USU football continues to struggle
PROVO, Utah — Closing out teams has plagued the Utah State football team, in two games this season, and it plagued them against in-state foe BYU Friday in front of a national audience.
The Aggies seemed to have a 24-20 lead locked up late into the fourth quarter, but former USU quarterback Riley Nelson, who took over for sophomore quarterback Jake Heaps in the third quarter, led BYU on the game-winning drive, capped by a 13-yard touchdown pass that was tipped by Aggie junior corner back Will Davis and caught by sophomore tight end Marcus Mathews.
USU had a last-chance effort down the field, but the ball fell incomplete to give the Cougars the 27-24 victory.
“Obviously another heartbreaking loss,” said junior running back Robert Turbin, who finished the game with 123 yards on the ground. “We just have to find a way to win these games. We get teams on the ropes, we play well for three and a half quarters, and then for some reason we can’t make plays at the end.”
The three-point loss to BYU is the third of four games the Aggies have lost by a touchdown or less, and the third of four games in which the Aggies have lost in the last few seconds of the game.
“I wouldn’t say it’s physical, but I wouldn’t say it’s psychological either,” Turbin said. “We just don’t make the plays when they are there.”
USU dropped it’s season opener to Auburn, 42-38. Running back Michael Dyer took the ball in from one yard out to get the go-ahead score for Auburn, after the Tigers recovered an onside kick away from USU.
The Aggies gave up a 21-13 lead to Colorado State late in the fourth quarter. USU forced the Rams to punt with 2:17 to play, but senior wide receiver Eric Moats muffed a punt and Colorado State recovered the ball on the USU 15-yard line and eventually tied the game at 21-all, with less than a minute to play.
The Aggies failed a two-point conversion in the second overtime to give the Rams a 35-34 victory.
USU led BYU, 24-13, with just under 13 minutes remaining in the game after Josh Thompson chipped in a field goal from 21 yards out. Nelson drove the Cougars the length of the field and found Cody Hoffman in the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown pass.
USU had several opportunities to put the game well out of reach for BYU, but the Aggie offense sputtered, again, with the game on the line.
“We get a big play with the fumble recovery, then we can’t get the first down, and that’s on me,” Turbin said. “Then we come back and pin them at the four-yard line but then can’t make a play. We get one play where we got the QB scrambling, and he throws up a prayer, and they make the catch and we don’t make the play again. We just don’t make plays when we need to.”
The “prayer” Turbin referred to in the post-game interviews was a 40-yard bomb from Nelson to wide receiver McKay Jacobsen which set up the go-ahead score for BYU. Aggie junior linebacker Bojay Filimoeaetu was in pursuit of Nelson on the play, but the former Aggie was able to elude Filimoeatu to make the pass.
“We just have to make one play,” Turbin said. “Someone has to make one play, and we just couldn’t do it. We have to learn how to make plays in these types of situations.”
Head coach Gary Andersen said he believes the effort and desire from his players is there to finish games and make the plays.
“All I can do is look in their eyes and look at their want,” he said. “Maybe their pressing a little too hard. They want to be that guy. We had that one play with the throw down the field; and I see the kids straining and effort being made. There was no one on the field that didn’t want to make the play down the field.”
– ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu