Month: September 2025

Ainsley Griner stood at bat.

While waiting for the next pitch, she heard the heckling from some of the players on the opposing team.

The reason for the heckling?

Griner is a girl, and not just any girl. She’s the first girl to play on the varsity baseball team for the Utah Military Academy-Camp Williams Marauders.

Griner’s younger brother Tate Griner, a sophomore, plays on the team, too. That’s how she found out the team was down a few players.

“So I came down here and I just put on my cleats, and I just started playing,” she said.

That one practice was enough for head coach Aaron Tilley.

“I wanted her on the team the first time I saw her throw a baseball,” he said.

After practice that day, Ainsley Griner called her mother, Sara Clark, to tell her she’d made the team.

“I got a call, and she’s like, ‘I’m No. 3,’” Clark said. “I was like, ‘You’re No. 3? … You can play baseball?’”

Griner can do more than just “play baseball.” She’s become a key asset to the Marauders as a versatile athlete who can suit up at center field and first base while also pitching.

Trading softball for baseball

Ainsley Griner grew up playing softball on travel teams and, later on, her high school team in Kansas as a freshman until she suffered an injury.

This season marks her return to the diamond.

“I love baseball. I love softball. I love everything softball,” she said.

While her softball experience has definitely helped, she has had to adjust to a few differences between the two sports, such as the ball size, the pitches and now being allowed to lead off before the pitcher throws the ball.

But she’s taking those in stride.

“She’s just really optimistic and positive. She works really hard, and I’m happy for her that that’s what she wants to do,” Clark said.

In addition to softball, Griner played soccer and basketball growing up. She’s also a cheerleader and star volleyball player for the Marauders.

“She’s an excellent athlete,” Tilley said.

Right now, she’s balancing both baseball and volleyball — and her part-time job.

From 3:15-5 p.m. every day, she’s at volleyball practice before heading down to Lehi’s Veterans Ball Park for baseball practice.

Though baseball practice typically ends at 6 p.m., she stays an extra 30 minutes to an hour for extra practice.

Like another player

Though she’s faced some opposition from players on other teams, her teammates have been more than accepting.

“I’ve heard about some boys being upset, not on my team,” she said. “They all just treat me like another boy, like another player on the team.”

There were no administrative hoops Tilley had to jump through to get Griner on the team, but “even if there were, I would have done it,” he said.

Griner is one of two seniors on the Marauders’ squad this season.

“She brought an energy to the team that we didn’t have and a knowledge of the game, experience playing the game,” Tilley said.

For the head coach, it was a “no brainer” to bring her onto the team.

“She’s so positive all the time and encouraging, coaching when she sees things,” he said.

Baseball’s for girls, too

Griner also brings discipline from her softball habits to the young team, like showing up to practice 30 minutes early, which she’s trying to pass on to her teammates.

As a senior, this will be her only season of high school baseball, and she’s planning to make the most of it.

“I’m really excited about making more friends and just team bonding, as well, but also learning different aspects to use that in different sports, in different lives,” she said.

In August, Major League Baseball saw its own gender barrier broken when Jen Pawol became the league’s first female umpire, as the Deseret News previously reported.

That’s a milestone that excites Griner.

“I was so happy about that. I was kind of scared for her because sometimes players can be really mean at umpires — me as well — when they make bad calls, but I’m so happy because maybe it can soften people’s hearts and just not view gender as that. They just view players on the field.”

It was a bruising legislative session this year for public higher education in the state. But University of Utah President Taylor Randall said he’s come to feel it was ultimately “fair” for lawmakers to scrutinize the budgets of each school.

“I think it’s a fair question from legislative leaders to ask how we are spending,” Randall told The Salt Lake Tribune’s editorial board Thursday about his rosy hindsight.

This March, the Utah Legislature passed a measure to cut the budgets of the state’s eight institutions of higher education by a combined $60.5 million. The U.’s share of that was the largest, at $19.6 million.

Schools were told to cut “inefficient” academic programs by looking at which have low enrollment, lead to few graduates or result in lower-paying jobs.

Each institution then has a chance to earn its share of the money back by presenting “reallocation” plans. In those, they must show how the funds would be reinvested in degrees that lead to high-wage jobs the state needs. Legislators have specifically pointed to engineering, business and nursing.

