Utah State Fights, Comes Up Short In Loss To Wyoming Cowboys

LOGAN, Utah – Titus Swen ran roughshod over the Utah State defense, ending the Aggies two game win streak with a 28-14 Wyoming victory.

The Aggies faced the Wyoming Cowboys in a Mountain West Conference battle in Laramie, WY on Saturday, October 22.

Final in Laramie – USU drops a tough one to Wyoming 28-14. Aggies had multiple chances but just couldn't get over the hump.

To say the bye week comes at a good time is a massive understatement. Aggies looking to heal up before New Mexico comes to Logan in 2 weeks.

— Scott Garrard (@ScottyGZone) October 23, 2022

Swen finished with 160 yards and three scores on 28 carries in the win.

For the Aggies, Bishop Davenport threw for 104 yards on 17-for-26 passing. He finished with 19 rushing yards, a great number after being sacked six times in the game.

Calvin Tyler Jr. came up short in his bid for a fourth straight 100-yard rushing game, finishing with 83 yards and his second touchdown of the year on 15 carries. Surprisingly, Robert Briggs carried just two times in the loss.

Brian Cobbs and Terrell Vaughn each caught five passes with Cobbs 45 receiving yards leading the team.

Defensively, AJ Vongphachanh led the Aggies with 10 tackles, including a sack. Linebacker Kaleo Neves and safety Hunter Reynolds each finished with eight stops.

First Quarter

Wyoming took the opening kickoff and immediately went to running back Titus Swen, trying to set a physical tone. Swen took the first handoff of the night, gashing the Aggie defense for 12 yards. The Cowboys picked up one more first down on the drive before punting.

In his first collegiate start, Bishop Davenport hit Terrell Vaughn with his first pass, gaining nine yards. Calvin Tyler Jr. picked up a first down on the next play when he gained five yards on his first carry. The Aggies would punt three plays later.

After trading punts for two more possessions, former Aggie Andrew Peasley found Colin O’Brien down the right sideline for a huge 46-yard gain that moved the Cowboys into Utah State territory. Two plays later, Swen found a hole in the middle of the Aggie line, bursting through for a 30-yard scoring run.

Peasley ➡️ O'Brien – 4⃣6⃣ yards. Swen then scores from 30 yards out as the @USUFootball defense gives up the games first big plays.@wyo_football 7⃣@USUFootball 0⃣

5:02 left, 1st Quarter#AggiesAllTheWay #USU #USUAggies #AggieFootball #USUfootball @kslsports

— Brian Preece (@bpreece24) October 23, 2022

The touchdown and point after gave Wyoming an early 7-0 lead.

Utah State’s offense began to show signs of life on their next drive as Davenport settled in. The freshman started the drive 2-for-2 on third down. On 3rd-&-nine, Davenport looked for Cobbs deep down the right sideline but good coverage from Wyoming forced an incompletion. The Aggies punted for the third time in the quarter, giving Wyoming the ball with the lead.

Second Quarter

Wyoming picked up two first downs on their next drive but were forced to punt after Patrick Joyner Jr. pressured Peasley, forcing an incomplete pass to end the drive.

After the Aggies went three and out, Wyoming started to exert their will on the USU defense.

The Cowboys gained 52 yards on seven plays before Swen finished the drive with his second rushing touchdown of the game to give Wyoming a 14-0 lead.

Cowboys find the end zone again and take a 14-0 lead. #AggiesAllTheWay

— USU Football (@USUFootball) October 23, 2022

Adding insult to injury, USU leading tackler MJ Tafisi left the game after suffering a helmet-to-helmet hit while making a tackle. He would not return.

After forcing an Aggie punt on the next drive, Wyatt Wieland muffed the Stephen Kotsanlee punt. Sophomore cornerback Jamie Nance recovered the fumble for Utah State.

After a 15-yard pass from Davenport to Tyler Jr., Davenport scored on a quarterback keeper from five yards out to cut the Cowboy lead in half, 14-7.

Touchdown @USUFootball 🙌

Aggies are on the board 👏 pic.twitter.com/9xf76IOwer

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 23, 2022

Wyoming would add a field goal before the end of the half. They led 17-7 at halftime with Utah State expecting to receive the second half kick.

Third Quarter

After beginning the half with a quick first down, Davenport threw the first interception of his career when Wyett Ekeler picked off a pass intended for Justin McGriff.

John Hoyland missed a 55-yard field goal attempt to end the ensuing Wyoming drive.

With Utah State trailing 17-7 and in need of a spark, Calvin Tyler Jr. broke loose for a 31-yard score to bring the Aggies within three, 17-14.

The Aggies are right back in it! 😤

Calvin Tyler Jr. runs it home for the @USUFootball TD 🤩 pic.twitter.com/2SI2Hz726C

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 23, 2022

Tyler Jr. accounted for 56 of the 62 Utah State yards on the drive, including a fourth down conversion that kept the drive alive.

The 31-yard score was the Aggies second longest rush of the season.

Hoyland connected on a 51-yard field goal attempt, extending the Cowboy lead to 20-14 with 3:06 remaining in the third.

Fourth Quarter

Utah State was able to pick up a couple of first downs on their first drive of the quarter, but the drive ended when Davenport overthrew tight end Josh Sterzer as the Cowboy defense closed in.

On their next drive, the Cowboys all but put the game on ice when Swen scored his third touchdown of the night on a 3rd-&-three from inside the USU 10-yard line. Swen added a two-point conversion to give Wyoming a 28-14 lead.

Up Next

Utah State will enjoy their second bye week of the season next week before hosting the New Mexico Lobos at Maverik Stadium in Logan, UT on Saturday, November 5. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. (MST).

Every Utah State football game can be heard on the KSL Sports Zone with Scott Garrard and former Aggie quarterback Kevin White on the call.

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