Homecoming victory
“It’s going to be even sweeter to win the game twice,” true freshman quarterback Riley Nelson said to his teammates in the huddle moments after a go-ahead scoring pass to Kevin Robinson was negated by an offensive pass interference call, setting up second and 28 from the Fresno 36-yard line in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter. The score was 12-7 for Fresno.
Nelson had led the Aggies on a masterful drive to this point, converting two thirds and making plays with his feet and his arm.
After Fresno State got a sack and the penalty on the next play, as USU Head Coach Brent Guy said, “That would have been really easy for a young group to tank right there.”
Instead of tanking, Nelson and the offense made the biggest play of the season. After completing a six-yard pass to Marcus Cross, the freshman dropped back, fired a tight spiral to Robinson, and Robinson made the clutch catch with Bulldog NFL prospect Marcus McCauley draped all over him to make it a 13-12 ballgame.
“We knew we could play with them. We had been moving the ball the whole game,” Robinson, who finished with three catches for 45 yards, said of the incredible play.
“I personally didn’t think he was going to be able to get in the way I threw the ball to him,” Nelson said, “I kind of put him in a corner, but he’s so athletic he was able to contort his body and get in the zone.”
After a lengthy deliberation by the WAC officiating crew, the play was finally ruled a touchdown and the Homecoming crowd could really start celebrating.
Guy elected to go for the two-point conversion, but even after the Bulldogs stopped Nelson on a QB keeper, the Aggie defense was able to keep Fresno State out of field-goal range.
“I went to Tarrell Richards because he couldn’t play tonight and said, ‘Tarrell, go get Kevin focused because he’s going to have to make a play in the fourth quarter to win this game,'” Guy said, “and Tarrell went and got it done, obviously, because Kevin came out and made some big plays for us. That’s the guy he’s got to be every week.”
Instead of the small minority of fans in the visitor’s section outshouting the home crowd in performing their post-game school song, as happened last Saturday against Idaho, this time the Aggies were the ones celebrating on the Romney Stadium field, leading their student section and band in a rousing song.
Leon Jackson III led a contingent across the field to the fold-down seat section and led the Homecoming alumni in a rendition of “The Scotsman.”
It was a great new ending to a game that seemed to be unfolding exactly according to USU formula: The Aggies led 7-0 at the half and then let the Bulldogs score 12 unanswered to take the lead. Tom Brandstater (13-27, 155
yards) hit freshman wideout Chastin West in the flat on a third down play in the third quarter, and after West blew by Kejon Murphy, it was an easy 60 yards to pay dirt and a tie ball game.
A USU mistake allowed Fresno to take the lead in the fourth quarter when, after a three-and-out, the snap for Jackson sailed over his head and into the end zone. Jackson alertly kicked the ball out, taking a safety rather than a touchdown. The teams would exchange punts before Dwayne Wright’s tough running got the ‘Dogs in position for the field goal to make it 12-7, allowing Clint Stitser to atone for two blown attempts in the first half.
“I told them we’ve got to get this football game into the fourth quarter. We haven’t gotten one into the fourth quarter yet, when we get it into the fourth quarter, you’ve got to believe you’re going to win the football game. That was the bottom line and those guys never quit believing,” Guy said.
Instead of blowing it and allowing mistakes and penalties to snowball on them, Guy’s team came up with a game-winning score and defensive stop against a top team in the WAC, the big bad Fresno State Bulldogs.
As for his golden boy at quarterback, Guy said, “He showed why he scored 84 touchdowns and set the national record. That’s why the guy is a Parade All-American. He made running plays when he needed to and threw the ball well enough when we needed it at the end of the football game.”
Nelson was a modest 9-19 passing for 120 yards, but six of those came on the game-winning drive, and he slashed for 89 yards on 14 carries to finish just behind Cross (20 carries, 96 yards) in rushing.
Fifteen of his yards came on a physical third-quarter run that brought the crowd to its feet when Nelson ran over Bulldog linebacker Aaron Goodwin and dragged a mob of tacklers with him downfield.
“I’ve always been taught you can either hit or be hit. And being hit hurts a lot worse than hitting, so you’ve got to run with a lot of confidence and force in Division 1 football or else you’re going to get injured and knocked out,” Nelson said of his aggressive running style.
Cross, who also scored the first half touchdown on a 54-yard screen pass from Nelson, said, “I kept talking to [Riley] in the huddle letting him know that everything is OK, to keep playing and keep pushing and we’re going to be at this side the whole time, 100 percent.”
Guy said the difference in the game was his defense holding the Fresno State offense to 4-16 on third downs.
The Bulldog’s Wright, second in the WAC in rushing, gained 144 yards on 26 carries, but the Aggies didn’t break and quarterback Tom Brandstater was unable to beat USU with his arm.
“Our defense holding them to four of 16 on third downs was the difference in the football game – them not being able to continue drives and score points. Besides them missing two field goals,” Guy said.