The legislative executive appropriations committee is expected to hear the final presentations and vote next month.

Randall said he heard “harsh rhetoric from all ends” during the session and while ultimately drafting the U.’s plans. The flagship institution is cutting 81 academic programs that have the fewest students. Most came from the humanities, which lost 22 degrees and certificates. Most were around languages or language teaching, such as a German-teaching bachelor’s degree. (Similarly, chemistry and biology teaching degrees in the College of Science were cut.)

Another eight program cuts are in the College of Fine Arts, including a Ph.D. in theater and master’s degrees in ballet and modern dance. Seven cuts affect the College of Social and Behavioral Science.

Many faculty had been fearful that the liberal arts would be on the chopping block based on the metrics schools were instructed to look at.

Randall said he “didn’t get the message” that the Legislature was specifically targeting the arts and social sciences — though some lawmakers said that’s what the bills seemed to suggest.

The U., he added, has plans to bolster some of those general-education offerings that all students, regardless of major, are required to take to graduate. The focus on the new additions, he said, will be civic engagement and dialogue.

“Those are also outcomes we want from college,” he said. “We want great citizens.”

Lawmakers, he added, have “multiple opinions” but they also want the same thing.

“Behind the scenes, there was a lot of dialogue,” he said. “I personally give the Legislature a lot of credit for that.”

At the end of the day, Randall said, “I think we found a very reasonable compromise.” He believes the U. is “better” because of the cut and reallocation.

Other leaders of Utah’s public colleges and universities have made similar positive remarks about the outcome.

U. Provost Mitzi Montoya, who joined the editorial board discussion, said the university does push to get students who graduate “into as high-paying jobs as we can support them in.”

The median salary for college graduates in the state, she and Randall noted, is $49,000. At the U., according to self-reported numbers, it’s $66,000.

“It’s true we’re going to invest in areas where we see employer demands and student demands,” she said, also citing business and engineering as areas the U. has said in its initial plans will be areas for “reinvestment” under the Legislature’s direction.

The U. has also pledged to spend money in responsible artificial intelligence and biotechnology research advancements.

But she said communication and psychology also have a lot of student interest and will get additional funding this coming year. “This conversation hasn’t changed what people want to do with their lives,” Montoya noted.

The U. is working to provide career advising and coaching for all students, in every academic field, to help all graduates land better jobs and higher salaries.

“That art student still wants to get a job and make a living when they come out,” Montoya said. “We help them learn how to start their own business, so that they can also make rent.”

Randall nodded as Montoya spoke. As president, he has pushed hard for streamlining the university’s operations to make them more “efficient.” That included bringing in an outside consultant to study ways the school could improve.

The president said he is not sure at this point if the Legislature next year will continue to poke at higher education, as it has the past couple of sessions — including eradicating diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs at public schools.

When he’s mentioned positives strides at the U. to them, he said, “they’re listening to me.”

But “those dialogues are just really starting right now,” Randall said. “I don’t have a really clear view of where they are.”

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Perhaps Utah quarterback Devon Dampier wasn’t exaggerating when he said during fall camp that sometimes he had eight seconds in the pocket.

Utah’s offensive line entered the season opener with plenty of hype surrounding them. The Utes returned all five starters from a season ago — left tackle Caleb Lomu, left guard Tanoa Togiai, center Jaren Kump, right guard Michael Mokofisi and right tackle Spencer Fano.

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Fano has been consistently projected as a first-round NFL draft choice — appearing as high as No. 3 — and Lomu has received mock draft love, too, appearing in some as a first-round selection. The two talented tackles anchor the ends of the Utes’ front, with three seniors in the middle in Togiai, Kump and Mokofisi.

All offseason long, we heard about how good this group was going to be. Coach Kyle Whittingham said multiple times that this was the best offensive line he’s had since he took over as Utah’s head coach in 2005.

“I can say with confidence, we should be the best offensive line since I’ve been at the University of Utah, which has been forever,” Whittingham said at this year’s Big 12 media day.

There was reason for Whittingham to be confident.

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All five starters have plenty of experience at Utah and already had chemistry along the offensive line from last season. Unlike in previous seasons, when the offensive line has taken a few or more games to get the right personnel and get into a groove, Utah expected this group to be ready to go from the very first snap.

