quarter, backed by its best offensive stretch of the game and a defense that kept making plays when it mattered.
END 3️⃣ | 🔵🔵🔵🔘
15 minutes to go from Logan! pic.twitter.com/oua0dmYXMM
— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 27, 2026
USU’s next drive ended with a punt, giving Troy another chance to cut into the Aggies’ 11-point lead.
The defense held again.
On third-and-8, Markie Grant knocked down a pass in the end zone, giving him a career-high four passes defended. Troy lined up for a 48-yard field goal, but the attempt again sailed right, and Utah State’s lead stayed at 21-10.
Early in the quarter, Grady Brosterhous added another highlight to his night. A 15-yard run gave the graduate senior quarterback a career-high 86 rushing yards, continuing the Aggies’ best ground-game performance of the season.
Later in the drive, Nikko Boncore caught a pass near the sideline and tiptoed to stay in bounds before cutting back upfield. But as Boncore turned inside, a Troy defender blindsided him, forcing a fumble that the Trojans recovered.
It was the kind of play that could have given Troy life.
Instead, Utah State’s defense ended any comeback hopes.
That is @Brevin_Hamblin‘s ball! #ShowMe | @CBSSportsCFB pic.twitter.com/PBZe1k5zKF
— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 27, 2026
The Trojans’ final two drives ended in interceptions, first by Brevin Hamblin and then by David Kabongo. From there, the Aggies did what winning teams do — lined up in victory formation and ran out the clock.
Utah State closed out a 21-10 win, powered by a physical run game and a defense that finished the night with authority.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in the NFL, Locals in MLB, and the Utah State Aggies. Follow Brian’s coverage here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
Parts of this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team.
