This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah State's loss to the Broncos was about as ugly as a game can get, especially for a team that thought it could come into Boise and get a win. But instead of making for a thrilling showdown with a berth in the MWC title game on the line, Saturday's game turned into a show of power for the Broncos' offense.
Rarely has the USU defense been outplayed like it was Saturday. BSU running back Jay Ajayi was a beast, running inside, outside and every which way for big chunks of yardage.
The Aggies simply had no answer for him.
Ajayi had five touchdowns against the Aggies for a BSU single-game record.
The Aggies' offense, meanwhile, never really had a fair chance to get going as mistakes hampered it from the start. There was a missed field goal then an interception that kept the momentum solidly with the Broncos.
We won't rehash all the gory details here, it's enough to know that the game was as lopsided as the score indicated. USU just got its butt whipped.
So where do the Aggies go from here?
USU will definitely go to a bowl, which will give the Aggies a chance to end the season with a better memory than Saturday's game provided.
My hunch is the Aggies are destined for the New Mexico Bowl. I doubt the Potato Bowl would want them back so soon after a humiliating defeat and thoughts of being an attractive pick for Las Vegas are obviously over.
Hopefully the Aggies can shrug off the disappointment of Saturday's loss and play well in the bowl game. This team has worked too hard for Saturday's defeat to be the lasting memory of the 2014 season.