“Our whole O-line has gone through at least an entire season of starting. A lot of experience in our O-line, so that’s probably helped out a lot. Just not a lot of new things for us right now,” Fano said.

As Utah entered a high-profile matchup against UCLA, one of the key storylines was this — would the offensive line live up to the hype?

There’s still plenty of games left in the season, but Game 1 was a resounding success for Utah’s front five.

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The up-front dominance was on display from the very first drive, as the Utes marched down the field on an 11-play, 75-yard drive that established the offensive tone for the game.

On Saturday, Utah’s offense wasn’t particularly explosive, but it consistently got 5-plus yards per run, grinding UCLA’s defense down, run after run and screen pass after screen pass.

It wasn’t just the offensive line making its presence known on the blocking front, it was the running backs, too. Pro Football Focus gave running back NaQuari Rogers a 77.1 grade for his pass blocking on Saturday, and Wayshawn Parker had a key block on the Utes’ first play of the 2025 season.

Parker cleared the way on the screen pass to Snowden, who ran for 11 yards for a Ute first down.

“Our whole 2025 season started off with a block by Wayshawn and you could hear it on the sideline … Wayshawn just gave his whole heart to it and the outcome was really good to start off our season,” running backs coach Mark Atuaia said.

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On the next play, Parker was rewarded with his first carry of the season, which went for 12 yards. He burst through a big hole created by the middle of the Utes’ offensive line.

That’s about how the rest of the first drive went for Utah — no huge plays, but every single one went for three or more yards, powered by the offensive line.

Parker capped off the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run that featured the best showing from the offensive line of the game.

On third-and-4 from the UCLA 13-yard line, the Bruins blitzed. Togiai knocked the blitzing cornerback off of his path and Fano, Mokofisi and Kump set the edge perfectly, while tight end Dallen Bentley sealed off another cornerback, giving Parker the widest running lane he’d see all night.

Another key series for the offensive line came in the third quarter, when Utah purposefully slowed down the tempo for a methodical 20-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that milked 9:44 off the game clock and extended the Utes’ lead to 20 points. The most yardage gained on a single play during the drive was 11 yards, but time after time, Utah converted key third downs.

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Faced with a fourth-and-2 on the goal line, Whittingham decided to go for it, and it paid off. No one touched Dampier as he hit pay dirt, with Togiai providing the key block to clear the path.

“That kind of drive doesn’t happen without a front that’s dominated, and our front really took control of that drive. They had control the whole night,” Whittingham said.

Postgame, Whittingham broke into a huge smile as he talked about the drive.

“That’s a statement drive. Hey, we can lean on you and impose our will if we want, and that was great to see,” Whittingham said.

In its 43-10 win, the Utes had 492 yards of offense (more than double UCLA’s yardage) and gained 5.3 yards per rush (totaling 286 yards), both numbers that paint how successful the offensive line was.

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“I’m going to go against what Coach Harding wants and not gassing them up, but they, as Coach Whittingham has stated, they’re as advertised and they proved it that night,” Atuaia said.

Dampier was kept clean on 71% of his dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus. At least one of the nine times he was pressured should have resulted in a sack, but Dampier somehow spun out of it. In the end, Utah’s offensive line allowed zero sacks and Dampier was never hit as he threw.

“Third down was incredible. I think we were 14 out of 16 on third down. That’s off the charts,” Whittingham said. “I’ve probably never been involved in a game where we had that many third-down opportunities and converted that high of percentage, so that was a huge part of the success.

“Obviously ran the ball well and close to 300 yards and everything I just said doesn’t happen unless your offensive line plays outstanding. So great credit, great tribute to that O-line. Those guys are a big physical group. They were as advertised tonight and we just got to keep on that trajectory and keep working hard.”

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Another number that illustrates just how well Utah’s offensive line played: The Utes held a clean pocket for an average of 5.93 seconds per pass rush, according to PFSN’s Cam Mellor, which was the highest among FBS teams that played FBS teams in Week 1.

“I felt like those boys were working and run or pass,” Dampier said. “I felt very comfortable back there. Yeah, I mean those boys dominated that game for sure.”

As far as blocking for his new quarterback, the dual-threat ability of Dampier made things a little bit more interesting for Fano and the rest of the offensive front.

