Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
BOISE — Perhaps a bit hidden in the shadow of the 45 points and the 643 total yards the Aggies allowed against Georgia State in the Potato Bowl is the Panthers' whopping 386 rushing yards.
Utah State had no answer for the run game, despite recording nine tackles for loss throughout the game.
But this was not anything new. Prior to the bowl game, Utah State was ranked as the sixth-worst rushing defense in the FBS in rushing yards allowed per game. Even before the season began, the defensive line was the most unknown unit of the Aggies defense.
The struggles all came to a very visible head against Georgia State, as Darren Grainger racked up 257 yards on 19-of-22 passing and ran for 111 yards. Freddie Brock, who rushed for 31 total yards in three appearances all season, racked up 276 rushing yards in the bowl game, setting a single-game program record for the Panthers.
"We struggled to create pass rush without adding extra guys," Aggies coach Blake Anderson said. "We add extra guys, we're exposed in coverage. And at this point, you know, it's kind of what do you do?"
The offensive line, though helping Utah State to an impressive offensive performance in most of their games, including the 25th best rushing yards per game average in the country, allowed an average of 7.42 tackles for loss per game prior to the bowl, the 10th worst average in the nation.
In many of the games in which quarterbacks turned the ball over frequently or performed poorly, Anderson frequently deflected the blame onto the offensive line, who often gave their quarterbacks very little time.
So, it was not a great surprise when Anderson's response to his offense's woes in the Potato Bowl was that they had mismanaged some opportunities and lost some battles up front.
Even a couple weeks ago, as the Aggies announced their early signing day class, Anderson summed up simply that, "as everybody knows, the O-line and the D-line are the places we had to make the biggest impact."
Hence, almost half of the Aggies' 2024 early signees were offensive and defensive linemen.
Throughout the season, the Aggies have mentioned in various press conferences that they played a different style of football because they weren't as big and physical as many other teams.
It appears clear, however, that a size and physicality improvement is required, regardless of the Aggies' style of play, moving forward if the Aggies want to be competitive in the Mountain West, and especially against nonconference opponents like Utah and USC next season.
