Bronco Mendenhall Has Utah State Focusing On Execution For Week 3
Sep 8, 2025, 5:51 PM | Updated: Sep 9, 2025, 10:08 am
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 06: Head coach Bronco Mendenhall of the Utah State Aggies prior to game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field on September 06, 2025 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Joe Buvid/Getty Images)
(Photo by Joe Buvid/Getty Images)
LOGAN, Utah – A ‘money game’ against a Top 20 Texas A&M Aggies team was always going to be an uphill battle as Utah State football builds from the ground up under first-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall.
Despite allowing six sacks for the second straight game and a handful of breakdowns on both sides of the ball, USU showed second-half resolve against a more physical and athletic team.
“We showed capacity, we showed capability,” Mendenhall began. “What we didn’t show is the consistency to be able to, in all three phases, catch up and then close out an opponent like that.”
Mendenhall joined DJ & PK on KSL Sports Zone to discuss his team’s performance and look ahead to Air Force this weekend.
RELATED: Instant Takeaways From Utah State’s Loss To Texas A&M
“We have lots of work to do in pass protection, especially when it’s immediate or it’s obvious drop-back situations,” Mendenhall said. “Being able to keep defenses off balance. Ensuring that we’re ahead of the chains, making sure the ball is gone quickly. Execution needs to improve.”
Utah State’s head coach understands that his offensive line still has room for improvement, but he was encouraged by the unit’s progress from week one.
“I saw improvement from game one to game two, even though the number of sacks was the same,” Mendenhall said. “Whom they came from, the quality of opponent they came from, and the nature of where they came. I saw improvement, but still a way to go.”
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Bronco Mendenhall builds long-term success by investing in youth
Utah State has plenty to improve upon amidst a 1-1 start to the 2025 season. The Aggies have also shown a potential that has seemed to elude the program for the past three seasons.
Under Bronco Mendenhall, USU has emphasized character and is slowly rebuilding the culture in Logan with his vision. Part of that process is leaning on young players, hopefully speeding up the learning curve and creating building blocks for future seasons.
No quit here. @bryson_barnes10 ➡️ Davis for 6️⃣ pic.twitter.com/sxvuA3MJhb
— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 6, 2025
USU started one true freshman (Chris Joe), a redshirt freshman (Carson Tujague), and a sophomore (William Holmes) on defense. Sophomore Jimmy Liston got the start along the offensive line, adding to the Aggies’ stable of young talent in the trenches.
“There’s players whose trust is growing through production,” Mendenhall said when asked about how the depth chart has changed in two weeks. “Then there’s players that, man, they’ve shown the capability, but they’re not ready for the consistency needed of assignments. The game might be a little too fast for them.”
Make no mistake, Utah State is not willing to sacrifice production for hope of a future payout, but Mendenhall is keeping one eye on the long-term health of the program, and the other on the next opponent. USU has several veterans in the lineup, including many at critical skill positions across all three units.
“We have the investment in some players that are capable, but really green and raw,” Mendenhall said. “Trying to accelerate the experience faster, versus some players that are a little bit older; might not have the playmaking capability, but are a little more assignment sound.”
Utah State turns attention to unconventional Air Force Falcons offense
No matter the year, the Air Force Falcons are always a difficult opponent to prepare for. Military recruiting limitations force the Falcons to field a smaller-than-average team that relies heavily on misdirection and creating leverage against larger opponents.
“It literally is a race from the minute our game ended against Texas A&M, you fly to the iPads and to the computers as fast as possible to go on to the next game,” the veteran head coach said. “There isn’t another opponent like them on our schedule… It takes all the way up until game time to get ready to actually play them and play them well.”
Coming up next weekend! 🏈
🎟️ ➡️ https://t.co/PPRkItocCW pic.twitter.com/1Hwma0PLQf
— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 8, 2025
Mendenhall cited his previous experience coaching against Air Force while leading BYU in the Mountain West as an asset. Utah State’s overall inexperience makes the task a little different this time around.
“All the years of experience against playing Air Force certainly helps,” Mendenhall stated. “The points of reference and the different games, the different schemes, and all the different stories and story lines certainly help. Then getting each team ready is a little bit different because, as we’re again inheriting and taking over at Utah State, as early as we are in the process, that’s a new dynamic in relation to some more experienced teams that I’ve been with for a while.”
Following Utah State football with KSL Sports Zone
Utah State returns to Logan for the start of Mountain West Conference play when the Air Force Falcons come calling on Saturday, September 13. Kickoff is at 7:45 p.m. MT.
Listen to USU football games on KSL Sports Zone with Scott Garrard and former Aggie QB Kevin White on the call.
Find KSL Sports coverage of Utah State University Athletics here.
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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.