“He definitely makes it so I have to block a lot longer every single play,” Fano said.

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“There’ll be plays where I’ll have my guy there for like five seconds and then I’ll look around and then Devon’s like a running back, so I have to hurry down the field to help him out. It definitely gives me some good conditioning, I’d say. That’s how it makes me better.”

Jason Beck’s offense also gives some offensive linemen a chance to show off their athleticism in space. Lomu said that was the aspect of the new offense that made him most excited preseason, and getting to block in space on Saturday was a highlight.

“It’s awesome being able to get out there in space and go one-on-one with someone other than a defensive line. So being able to showcase my athletic ability and the entire offensive line athletic ability just shows that they have trust in us and what we can do, and it’s just fun being out there in open space,” Lomu said.

Despite the good start — and the Big 12 Offensive Line of the Week award — there’s always things to clean up (starting with less pressures on Dampier) and Utah’s offensive line isn’t letting their egos inflate.

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“It was awesome, but last week is over,” Fano said. “And it’s all about Cal Poly now.”

“The great thing about football is that it ends and you get a new week to handle business. And so it’s got to be something consistent that goes throughout the season. And it was just one start. Let’s see them do it again,” Atuaia said.

The post Utah Jazz 2025-26 season predictions after NBA schedule release appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The Utah Jazz are entering the 2025-26 season with heavy baggage from one of the darkest stretches in franchise history. Last year’s 17-65 finish wasn’t just their worst record ever; it was a sharp reminder of how quickly the bottom can fall out of a rebuild.

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A fan base that once saw the Jazz top the Western Conference in 2020-21 now finds itself clinging to memories rather than milestones, as the present looks more like a prolonged reset than a return to relevance. With the NBA schedule now officially released, it becomes easier to chart the road ahead, weigh the roster against the competition, and predict how this once-proud franchise will navigate another grueling season in a deep Western Conference.

Lessons from a historic collapse

Utah’s 2024-25 campaign felt like a cautionary tale about the dangers of half-measures in a rebuild. Their 17 wins placed them at the very bottom of the league, and they were among the last to secure even a single victory. Injuries, inconsistent rotations, and a lack of dependable stars turned each game into a test of survival. The Jazz lost their edge early, often falling behind by double digits before halftime. The once-feared altitude advantage in Salt Lake City became meaningless as opposing teams repeatedly walked away with lopsided victories.

This was not a one-year anomaly. The franchise has been unraveling since trading away Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in 2022. What followed was a slow erosion of the competitive culture that defined Utah for decades. By the time the 2024-25 season ended, the Jazz were no longer viewed as a rebuilding team with upside, but as a franchise drifting without a clear direction. The Jazz’s offseason trades: Kyle Anderson, Kevin Love, and Jusuf Nurkić arriving while Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, John Collins, and Johnny Juzang departed were moves that looked more like shuffling than solving. No free-agent signings underscored a lack of urgency. That quiet summer leaves Utah’s 2025-26 outlook fragile at best.

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Predicting the 2025-26 regular season

The NBA schedule has provided some clarity on how this season might unfold. Utah opens with a home date against the Lakers, followed by a tough road trip to Sacramento and Phoenix. Early stretches like these will likely set the tone: if the Jazz stumble to another slow start, the weight of last season’s failures could resurface quickly.

Looking back at the week for the state of Utah and they came away a proud for showing out on the national scene.

That’s because the state’s top-ranked Corner Canyon Chargers traveled down to South Florida and played in the Broward County Classic High School Football Showcase, defeating a very talented West Broward. Besides the Chargers, who else came away impressing and rising up the Utah Top 25 rankings?

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The Massey Ratings, officially used during the BCS era, is a model that ranks sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule, and margin of victory.

Here is the latest Utah Top 25 high school football rankings, according to Massey.

1. Corner Canyon Chargers (3-0)

There’s been no better team in the state of Utah that the Corner Canyon Chargers after another rout, this time a 67-21 beatdown of Fremont.

The Chargers flexed their muscles a couple weeks ago at the Broward County Classic routed West Broward (Fla.) in a 38-13 decision. What has really separated this Corner Canyon team from everyone else around the Beehive State is the play of their high-flying pass offense.

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Texas A&M commit Helaman Casuga has been stellar behind center through three games, with the future Aggie completing 42-of-68 passes for 822 yards and six touchdowns. Also playing well is senior running back Weston Briggs, who has rushed for 323 yards and scored two touchdowns. 

2. Lone Peak Knights (3-0)

Lone Peak is another Utah power that’s seen impressive play from the offensive side of the football, a unit that’s currently averaging over 40 points per game this season.

Having a player like quarterback Cruz Christensen playing the way he is behind center has certainly helped the offense play at a high level. Through three games, Christensen has completed 32-of-47 passes for 506 yards and six touchdowns.

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Up next for Lone Peak is a titanic regional matchup against national powerhouse Bishop Gorman (Nev.).

3. Skyridge Falcons (3-0)

Skyridge has been sending the rest of the state a statement that they are not the same team of a year ago.

Through three games, Skyridge’s offense has turned up the heat on opposing defenses, averaging an eye-popping 55 points per game this season.

Three-star BYU commit Kaneal Sweetwyne (904 yards, 15 touchdowns in 2025) is leading the offense and has shined early on. Minnesota pledge Mataalii Benjamin has protected Sweetwyne’s blind side and Jernaro Gilford, Jr. has proven himself as one of the state’s top junior pass catchers.

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The Falcons have a Sep. 12 showdown against Colorado’s top-ranked Cherry Creek on the road. For Skyridge, it’s a crucial stretch of games to see how much they have improved from 2024.

4. American Fork (3-0)

American Fork remains in the No. 4 spot after last week jumping up a couple spots in the rankings. Last Friday the Cavemen had to battle it out for win No. 3, defeating West, 18-12.

The Cavemen have platooned quarterbacks and it’s worked out just fine for them through the first three weeks between senior Kapono Manuela and junior Nate Childs. The pair have combined to throw for 473 yards and six touchdowns this season and could both be on pace to throw for over 1,000 each.

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American Fork’s regular season slate begins getting tougher starting Sep. 26 when they face Lone Peak (see above). That will start a difficult stretch of games where the Cavemen will face national power Corner Canyon, Lehi and Skyridge, all ranked teams.

5. Lehi Pioneers (2-1)

Lehi bounced back from the 9-7 loss to Mountain Ridge and soundly defeated Kuna, 36-0.

What to exactly make of this Pioneers’ group remains to be seen, but they round out the Top 5 for the second consecutive week in Utah.

Cash Hollingsworth has stepped in behind center, looking to replace quarterback Jett Niuof a year ago. Hollingsworth this season has thrown for 338 yards and five touchdowns, but will need to look for Oklahoma State tight end commit Bryton Niu more in the passing game if Lehi wants to remain among the state’s best.

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6. Ridgeline (3-0)
7. Syracuse (3-0)
8. Herriman (3-0)
9. Mountain Ridge (1-2)
10. Davis (2-1)

11. West (2-1)
12. Fremont (2-1)
13. Westlake (3-0)
14. Springville (3-0)
15. Orem (1-2)

16. Bountiful (1-2)
17. Farmington (2-1)
18. Crimson Cliffs (2-1)
19. Timpview (0-3)
20. Riverton (2-1)

21. Morgan (2-1)
22. Alta (2-1)
23. Brighton (1-2)
24. Box Elder (2-0)
25. Snow Canyon (3-0)

How to Follow Utah High School Football

For Utah high school football fans, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the state, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the gridiron excitement across the country.

Utah State football was pretty close to a complete mystery entering Saturday’s season opener against UTEP.

There were a few knowns, like Bryson Barnes was QB1, Gabe Iniguez Jr., was the leader of the defensive line, and linebacker John Miller was primed for an even more productive season in 2025 than he had a year ago, but those knowns were significantly out-numbered by unknowns and question marks.

It was purposeful.

Bronco Mendenhall and his staff put a shroud over the program for various reasons including NIL, tampering and the transfer portal, and the result was no one really knew what kind of team the Aggies were going to be in 2025.

Realistically, no one knows now either, even after Utah State’s season opening win against UTEP.

Mendenhall said prior to the game that it could take weeks to really figure out who the 2025 Aggies are and that might be on the short end of the timeline.

