Domination, cont.

After holding a 7-0 lead late in the second quarter, the Utah State football team gave up four straight touchdowns and lost 31-7 to in-state rival Utah, Saturday.

The loss was the Aggies’ eighth in a row to the Utes.

Head Coach Brent Guy said his team came out of the gate fine, but lost its composure later in the game.

“It was not first-quarter jitters for us,” he said. “It was the last-three-minutes-of-the-first-half-and-we’re-winning jitters.”

Nineteen players saw college action for the first time in Saturday’s contest, but Guy said the new players weren’t any worse than the experienced ones.

“We had older guys make as many mistakes as young guys,” he said.

Quarterback Leon Jackson III said Utah didn’t outplay USU, but the Aggies simply broke down mentally.

“We had them on their heels,” he said. “They didn’t know what to do. We moved the ball well and came out and executed plays. But one play here, one play there and Utah turned it around.”

With the score tied 7-7, USU punted with a minute and a half remaining in the first half, which Utah returned 22 yards to the Aggie 30. In the next play, Ute quarterback Brian Johnson found receiver John Madsen for a 30-yard touchdown to give Utah the lead for good.

USU struck first with 13:45 to play in the second quarter. Ryan Bohm ran three yards for a touchdown to cap a 15-play, 82-yard drive that lasted over seven minutes.

Utah gave USU chances to get back in the game in the second half, but the Aggies couldn’t take advantage.

After the Aggies forced a punt on the Utes’ first possession, returner Kevin Robinson fumbled the punt, which Utah recoverd at the USU 17-yard line. The Utes scored three plays later to take a 21-7 lead.

Later in the third, USU appeared to stop Utah on third down with a sack, but John Chick was called for a 15-yard facemask penalty to give the Utes a first down. Utah would fumble the ball back to USU later in the drive, but the Aggies went three and out and had to punt.

Guy said his team needs to take advantage of opportunities better.

“We had a chance, but we made mistakes and had costly penalties on third down,” he said. “We have to have the ability to take what’s there.”

Guy said there isn’t anything good to take from a 24-point loss, even if it was his first game as head coach.

“I’m not a guy that finds positives after a 31-7 loss,” he said. “It feels just like a loss. It didn’t feel any different as an assistant.”

Guy did say that Jackson did well, but still has room for improvement.

“He was productive,” he said. “But he needs to do a better job of getting the ball to the right player.”

Jackson said he also thought he played well, but the team shouldn’t concentrate on positive things after getting blown out.

“I did the best job I could getting the guys ready to go,” he said. “But a loss is a loss, and that attitude will change.”

Guy said he was pleased with the way Bohm and Marcus Crawford were running the ball, but was disappointed that they were not able to do more of it.

“I was pleased with both of those guys,” he said. “But obviously, when you’re down 24, you can’t run as much.”

The Aggies will have next weekend off before playing UNLV at home on Sept. 24.

-bhhinton@cc.usu.edu

Utah States Leon Jackson III carries the ball as Will Fausel (left) and Ryan Bohm block while Utah line backer Spencer Toone attempts a tackle. The Ags fell to the Utes 31-7.