​Utah State quarterback Grady Brosterhous (9) throws the ball during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Logan, Utah.
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Eli Lucero/Herald Journal
It’s fair to say Utah State’s first half of the season has been disappointing, especially on offense. The Aggies have scored a league-worst 11 touchdowns and started the season on the wrong foot after losing 29-17 at home to Idaho State. Since then they’ve improved some, but Utah State still enters its bye week with a 2-4 record. There is an optimistic and a pessimistic way you could view how the Aggies’ season has gone so far. The optimistic view would start by recognizing that Utah State derailed the start of the season with its performance against Idaho State and by starting quarterback McCae Hillstead. There was plenty of excitement at quarterback after the Aggies named Hillstead the starter following spring camp. But on-field results show Utah State needs to focus on Grady Brosterhous as the QB1 going forward. The path with both Hillstead and Brosterhous was shaky through the first six weeks. After Hillstead started and threw three interceptions against the Bengals, Utah State leaned on Brosterhous in the following weeks. For a while, it was unclear whether that was due to an injury Hillstead sustained in that Week 1 loss or whether Brosterhous was the guy going forward. The Aggies tried playing both Hillstead and Brosterhous against Boise State, and brought Hillstead out for long-drive situations.However, Hillstead didn’t produce, and the Aggies went back to using Brosterhous exclusively in Friday’s 17-16 win over Washington State. Brosterhous has improved as the season has progressed. He’s cut down drastically on turnovers and has at least shown he can run the ball. Eli Wood has also been the offense’s brightest spot. He’s made some highlight-worthy catches and leads the team with five touchdown receptions. He’s been by far Brosterhous’s favorite target. Javon Robinson has shown the ability to catch and run for big yardage. Demick Starling had some big catches in the win over the Cougars. While running the ball is a big weakness for Utah State, Javen Jacobs has had moments when the offense has fed him. Frankly, the offense hasn’t been good enough this season, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t shown flashes of talent. The optimistic view would be that Utah State can now focus solely on Brosterhous at quarterback, move forward as a more cohesive unit, and keep improving every week. The defense has been outstanding through most of the season, and even just a middling offense could be enough to fight for a bowl game. But there’s al