101st meeting goes to Utah
The Utah State Aggies 23-19 season-opener loss Saturday to the University of Utah Utes could be described in four words. Utah ran the ball.
Ute walk-on Marty Johnson ran 95 yards as Adam Tate added 76, each scoring a touchdown during the game.
“I thought going in, that we matched up better than we did,” said Aggie coach Mick Dennehy. “I thought we ran the ball a little bit better. I thought we did things a little bit better this year than we did a year ago.”
The Aggies scored early on off a 27-yard field goal from Dane Kidman but would not add any points to the scoreboard until a quarter later. Kidman again added three points to the Aggie cause with a 37-yard field goal, bringing the Aggies within one point of the Utes who scored a touchdown and a PAT one minute into the second quarter.
Although the score may look closer than the game really was, the Ute victory was – for the most part – sealed off early in the second quarter as they scored 20 points. The Aggies looked as if they were posting a comeback with two late-game touchdowns, one of which was a 64-yard punt return by Roger Fernandez as time expired.
Ranked 10th nationally last season, the U of U defense held Emmett White to 81 rushing yards, 11 receiving yards and 17 return yards.
The secret?
The Utes simply kicked the ball away from White, who set last season’s NCAA record of 578 all-purpose yards in one game.
Playing for the first time since 1977 as an independent, the Aggies struggled with two fumbles, including one that led to a first-half field goal by Ute Ryan Kaneshiro.
Aggie Jose Fuentes threw three interceptions on the night, one of which ended an Aggie scoring threat on the team’s first second-half possession. Antwoine Sanders caught the ball for the Utes at the eight-yard line and returned it 52-yards, landing on the USU 40-yard line.
“With as many turnovers as we had, I think our guys did a good job of keeping them out of the end zone,” Dennehy said. “I’m really pleased with the way we played defensively.”
The University of Utah finished the first half with a 14-point, 20-6, lead over the Aggies after scoring twice in the final 30 seconds of the first half.
Kaneshiro was successful on a 21-yard field goal with just 24 seconds left, followed by a 33-yarder with four seconds remaining.
“We are an improved football team,” Dennehy said. “Being almost there, isn’t good enough though.”