Pitted against the triple option run game of Air Force, Utah State fought its way to a 42-32 victory under the night sky of Cache Valley Saturday night.

3 things from the past: USU vs. Air Force

1. The time of possession indicated what?

Looking at the box score, you’d notice that one team had the ball for 43:40 and the other had it in the remaining 16:20. Usually when you have the ball more, you are more likely to win. Not in this case. In 16 short minutes, the Aggies raced to points aplenty. In fact, six of Utah State’s scoring drives only took 1:34, :44, :26, 2:51, :09, and :41 seconds off the clock. The offense is explosive, but hats off to the defense for staying on the field a large chunk of the game, holding its own and getting critical fourth-down stops when it mattered most.

2. Any re-dos allowed?

Savon Scarver, a sophomore from Las Vegas, ranks fourth in the nation when it comes to average kickoff return yardage with 33.0 per return. On one return, Scarver was swarmed by an Air Force wall that halted his progress and, presumably, the play. Instead, no whistles were blown and Air Force stripped the ball and trotted 21 yards into the end zone to put the game at 35-32 in the fourth quarter.

Even more regrettably, Jordan Love threw a perfect ball down the sidelines to a streaking Scarver who was at least 20 yards ahead of the closest defender earlier in the game. The pass was perfect, the catch would be easy, and a touchdown was inevitable. Instead, Scarver dropped the gift from the heavens and the Aggies were forced to punt two plays later.

Despite the win, those are the type of plays you never forget as a player.

3. Utah State Jazz

Utah State didn’t mess around as it gave Donovan Mitchell, Royce O’Neale and Georges Niang custom white Aggie jerseys for the night. Throughout the evening, the Jumbotron showcased these Jazz players, and O’Neale even did a “flossing” dance routine to the roars of the crowd. As usual, the fan favorite was Mitchell, who took countless pictures and videos with students and fans despite his security guard prompting him otherwise. If Jordan Love doesn’t pan out, Mitchell wanted quarterback consideration as he was down on the sideline taking practice snaps from Quin Ficklin. To further enhance his resume, at halftime, Mitchell threw a 70-yard bomb down the field to teammate Niang.

Bye week: 3 things that are random

Some just-so-you-know nuggets:

1. Utah State is averaging 58 points a game at home, so that’s fun.

2. The Aggies are 3-1, which is the best record in the country among FBS Aggies.

3. Running back Darwin Thompson has six touchdowns through Utah State’s first four games, in only 28 carries. Transferred into a 12-game season, Thompson is on track for an 18-touchdown season. Robert Turbin holds the record with 19 rushing TDs in 2011.