Nation watches as Aggies top BYU 31-16
After 17 years, Utah State students finally had reason to celebrate.
Led by a near-perfect Diondre Borel, the Aggies (2-3, 0-1 WAC) stormed out of the gate against the Brigham Young University Cougars (1-4, 0-1 MWC) Friday night, scoring 17 unanswered points to begin the game en route to beating their in-state rivals for the first time since 1993. Playing in front of a near-capacity crowd of 24,152 fans and a national television audience on ESPN, the Aggies overwhelmed the Cougars in every facet of the game, capturing the biggest win in the Gary Andersen era and bringing new life to a rivalry which had seen the Aggies lose 10 straight.
“A tremendous victory for us,” said USU head coach Gary Andersen. “It was something we have been looking for, obviously, for a long time. Against a quality team, in a packed house – on ESPN – I guess we can call it a rivalry now.”
Coming off a 41-7 loss at the hands of San Diego State Sept. 25, the Aggies showed tremendous resiliency by bouncing back during the short week. Borel, who led the offense to 434 total yards, finished the game 10-13 for 192 yards and a touchdown through the air, igniting the scoring – and the crowd – when he found junior receiver Xavier Martin for an 81-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
“The coverage bit on the play-action and Xavier went right past him,” Borel said. “It was a pass-and-catch at that point.”
Borel also added 68 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Perhaps more importantly, the senior signal caller did not throw an interception, and was not sacked during the game. His play came in stark contrast to his performance last Saturday, in which he completed less than half of his passes and was sacked four times. Andersen praised Borel, but said it was the support his quarterback received from the players around him which really made the difference against the Cougars.
“Diondre Borel was solid, and he was solid with a very good supporting cast,” Andersen said. “That is what we have been waiting for.”
Borel was aided by a surprising performance from the USU offensive line, which was playing without four-year starter Spencer Johnson. Clearing the way against a stout Cougar defense, Utah State’s line opened up holes for running backs Derrvin Speight and Kerrwyn Williams, who rushed for 91 and 51 yards, respectively. Speight showed tremendous toughness by battering his way into the endzone in both the second and third quarters, putting the game virtually out of reach for the Cougars on the latter of the two runs.
“He played great,” Borel said of Speight, who along with Williams has been filling in for the injured Michael Smith. “His carries tonight helped the offense, and when he is effective as a runner we are able to do a lot more. We as a team had faith in him.”
If Borel, Martin and Speight helped give USU’s offense an early boost, the Aggie defense provided the tempo and momentum that would keep BYU down throughout the game. Linebackers Bobby Wagner and Kyle Gallagher played like men possessed, combining for 21 tackles and frustrating BYU freshman quarterback Jake Heaps, who finished 27-55 for 270 yards and two scores. Aiding Wagner and Gallagher was a banged-up Utah State secondary, which saw starting cornerback Chris Randle and safety Rajric Coleman come into the game nursing injuries.
Bumps and bruises couldn’t stop Randle, however, whose interception at the 4:36 mark of the first quarter set up a 34-yard Braeden Loveless field goal which put the Aggies up 10-0. Randle and his fellow defensive backs were repeatedly tested by Heaps – who many pegged as the nation’s top prep quarterback a year ago – but did not allow the Cougar quarterback to connect on the big play. It as an impressive performance, especially given the fact that Randle and fellow cornerback Curtis Marsh were often matched up man-to-man on BYU playmakers McKay Jacobson and JJ Di Luigi.
“We knew coming in that we would be playing a lot of man coverage in the secondary, to allow the front seven to do what they needed to do,” Randle said. “We were prepared, had a plan, and executed that plan; it was extremely effective.”
Randle, along with several other players and coaches, said he drew motivation from the crowd and the setting. Utah State students and fans remained in a frenzy throughout the game, and showed a degree of support for the Aggies not often seen outside of the Spectrum.
“That was something I have never experienced before,” Randle said. “It was one of those moments for me where I couldn’t stop smiling.”
The frenzied support and display of solidarity behind the oft-struggling program only intensified as the clock ticked down, with the student section of the stadium chanting “I believe that we will win” before the nationally televised audience. As soon as the game ended, the students rushed the field in jubilant celebration, hawking for the cameras and engulfing their gridiron classmates amidst chants of “Aggies, Aggies.”
“That was crazy,” Speight said. “I’ve never seen anything like that in the five years that I’ve been here.”
The celebration carried over to the locker-room, where Gary Andersen – just days removed from fainting and being taken to the hospital because of stress – was all too happy to join in.
“I have been in a lot of locker-room celebrations but this is probably the funnest I have had with a group of kids,” Andersen said. “They were erratic.”
The win moves the Aggies within one game of returning to the .500 mark, and drops the Cougars to 1-4. Following the game, Cougar head coach Bronco Mendenhall praised Andersen and the strides he’s made with the Aggie program. Mendenhall said the better team came out on top.
“I want to congratulate coach Andersen,” he said. “It is a nice win for their program and fans.”
For Utah State’s players and long-suffering fans, the win could end up being more than just “nice.” Not only does it revitalize USU’s hopes to make it to a bowl game this season (a feat not accomplished by a USU team since 1997) but it proves that the program has staying power after a long and tumultuous offseason.
“This win means a lot to me, it means a lot to the students, and it means a lot to the fans who come and watch us,” Borel said. “I want to get this program rolling, just like everyone else on this team, and tonight was a big step in that direction.”
Anderson said, “We have made tremendous strides to come and beat BYU. This gives kids belief.”
Even with the momentum built up in the win and the celebrations that are sure to reverberate around Logan for the next week, Borel and the Aggies won’t allow the win to serve as the end all, be all of the season. With conference play heating up next week as the team travels to Ruston, La. to take on Louisiana Tech (1-4, 0-1 WAC), Borel and his teammates are already looking to get back to the practice field in anticipation of the next challenge.
“We are going to enjoy this win tonight,” the USU quarterback said after the game. “After tonight, our focus will shift to our next opponent. We will use the momentum from tonight to fuel us to our next victory.”
– adamnettina@gmail.com