A lot has gone wrong for the Aggies defensively and the loss of these players hasn’t helped

If you’ve paid any attention to Utah State football this season, it is readily apparent that Aggies have struggled defensively.
And struggle may be too generous of a word.
Through seven games, Utah State has allowed opponents to score just under 44 points per game, on average. That ranks 132nd out of 133 FBS teams. Only Kent State has done worse at keeping opponents out of the end zone.
It isn’t just that the Aggies are surrendering points, though.
Go through any team defensive metric and USU ranks among the worst in all of college football.
USU ranks second to last in both total defense and scoring defense. The Aggies rank fourth from last in rushing defense. Additionally, Utah State ranks in the 120’s in passing efficiency defense, red zone defense, first down defense and third down conversion percentage defense.
About the only thing the Aggies have done well defensively this season — buoyed largely by three interceptions against New Mexico — is passes intercepted.
There are myriad reasons for USU’s defensive struggles.
An obvious one though is that the Aggies are on their third defensive coordinator in as many years in Nate Dreiling, and the 33-year old is balancing coordinator duties while being the team’s interim head coach. It is a burden that few established head coaches handle well — look no further than USC’s Lincoln Riley or Florida’s Billy Napier — let alone a newcomer to the head coaching ranks.
But its not like Joe Cauthen or Ephraim Banda, the previous defensive coordinators at Utah State, had all or even many answers.
In 2023, under Cauthen, Utah State ended the year ranked No. 117 in total defense.
The year before that, the second year under Banda, the Aggies came in at No. 82 in total defense. Better sure, but still second to last in the Mountain West Conference.
It isn’t fair to pin USU’s struggles defensively on just one thing when there are many reasons the Aggies have backslid on that side of the ball over the years, but it is difficult to deny the impact that injuries have had to Utah State’s defense this season.
Following the loss to New Mexico, Utah State now has five players out for the season with injuries and four of those were starters along the defensive front seven.
They include:
Jackson, far and away, per Pro Football Focus, was the Aggies’ defensive tackle this season and it isn’t particularly close. Both he and Williams formed a core four at that position with Gabriel Iniguez Jr. and Bo Maile to start the season. Utah State is down to just two of those players now and it has shown in recent weeks against Boise State, UNLV and New Mexico. In the run game especially.
Migao only suited up in one game this season — the season opener against Robert Morris — after playing in all 13 games last year. He was expected to be a key contributor on the edge, making his prolonged absence all the worse.
Washington played considerably early in the season, after transferring from Purdue, and formed a solid linebacking duo with John Ross Maye in the middle of the USU defense. That duo that is no more, though, after Washington tore his ACL, and the Aggies have had to played guys like John Miller and Bronson Olevao Jr. considerably more in Washington’s absence.
It goes beyond those players, though.
Defensive end Blaine Spires, routinely described as the Aggies’ best pass rusher, has been out with injury and will be out for at least another month.
Defensive end Gabe Peterson is also out and though there is optimism that he could return, it won’t happen this weekend against Wyoming.
The aforementioned Maye needs surgery to repair his “hurt arm” per Dreiling, but is going to hold off on that season-ending surgery until after the campaign is over.
The injury bug has even filtered to the skill positions, with starting cornerback Avante Dickerson questionable for Saturday’s game, along with star wide receiver Jalen Royals.
The injuries up front, though, have been the most damaging. Utah State has been without multiple starters up front on defense for awhile now and it has shown.
“Like everybody, pretty banged up right now,” Dreiling said. “We feel like we’ve had our share of injuries.”
Dreiling is quick to emphasize, whenever discussing injuries, that Utah State has to have the “next-man-up” mentality.
“We have to get everyone else ready to roll,” he said. “No matter who you have out there you have to have results.”
The reality is though that Utah State doesn’t have the depth or developed talent to weather serious injuries on its defense. Which was also the case in 2023.
Say what you will for the offenses fielded by Utah State under Blake Anderson — routinely among the best in the MW — but defense wasn’t a strong suit during his tenure as head coach at Utah State.
A lot has gone wrong for the Aggies defensively. This year and in previous seasons. And not all of the blame should be laid on injuries. There may be even bigger issues, considering the program’s struggles for years now. But there is no discounting the loss of key personnel. Those absences, the losses of Jackson, Williams, Migao and Washington, have set Utah State back in a big way in a season when the Aggies needed pretty much everything to go right in order to compete.