Takeaways From Utah State Football’s Loss At Vanderbilt
Sep 28, 2025, 3:00 AM
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - SEPTEMBER 27: Jordan Matthews #6 of the Vanderbilt Commodores breaks up a pass intended for Braden Pegan #11 of the Utah State Aggies during the second half of the game at FirstBank Stadium on September 27, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
(Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Vanderbilt Commodores may end the season as Utah State football’s best opponent in 2025. As such, it’s unwise to dwell on most of the Aggies’ shortcomings in a 55-35 loss.
The offensive line was overwhelmed entirely as its depth was tested, leading to constant pressure in the backfield for Bryson Barnes. Defensively, a dearth of a pass rush hung the linebackers and secondary out to dry against dual-threat QB Diego Pavia.
“I love my football team,” Bronco Mendenhall began the postgame press conference. “(I’m) encouraged by the way they battled. Plenty of things that I could help them prepare for at a higher level so they can execute more consistently throughout.”
RELATED: Mendenhall Declines Update On Potential Bryson Barnes Injury
.@USUFootball can't hang with No. 18 Vanderbilthttps://t.co/lCVJbLQXEO
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 27, 2025
The physical battle took its toll on Barnes, forcing the Aggie starter to the sideline after suffering an apparent injury on the final play of the third period.
Asked for an update on his starting QB’s health, Mendenhall was non-committal.
“I prefer not to,” Mendenhall said. “Bryson gives everything he can to this team. He plays with his heart and soul, completely committed. He’s physical, and he plays with great effort. I’ll let medical, when appropriate, share what that is.”
If Barnes is out for any period of time, it would be a potentially devastating loss for a team that is shaping up to be a Mountain West challenger.
Explosive, diverse offense gives Utah State an added edge
First-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall would be the first to say there are no moral victories in a game like this, but it’s difficult not to be encouraged by the program’s immediate improvement under Mendenhall.
A 4-8 team in 2024, USU dropped to 3-2 as they enter conference play, and it looks like a squad that can do some damage in the Mountain West.
RELATED: Prolific Vanderbilt Offense Cruises Past Utah State
ICYMI 🙌#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/P9Cy2cj6Yn
— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 27, 2025
Barnes scrambled, slid, and slipped through the relentless Vanderbilt pass rush to account for 209 yards of offense and equaled his season-high with three passing touchdowns.
Behind him, former four-star BYU recruit Jacob Conover looked composed while throwing the first two touchdown passes of his career.
RELATED: Miles Davis Gives Utah State Early Lead Over No. 18 Vanderbilt
Javen Jacobs broke another long run, this time picking up 58 yards on a fourth-quarter run that led to a touchdown. His 63 rushing yards led the team. Jacobs added six catches for 48 yards and was one of five Aggies with a touchdown catch.
Conover and Jacobs team up for 6️⃣! pic.twitter.com/Xov26WGcO1
— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 27, 2025
Seven players caught a pass, led by TE Broc Lane’s career-high seven catches for 98 yards. TE Josh Sterzer scored his first TD of the season and the sixth of his career.
“Broc’s a really good football player. He’s fast, he’s agile. He has excellent hands. He’s very experienced,” Mendenhall said of the graduate senior.
Five different players caught TD passes. Braden Pegan caught his fourth touchdown, and Brady Boyd added his third while the pair combined for nine catches,
To reach its ceiling, USU’s offensive line will need to step up in Mountain West Conference play.
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Vandy’s defensive front seven punished Utah State’s O-line
The Commodores were only credited with three sacks for -16 yards to go with eight QB hurries. Those numbers aren’t indicative of the relentless pass rush the Aggies faced in Nashville.
Whether it was Barnes of Conover taking the snaps, USU QBs were harassed regularly and rarely had a clean pocket to step into.
👎😤👎 pic.twitter.com/AIe8NxQEbp
— #18 Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) September 27, 2025
“We couldn’t get rolling on first and second down, kind of left us third and long and good pass rush out of them, good DBs, good linebackers,” Lane said of the third-period offensive struggles. “They’re a solid team. You get behind the chains like that, it’s going to be tough to get any yards and to score the way we’re scoring in the first and second.”
Aggie defense better than they looked against Vanderbilt
Facing a prolific offense led by Diego Pavia, Utah State’s secondary looked helpless as they were picked apart for the final 45 minutes of the night.
The defensive front struggled to generate any pressure, giving the Commodores ample time in the pocket and huge passing windows to look through.
Defensive back Noah Avinger recorded 12 tackles and picked off his third pass of the year early in the fourth quarter.
If Utah State can recover from the mental wounds suffered in defeat, the defense should be much better the rest of the way.
“I would say the biggest thing is starting fast,” Avinger said postgame. “I feel like, as a team, we’re a little hesitant sometimes… We can play with anyone, just starting fast, and guys executing on all three phases.”
Defensive end John Miller had another big day with 12 tackles, his third double-digit game of the season. He finished with one sack and 1.5 tackles for a loss, adding to his team lead in both categories.
Against MW teams with far fewer weapons, USU seems to have far better depth than in recent seasons.
“Learning from our mistakes, doing what we did good, learning from that and make it better,” Avinger said of how the unit can keep improving. “Just the execution of all that, and just stacking each game on and on is building confidence.”
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Following a bye, USU travels to the Hawaiian Islands for a battle with the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors on Saturday, October 11. Kickoff is at 10 p.m. MT.
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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.
