Aggies may not win many games this season, but a good kind of history could still be made

According to ESPN, the Utah State Aggies are not expected to turn things around this season.
ESPN’s matchup predictor doesn’t have the Aggies winning any of their final four games this season, with USU given a 49% chance or worse against each of the quartet of Washington State, Hawaii, San Diego State and Colorado State.
It is understandable.
The Aggies had lost six consecutive games before their thrilling last-second win over the Wyoming Cowboys over the weekend. Prior to that win, Utah State hadn’t defeated an FBS opponent since New Mexico in the regular-season finale a year ago. The Aggies still haven’t beaten an FBS opponent that finished (or will finish) the season with a winning record since defeating Air Force more than two years ago.
To put it simply — USU has struggled mightily this season.
And yet, amid the numerous losses, there have been bright spots.
The win over Wyoming, for one.
Were the Aggies perfect in the game? Of course not, but for what felt like the first time this season, they made plays when needed and, not coincidentally, walked away with the victory.
“It’s good to feel like your work is doing something, not just a blind goal,” safety Jordan Vincent said after the win. “Week to week, buying in and seeing our work come to fruition is a great feeling.”
There have been bright spots beyond just that most recent result, too.
Though now out for the season due to injury, wide receiver Jalen Royals etched his name in the program record books this year — again.
Royals finished his season with 55 receptions for 834 yards ands six touchdowns. That, combined with his record-setting season last year, now have him sitting third all-time in USU history in touchdown receptions (21), fifth all-time in 100-yard receiving games (eight), 12th all-time in receiving yards (1,914) and 16th all-time in receptions (126).
Will Royals go down as the best to ever do it at wide receiver in Logan? Probably not now, but he is likely to be Utah State’s first NFL draft pick since Jordan Love in 2020.
Before Royals went down, quarterback Spencer Petras was also on pace to make a little bit of history of his own (which says a lot about how impactful Royals has been).
Before the Wyoming game, Petras was on pace to break USU single-season records for:
Most of those records don’t appear in danger of Petras breaking them now, after he completed 25 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns against Wyoming. Royals’ absence had a major impact. But Petras still has proven to be a capable quarterback in the Aggies’ offensive system. Good enough for Utah State to rate as one of the best teams (on offense) in the Mountain West Conference this season.
For Petras, it has been a career year already.
A three-year starter at Iowa, Petras has a career-best completion percentage this season (65.7%), has already thrown for more touchdowns this year than in any other (13), is 56 yards away from throwing for the most yards in a single season than he ever has, and is on pace to finish with by far the best rating of his career.
Another standout for USU this season has been running back Rahsul Faison.
Faison burst onto the scene last season, while splitting reps with Davon Booth (now at Mississippi State) and Robert Briggs (out for the season with injury), but has now become the Aggies’ feature back.
He hasn’t disappointed.
This season, Faison has rushed for nearly 800 yards (797) on 155 carries, an average of 5.1 yards per carry. His six rushing touchdowns are the most on the team and he has been a weapon in the passing game too, with eight receptions for 76 yards.
Faison isn’t going to come close to breaking Utah State rushing records, most of which have stood for decades.
He does have a chance to tie a record that was first set in 1974, and then tied multiple times since — 100-yard rushing games in a season.
The USU record is eight, set twice by Louie Giammona (1974 and 1975) and then matched by Abu Wilson (1995) and most recently Demario Brown in 1999.
Faison has four 100-yard games this year and four games remaining.
It will be a stretch goal, but in his two years in Logan, Faison has rushed for over 100 yards six times. He is a proven producer at the position and a player Aggie head coach Nate Dreiling wishes garnered more attention.
“I know I’ve said this before, but I wish Aggie nation could get around (Rahsul Faison) more because he is really awesome,” Dreiling said after the Wyoming game.
Of note, if — somehow — Faison manages to rush for 613 more yards this season (he would need to average a little more than 153 per game) he would crack the top 10 in program history for the most rushing yards in a career.
Not all that likely, but significant, given Faison will have played only two seasons for Utah State and he split time his first year with two other running backs.
There are other Utah State players who’ve had strong seasons too, amid everything that has happened.
With seven pass deflections this season, safety Ike Larsen now has 15 pass deflections in his career. The program record in a career is 20, set by Donald Toomer in 1994. It is a record that is within reach for Larsen.
Punter Stephen Kotsanlee remains on pace to finish top four all-time in average distance on punts. He is currently averaging 42.65 yards per punt this season, right along his career average of 42.6, which has him fourth behind Jerry Arguello, Tyler Bennett and Guy McClure.
Dreiling has talked often this season about how he believes the Aggies are a better team than their record. More talented than has shown in the results.
There is evidence of that, even if Utah State doesn’t win another game this season.
“I told the players afterwards, no one has gone through what you guys have gone through,” Dreiling said. “You know what teams do with a new coach that are 1-6? They give up. But you guys haven’t. They play for pride and will continue for this proud fan base.”