“A year ago, it took through four games before we could even craft kind of schemes and strategies that really, truly matched that institution, that team, and then that put together a pretty nice stretch of success,” he said. “But it took some discovery, as much as you try to do it against yourself in fall camp, it’s difficult, especially at the front end. Doesn’t mean it’s impossible, but I would say, in general, and in college football, with the number of players moving, the number of coaches moving, most are finding it out as they go.”

That doesn’t mean that things weren’t learned from the Aggies’ victory over the Miners, though. It was a competitive football game with actual stakes and Utah State’s new approach was on display, even if not completely.

Here’s some of what could be gleaned from USU football’s season opener:

The transfers that the Aggies brought in are going to produce, not just provide depth

It isn’t a secret that when Mendenhall took over, he and his staff almost completely remade the Aggie roster. Seventy new players are on the team for the 2025 season alone, nearly 2/3 of the roster, and against UTEP 36 players or them made their debut.

Those 36 included true freshman, as well as holdovers from the previous era who had redshirted and not played, plus transfers from both the FBS and FCS ranks and junior college level.

By and large, the FBS and FCS transfers that the Aggies brought in, but even the junior college transfers in many cases, are of the plug-and-play variety. Meaning Utah State is going to rely on them for real meaningful production this season.

That was especially obvious on offense.

Between Miles Davis (BYU), Javen Jacobs (New Mexico), Braden Pegan (UCLA), Brady Boyd (Texas Tech) and Anthony Garcia (Arizona), seven of the nine Aggies who recorded at least a run or a reception were transfers this offseason, the only outliers being Barnes and tight end Broc Lane.

Against UTEP, Utah State doesn’t have an offense without transfers.

That held true on defense as well, although a little dramatically. Four of the Aggies’ top 10 tacklers Saturday were transfers, including leading tackler Noah Avinger (New Mexico), but also Brevin Hamblin (Utah Tech), Bryson Taylor (New Mexico) and Tyree Morris (Lafayette).

Only three players who played real minutes last season for the Aggies were also found in the top 10, namely Iniguez, Miller and Bronson Olevao Jr.

Even on special teams, it was transfers who made the greatest impact. Junior college transfer Tanner Rinker at placekicker, BYU transfer Landon Rehkow at punter, Davis at kick returner and Jacobs at punt returner.

Mendenhall said during the offseason that he didn’t promise anyone playing time, but the reality is that playing time was available to be had and the transfers who were brought in were brought in to see the field. Utah State clearly needs them to.

Singling out Avinger and Davis, Mendenhall said: “The quality of those two kids, they’re the exact type of young people that I want at Utah State. They’re bright, articulate, great leaders, excellent community members, good students, grateful to play college football and grateful to play it here. They’re great examples to those around them and having those two play the way they did couldn’t be more reflective of the direction I want the program to go in and with whom.”

Tackling might be a strength of this Utah State team, but at the very least it shouldn’t be a major weakness anymore

It has been a long time since defense was a strong suit of Utah State’s. You probably have to go back to the Gary Andersen era (part two) to find an Aggie team that skewed more towards defense than offense.

It was probably during the Andersen era that Aggie fans could last be picky about tackling. For years, Utah State has struggled to wrap up, to set the edge, to do the basics required for a solid defense.

No one should believe UTEP will have a vaunted offense or anything, but Utah State still showed considerable growth when it comes to the basics of good defense against the Miners.

It was most evident with the play of the secondary. Avinger, Hamblin, Taylor, Courage Ugo and Dylan Tucker all had at least one solo tackle, most more than one. Utah State defensive backs regularly made key stops on the outside on their own, stops that cut UTEP drives short and got the Aggie defense off the field, particularly during a second half when the USU offense couldn’t get much going at all.

It wasn’t just the secondary, though. USU linebackers Olevao Jr., Miller, Chris Joe and William Holmes all made notable plays, combing for four of the Aggies’ seven tackles for loss in the game.

Up front, Iniguez, Morris and Carson Tujague all made plays on the inside to get the Aggies off the field.

It might seem simple, but that simply hadn’t happened for Utah State for awhile. Not consistently at least, but it was consistently happening Saturday.

