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Texas Tech football: Five worst losses of Matt Wells’ time at Utah State

By Matthew Conner

BOISE, ID - NOVEMBER 24: Head Coach Matt Wells of the Utah State Aggies walks off the field at the conclusion of second half action against the Boise State Broncos on November 24, 2018 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won the game 33-24. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID - NOVEMBER 24: Head Coach Matt Wells of the Utah State Aggies walks off the field at the conclusion of second half action against the Boise State Broncos on November 24, 2018 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won the game 33-24. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images) /

Not putting forth their best effort against Wake Forest in 2017

Another opportunity for the Aggies and Matt Wells to stun a Power 5 program came in 2017 when USU took on Wake Forest out of the ACC.  But like they did against Tennessee in 2014, the Aggies never gave themselves a chance falling behind 29-0 at halftime on their way to a 46-10 spanking.

Entering this game, Wells’ bunch had to be confident because, in 2014, they took down the Deamon Deacons 36-24 in a huge home win for the program.  Apparently, Wake had retribution in mind in the return game.

The Deacons outgained the Aggies 588-267 and three WF running backs found the endzone.  Meanwhile, QB John Wolford passed for 242 yards and two touchdowns in an efficient performance that saw him complete 12 of 22 passes.

The home team kept the ball for 36 minutes and had a 26-11 advantage in first downs.  And they outgained USU 397-77 in a dominant first half.

Just like Tennessee in 2014, Wake jumped on USU early.  After picking off the Aggies on the first possession of the game, the Deacons found the endzone on their first play from scrimmage, a 43-yard TD pass.  After a 45-yard TD pass on Wake’s next possession, the game was all but over.

Wells had to be frustrated to see his offense average just 1.98 yards in the first half and give up a safety.  And in the third quarter, QB Kent Myers was knocked out of the game with a concussion allowing redshirt freshman QB Jordan Love to get the first meaningful action of his career.  Now a junior, Love is considered a darkhorse candidate to be a Heisman Trophy finalist but in 2017, he was just a wide-eyed freshman trying to make plays in a hopeless situation on the road.

That year, Wake had a better than average season for a program that entered the season with just one winning year since 2008.  Going 8-5 and winning a bowl game, Wake had its best showing in a decade but still, there were only 27,000 fans on hand to see them dismantle Utah State, making it an atmosphere that could have been tailor-made for an upset.

If there was ever a perfect time for USU to snatch a road win against an ACC team, it would have been in 2017 against Wake Forest.  But that night in Winston-Salem, N.C., the Aggies looked more like the Keystone Cops than a top Power 5 program as they believed they were under Matt Wells.

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