Utah State’s offense continues to build with Washington State looming
Oct 5, 2026, 5:58 PM
Thoughts from Utah State football's Week 6 press conference before facing Washington State. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
LOGAN – Bronco Mendenhall sees an offense becoming more balanced, more explosive and more confident. What he hasn’t seen enough of is that improvement showing up in the win column.
After reviewing Utah State’s loss at Boise State, the Aggies’ coach found reasons for encouragement — even as missed opportunities and defensive breakdowns left his team searching for answers.
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“I thought our offense improved. I think we’re more dynamic. I think we’re more balanced. I think we’re more explosive. I think we’re trending,” Mendenhall said. “Nothing score or yardage would say, ‘Hey, watch out for them’; internally, I think there’s growth happening.”
The challenge now is turning those encouraging stretches into a complete performance.
With Washington State visiting Maverik Stadium on Friday, the 1-4 Aggies have an opportunity to pair their offensive growth with sharper defensive execution, earn their first Pac-12 victory, and keep a difficult start from defining their season.
Offensive growth starts with opportunity
For quarterback Grady Brosterhous, improvement begins before kickoff.
After spending much of his early college career with limited practice reps, Brosterhous said the chance to prepare with the first team has helped him recognize defenses and feel more comfortable directing the offense.
“It’s been so helpful for my growth and development to be getting those reps, to be seeing things in practice,” Brosterhous said. “I think that’s the most important thing for a quarterback to develop is to be able to see those live looks.”
Grady strikes again!
@gbrosterhous12 ✈️ @Eli_wood_14
#ShowMe | @CBSSportsCFB https://t.co/JbyKs3oJRI
— USU Football (@USUFootball) October 4, 2026
A more productive running game has helped, too.
“We’ve had a couple run concepts that have worked really well for us, and opening up that running game is really helpful for our offense as a whole,” Brosterhous said.
Mendenhall sees that balance making Utah State less predictable. But how the Aggies will divide quarterback opportunities remains undisclosed after both quarterbacks played against Boise State.
“I’ve never really felt comfortable when there isn’t a starter and a backup,” Mendenhall said. “I think it’s better for the team. I think it’s clear for the individuals.”
Mendenhall declined to name a starter for Friday’s game.
Defense needs to finish its work
Offensive progress could not erase the mistakes that allowed Boise State to pull away.
Mendenhall pointed to a sequence after Utah State cut the deficit to 13 points: three coverage breakdowns on a touchdown drive that stopped the Aggies from building on their momentum and allowed Boise State to find the end zone in just 62 seconds.
“That was disappointing, especially the three-play drive where we broke coverage three times,” Mendenhall said.
For sophomore cornerback Chapman Lewis, the missed opportunities included failing to bring down Boise State quarterback Maddox Madsen when the defense had a chance to end plays.
“We just got to get him on the ground, make those tackles,” Lewis said. “Get those sacks.”
.@jordan_xvii laying the lumber 🤘
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— USU Football (@USUFootball) October 4, 2026
Against Washington State, Lewis wants the defense to do more than get stops. He emphasized creating turnovers, providing favorable field position, and finding a way to score.
“We haven’t got a defensive touchdown yet,” Lewis added.
A familiar challenge comes to Logan
Washington State arrives with an identical 1-4 record, but Mendenhall cautioned against judging the Cougars solely by their results.
“When I watched the tape, I was like, how are they 1-4?” Mendenhall said. “I hope they’re saying that about us.”
For Utah State, that is both an encouraging possibility and an unfinished assignment. Looking capable on film is not the same as making the plays that decide a game.
Brosterhous believes the early schedule has given the Aggies evidence they can build on.
“We can move the ball; we can stop good offenses. There are positives to take from those games,” he said.
🆚 Washington State
📅 October 9th
📍 Maverik Stadium
⏰ 7:00 PM MT (Gates open at 5:30 PM)
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👕 Blue Out 🔵 https://t.co/OOFXZQvh0l— USU Football (@USUFootball) October 5, 2026
Friday brings another opportunity to put those pieces together in front of a home crowd Lewis hopes to reward.
“We love the fans. We love the crowd. We love everybody who supports us,” Lewis said.
The Aggies have identified signs of progress. Their next task is giving those fans a result to celebrate.
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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.