“We have a physical defense,” Mendenhall said. “They have tough football players. They have guys who like contact, to the point where our roster, man, it’s hard for us practice and our injury list is growing just as we practice against each other because they like contact. I think that showed throughout (the game). We’re fiercely conditioned. We also knew that this was an up-tempo (UTEP) team and that was going to be tested, and they I thought (my guys) handled that really well.

“(There were) nine different defensive linemen that you saw rotating through. I thought we managed that exceptionally well. Coach (Donte) Wilkins, coach (Nick) Howell maximized within the rules what we could do to do that, so we could play as fresh and as fast, but they like the chance to make contact, and is that fun as a defensive coach.”

Utah State needs playmakers to take some of the burden off Barnes

Not everything learned about the Aggies was sunshine and rainbows, however. It grew abundantly clear as the game progressed that the load on Barnes is a bit unmanageable.

The sixth-year quarterback did well in the game. From the outset he was calm and in command of the Aggie offense. Early on especially, Barnes was able to find receivers open, usually on the outside. And when he wasn’t, the threat of the pass was enough to open running lanes for himself or the running back duo of Davis and Jacobs.

As the game progressed, though, Davis and Jacobs grew more and more invisible. And receivers like Pegan and Body — frequent targets early — started to disappear.

For a good portion of the second half the Aggies’ offense devolved into Barnes rolling out of the pocket, surveying the field to see if he could find anyone open and when that didn’t work trying to run. Sometimes it worked. More often than not it didn’t.

Barnes’ dual-threat ability will be a boon for Utah State this season. He’s a proven runner and he looked better as a passer Saturday than arguably at any time in 2024.

He didn’t get enough support, however, from his skill position players. Utah State will need more from them going forward. More along the lines of Davis’ 58-yard touchdown run and less of the two yards up the gut for a minimal gain. More of Lane getting open downfield for a 50-plus yard reception and less Pegan, Boyd and Garcia being covered up too well for Barnes to do anything but try and make something out of nothing.

UTEP may be improved defensively this year. Head coach Scotty Walden seemed to think so.

“I’m disappointed with the outcome, but the process showed glimpses of being really good,” he said. “I don’t know what it is, but I’ve got a certain peace about this team. I truly believe that this team can be special. I really do. There are little things, like on the first drive, (Utah State) drove the ball down the field 60 yards and we held them to a field goal. Last year, that’s a touchdown. I’m just looking at progression from year one to year two, and I truly believe that we’ve made a lot of progression.”

But if USU is going to be competitive in 2025, in and out of Mountain West Conference play, it will need to give Barnes more help on offense.

Special teams has the potential to win multiple games for the Aggies

It has been awhile since special teams were a real difference making part of the game for Utah State. You may have to go back to the days of Savon Scarver and Dominik Eberle to find an Aggie special teams unit that actually won games for the USU in a meaningful and consistent way.

The potential is there for the current special team group to be that for the Aggies in 2025, though.

Rinker, for one, was excellent in his USU debut. He was flawless and the best he’d ever been too. He was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts which included a career-long 49-yard field goal which just so happened to be the first field he attempted as an Aggie.

After and up-and-down season last year at placekicker, Rinker’s immediate steadiness was refreshing.

Rehkow, meanwhile, punted a career high seven times for an average of 47.4 yards, including a career long punt of 54 yards. He also had a career-high three punts downed inside the 20-yard line. It is an extremely small sample size, but for comparison — former USU standout punter Stephen Kotsanlee had a career average 42.6 yards per punt, which is the fourth-best average in school history.

Rehkow may not sustain what he did against UTEP, but he definitely looked the part of a real weapon out there.

Then there was Jacobs, who tied his career high with five punt returns for a career-high 22 yards. Having a good punt returner is a game-changer and Jacobs has the potential to be just that.

All that before even mentioning the successful two-point conversion Utah State had, which, per Mendenhall, altered the course of the game Saturday.

“Normally as you begin, sometimes special teams is a little loose, but I thought we did a really nice job there,“ he said. ”I thought our two-point conversion out of our swinging gate, also a special teams play, was a critical play for the margin and helped us manage the game down the end.”

There will be a lot more to learn about Utah State football this season. Especially given looming games against Texas A&M and Vanderbilt await before MWC play kicks in in earnest in Oct.

But we at least know a little bit more than we did before the Aggies played the Miners.