What was learned from Bronco Mendenhall’s first year in Logan?

Just over a year ago, Bronco Mendenhall became the 31st head coach of the Utah State football team. His first season in Logan officially ended Monday after Utah State lost 34-21 to Washington State in the famed Idaho Potato Bowl.

Now we ask: How’s it going?

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The most significant benefit of hiring Mendenhall is getting a veteran coach with nearly two decades of FBS experience. He was hoped to provide stability to a struggling program that was coming off a 4-8 season and fired its head coach a month before the 2024 season.

Even after he was hired, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the school. Utah president Elizabeth Cantwell resigned in February, and athletic director Diana Sabau left for Maryland in July.

Mendenhall is fully aware of the situation in the athletic department and the school as a whole, and he emphasized his desire to change the culture of the football program to one of respect and respect.

“When I was hired, I was told some very harsh things about the status of the program and the status of the institution, including that there was no way we could make a bowl,” Mendenhall said. “(I was told) there was going to be a bowl ban because the academics weren’t strong enough. That’s been mentioned multiple times. But here we are and have the highest GPA in school history.

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“I like being told what we can’t do. These things just get checked off and off along the way. It doesn’t mean we’re satisfied, it doesn’t mean we’ve reached our full potential. I think there’s been significant progress in every part of the program, and there’s more to come.”

It’s hard to judge them just after their non-conference games. Utah State had deserved wins against UTEP, Air Force and McNeese, but expected losses against Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.

The Aggies had a mixed conference performance. This is the Aggies’ final year playing in the familiar Mountain West before heading to the new Pac-12, and the future is bright. The game ended in a tight score, with the four teams tied at 6-2, but ultimately Boise State and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas met again in the championship game.

Utah State didn’t make a great statement after losing to the University of Hawaii 44-26 in its first game. The loss to the Rainbow Warriors began a disturbing trend of the Aggies performing poorly on the road. Utah State is 1-6 on the road against Logan.

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New Mexico further lowered Utah’s hopes after a convincing win in Albuquerque. This is a prove-it-all game for Utah State, which had just beaten San Jose State a week earlier and was looking for its first road win.

Not only did it lose that game, it never came close.

However, despite their poor record, the Aggies are still known as a dangerous conference opponent. Utah State is also a strong team with a home record of 5 wins and 1 loss.

That’s thanks in large part to the heroics of Bryson Barnes, who was on full display in Utah State’s road win over Fresno State. Barnes threw for 151 yards and ran for 129 yards to lead the Aggies to their sixth and final victory of the season. Barnes’ dual-threat nature makes opposing coaches stand out.

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However, the offense is often forced to rely on Barnes’ creativity because of arguably the biggest problem facing the Aggies this season – the offensive line.

Barnes has been sacked 40 times this year, the most by far in the Mountain West and among the top five in all of FBS. While he has a knack for making miracles happen in bad games, relying on it as a major part of the offense is unrealistic.

The offensive struggles were on full display in Utah State’s bowl game against Washington State. The Cougars’ defense was suffocating, and by the time the Aggies got some offensive momentum, it was already too late. Barnes had little to do and even had to leave the court after taking a hard hit in the fourth quarter.

The Aggies’ defense improved as the season went on. They never had a dominant defense, but their defense often performed well enough to keep Utah State in the game. One of its strengths is causing turnovers in a timely manner and managing poor field position when the offense breaks down.

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The defense stood out in the win over Fresno State, shutting out the Bulldogs in the second half.

Mendenhall made big strides from a flawed team, getting the Aggies back in a bowl game a year after going 4-8.

Now, with Utah State heading into the Pac-12 in 2026, a step up from being competitive in the Mountain West, Bronco Mendenhall could be just what the state needs to get back to a conference championship level.

Mendenhall said Cameron Walker as the new athletic director and Brad L. Mortensen as the new university president have the leadership and commitment to make Utah State’s upcoming Pac-12 era a great one.

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“I’m excited about the direction of Utah football and I’m excited about the direction of Utah athletics,” Mendenhall said. “Our athletic director … I think there’s great leadership and consistency there. Our new president, it’s three in a row, seems to line up really well.

“I definitely have to do my part. I like the leadership. I like the direction. I like the support. Now I like the opportunities in the new league and this program. I think we’re doing really well.”