For just the third time since the 2011 season — when Utah State football’s turnaround under Gary Andersen really took off — USU won’t play a bowl game this year.

The Aggies lost to No. 21 Washington State 49-28 Saturday night on the road and fell to 2-7 on the season. The latest loss all but eliminates USU from the playoffs.

It wasn’t a particularly convincing defeat, either, when all was said and done. Utah State was badly beaten, dominated by Washington State in virtually every facet of the game.

The Cougars outgained the Aggies 465 yards to 395. WSU averaged nearly seven yards per play, while USU averaged 5.5.

The Cougars had fewer penalties (four for 50 yards compared to nine for 79 yards by USU), more conversions on first down (27 for WSU compared to 21 for USU) and were better on third down (6 for 12 compared to 5 for 14 ) .

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Scan the stat sheet and almost everything pointed to WSU being the better team. By a significant margin.

The reality is that Washington State was and is simply a better team than Utah State at this point in the season. The current iteration of the Aggies was not up to the standard of playing at the level of a good FBS opponent. Not for at least four quarters.

And yet, there was little to no dismay on the Aggies’ faces after Saturday’s game. No pessimism, and during the game itself there was never the slightest hint of capitulation.

USU played hard from kickoff to the final whistle, even when WSU led by as much as 42-14 early in the fourth quarter. Look no further than second-year running back Derrick Jameson’s 72-yard touchdown run with 41 seconds left for evidence of that.

That’s because the Aggies are now squarely in development mode. Utah State hasn’t completely moved past worrying about final results, not yet with three Mountain West Conference games remaining, but the focus is largely on development at this point — developing players, coaches and the program as a whole.

Two wins in nine games necessitates that and also makes the sting of defeat a little less potent.

“It is what it is,” Utah State interim head coach Nate Dreiling said. “We’re led by 12 or 13 starters on both sides of the ball, so you’re going to get burned out eventually, especially against a team ranked in the top 20.

“Our kids played their hearts out and played as well as they could for as long as they could, but ultimately it was too much for them. Proud of their efforts tonight and we will continue to improve.

Being knocked out of a bowl game isn’t ideal, especially for a program like Utah State, which only recently made postseason appearances, but Dreiling wasn’t really bothered by it either.

“Not at all,” he said. “We are not looking for results, we are looking for improvement. We are looking for the process. That’s how it is. Would it be great to go to a pétanque match? Heck yeah. Do these kids deserve to go there? Yes, but that’s not going to change our approach tomorrow and I think that’s what we discovered about this team this summer. We will be resilient whatever the circumstances.

He then added: “Look, we’re under a caretaker manager and it’s a tough season with only two wins and everyone is turning up and playing hard.”

The Dreiling players joined in. This was also clear following the loss to WSU.

Jordan Vincent, safety manager, said: “My mentality, our mentality, is to continue to focus on the process and the results will come eventually. … We have a resilient group, and even if the wins don’t come, there’s no sense in the game where I look at the guys and feel like they’re giving up.

“I know the guys that are on the field with me, on offense and on special teams, they give it their all, regardless of the scoreboard, regardless of the wins and losses.”

Make no mistake. The Aggies always want to win. This is why a fake punt was called and executed in the game. This is why an onside kick was attempted, even though it was unsuccessful. That’s why sixth-year senior quarterback Spencer Petras is still playing complete games at 25 years old. That’s why senior running back Rahsul Faison tried to play Saturday night with an injured knee. That’s why the Aggies didn’t field a team made up of just sophomores and freshmen.

All of this meant that Utah State was competitive with Washington State at times, especially in the first half. Given the season the Aggies have had, wins and losses are no longer paramount. It’s about progression, development and finding things to celebrate.

“We’re not going to get to where we wanted to get a start to the season,” Dreiling said, “but we’re still going to have some special moments, and we’re going to celebrate those special moments.”

Against Washington State, it was Jameson’s touchdown run, on his first carry at the FBS level.

Or it was true freshman running back Herschel Turner’s 111 all-purpose yards.

Or the career outing of second-year receiver Grant Page, who finished with seven receptions for a team-high 54 yards.

Whatever the positive, that’s Utah State’s goal, even though the team is now 2-7 and won’t go to the bowl game this year after another blowout loss.