USU picks up a victory over NMSU, breaking a 16-game winless streak

“Sometimes you just get sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Those were the words heard over the radio by USU football head coach Brent Guy after his team snapped a 16-game losing streak Saturday with a 35-17 road victory over the New Mexico State Aggies. “These guys have been through a lot,” said Guy, who now has five wins as USU’s head coach. “After we got the crap beat out of us by Boise and got embarrassed last week … (we) came out here and were determined.” Utah State, who also stopped a 13-game road skid, is now 1-10 overall and 1-6 in Western Athletic Conference games. NMSU fell to 4-8 and 1-6 and have lost four straight. The 35 points were the most scored by USU in a win under Guy. The game’s turning point came with 11:33 left in the fourth quarter. After NMSU completed an eight-play, 74-yard drive to cut Utah State’s lead to four, USU wide receiver/return specialist Kevin Robinson took the ensuing kick return back 82 yards for a touchdown, putting the navy blue Aggies up, 28-17. NMSU’s next drive began at ts own 20-yard line but was cut short on the ninth play as a Chase Holbrook pass was intercepted by USU junior cornerback Marquise Charles with 8:33 remaining. USU’s offense was fruitless, but a Leon Jackson III punt pinned NMSU inside its own one-yard line. In three plays, the hosts gained only five yards and punted to Robinson, who worked his magic enough for a 35-yard return to put USU 14 yards away from another touchdown. It took seven plays before Utah State senior tight end Jimmy Bohm rushed for a two-yard score to put NMSU away for good. “To tell you the truth, I forgot what this felt like,” USU junior tight end Rob Myers said of winning. “This is awesome. Everybody is just so pumped up.” With two sisters and a cousin at the game, Myers had a career-high day, catching four passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Five minutes into the third quarter and trailing 10-7, Jackson found Myers for a 26-yard touchdown pass to cap off a nine-play, 67-yard drive. At the beginning of the fourth quarter it was the same thing – but this time a 24-yard reception to a wide-open Myers. That drive also began with a 37-yard completion to the Houston, Texas, native. “I’ll tell you what man, you actually play a lot harder when you’ve got family in the stands,” Myers said. “We put those (plays) in specifically for me because we knew the middle of the field was going to be open. Our o-line blocked their butts off. Everything came together. It was awesome.” Guy added, “You have to plant a seed to be successful. We have to plant a winning seed. In the fourth quarter when it was getting tight, I reminded them of that – get this so you don’t have to answer about this losing streak anymore.” NMSU ended with 455 yards of total offense – 100 more than USU had – but two Holbrook second-half interceptions offset that. Holbrook, New Mexico State’s all-time leading passer, completed 42-of-58 passes for 367 yards and was never sacked. Jackson, on the other hand, was only 14-of-20 for 189 yards for two touchdowns and was sacked three times. “(Holbrook) had more yards, but we won the game and that’s the bottom line,” Guy said. Utah State freshman tailbacks Derrvin Speight and Curtis Marsh combined for 145 yards on the ground. Marsh scored on a seven-yard run in the first quarter.

GUY’S WELL-WISHERS Even with all the turmoil the program has been going through for the past two seasons, Guy said a score of supporters are still behind him and the program. Saturday’s victory wasn’t just for the players, he said, but for those supporters as well. “It’s really special to all those people who have called over these past 15 weeks who are very good friends of mine,” Guy said. “I can’t name them all. They have called me, left messages, sent me e-mails (telling us to) keep going and we’re in the right direction and we’re going get a win.” -samuel.hislop@aggiemail.usu.edu