This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Logan • Three thoughts on San Diego State's surprisingly easy 48-14 victory over Utah State on Friday night at Qualcomm Stadium:

1. Utah State missed senior nose guard David Moala, who suffered a knee injury in last week's 52-26 win over Boise State and did not play. The Aggies also lost starting defensive end Ricky Ali'ifua early in the game, meaning two-thirds of their starting front was missing most of the night. San Diego State running back Donnel Pumphrey took advantage and rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns against a defense that, in its four previous games, held Boise to 34 rushing yards, Fresno State to 82 rushing yards, Colorado State to 109 rushing yards and Washington to 74 rushing yards. Even Utah struggled to run the ball against Utah State. Star Devontae Booker gained 120 yards in the Utes' 24-14 win over the Aggies, but he needed 31 carries to do it. In the loss to San Diego State, Utah State struggled to stop the straight-ahead running game without Moala and, when they pinched linebackers and safeties toward the middle, the Aztecs were able to exploit the edge. Going forward, it could continue to be a problem, if the Aggies have to go without Moala and Ali'ifua for long.

2. After two solid performances as Utah State's starting quarterback, Kent Myers looked rattled from the beginning against San Diego State's aggressive defense. He ended up completing 8 of 19 passes for 93 yards and one touchdown. He also threw an interception, which stopped an early drive into the red zone, and fumbled the ball away twice. The first time, Utah State trailed, 7-0. The Aggies faced a second-and-10 from their own 25-yard line. Against a San Diego State blitz, offensive coordinator Josh Heupel made a perfect call — a quick pass to the outside. But Myers lost control of the ball for a split second and had to double-pump. By the time he was ready to release the ball, he got hit and fumbled. Two plays later, the Aztecs owned a 14-0 lead and their confidence skyrocketed.

3. There's a silver lining for the Aggies, despite being manhandled at the line of scrimmage on defense and struggling to protect the football on offense. If they win their remaining conference games against Wyoming, New Mexico, Air Force and Nevada — and they will likely be favored to do so — they'll probably share the Mountain Division championship with Boise State. Don't expect the Broncos to lose again and they can give New Mexico and Air Force their second league losses later in the season. In such a scenario, Utah State and Boise would finish 7-1 in the Mountain Division, but Aggies would qualify for the conference championship game on Dec. 5. They would most likely face San Diego State, the team that just demolished them.

— Steve Luhm

Twitter: @sluhm