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Logan • Gary Andersen, seemingly worn and beaten down, had little to say.

Bobby Wagner, normally as talkative a player as there is at Utah State, was subdued after the Aggies were trounced 45-7 by Hawaii on Saturday. The crowd at Romney Stadium, 17,111 at the start of the game, thinned significantly by halftime.

USU is coming close to hitting rock bottom.

In front of a rain-drenched homecoming crowd — on the day that Merlin Olsen's statue was unveiled outside the stadium — the Aggies turned in their worst performance of the season.

And that's saying a lot, since USU was smoked 41-7 at San Diego State.

"Obviously, there isn't a whole lot to say," Andersen said. "The better team won today."

Against Hawaii, the Aggies mustered just 181 yards of total offense, yet they surrendered more than 600 to the Warriors. Utah State scored on a 35-yard run by Diondre Borel, but it couldn't get close to the end zone for the remainder of the game.

The Aggies went into halftime down just 14-7, only to see Hawaii score the final 31 points. Alex Green, the Warriors' huge running back, came up with a career-high 172 yards rushing and four touchdowns.

In every way, Utah State was beaten — and beaten badly ­— by a Hawaii team, (6-2, 4-0 in the Western Athletic Conference), that's proving each week that it's one of the best teams in the WAC. The Aggies, when it came down to it, simply couldn't keep up.

"We ran into a better opponent," Wagner said. "We have to go back to the meeting rooms and rebuild. We have a big game against Nevada next week, and we have to give it our all for all four quarters. Today, we didn't do that."

With this loss, Utah State's bowl hopes appear to be shot. Yes, there are five games remaining, but in order to become bowl eligible, USU would need to win four of them. Two of those matchups are against Boise State and Nevada, both on the road.

But the Aggies' problems are deeper than that. USU has forgotten how to play offense, with one touchdown in the past two games. The Aggies aren't throwing the ball well. Borel was 7-of-23 on Saturday for 99 yards, with two interceptions. And the running game, effective for most of the season, seems to have been solved by opponents who are stuffing the box and daring USU to throw to receivers who aren't getting open against man-to-man coverage.

Defensively, the Aggies allowed Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz to go 25-of-41 for 389 yards and a touchdown. Greg Salas, one of the best receivers in the conference, caught nine passes for 158 yards and a score — to say nothing of Green's performance.

"I don't think anyone expected this," Utah State tight end Kellen Bartlett said. "It's going to be tough, but this is something that we're all going to have to put behind us. We have to bury it deep in our memories and try to forget it."

tjones@sltrib.com on twitter: @tonyaggieville —

Highlights

R Hawaii scores the final 38 points of the game.

• The Warriors become bowl eligible with their win.

• Utah State falls to 2-5 on the season.