Ag football looking to end on high note
Saturday’s football game against New Mexico State marks the end of a long road for seniors Travis Cox and Jerome Dennis.
Along with 15 other seniors, it will be head coach Mick Dennehy’s last game on the sidelines at Utah State. And both players and coaches are looking to finish right.
“It is our last game and as a whole group, with our staff and seniors leaving,” Dennis said. “I would be lying if I said it wasn’t an emotional game for us to go out there and end this. Especially since we have been on a losing streak.”
The 2-8 Aggies will try to halt their five-game losing streak and end the season on a bright note as they take on 5-5 NMSU, a team that beat Utah State last year 26-21.
“It is the last one,” Cox said. “It has been a pretty long season. Obviously, it hasn’t been what I had hoped it would be, but hopefully we can go out on the right foot and I can leave this program with a win.”
Saturday’s game will be the first home game for the Aggies in 42 days. That ties the longest streak in the Nation with Georgia who also had 42 days between home games. During those 42 days they played four-straight games away from home.
The latest road game for the Aggies ended in a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of Arkansas State 16-7.
“I don’t think we played particularly well,” Dennehy said. “I thought our defense did a good job of keeping them out of the end zone. I thought our special teams played pretty well with the exception of one play [61-yard punt return for a touchdown by ASU] and yet, we weren’t able to overcome that because we are struggling so much offensively.”
Offensively, Utah State hasn’t had a 100-yard rusher all season. The Aggies haven’t had a rush more than 15 yards in the last six games and have only had three rushes more than 15 yards all season.
A USU quarterback has thrown a touchdown pass in eight of the last 10 games and Cox has thrown one in 18 of his 22 career starts.
“We haven’t been able to run the ball at all,” Dennehy said. “We are not protecting the passer. When we are protecting the passer, the passer is not getting the ball there. When the passer does get the ball there, we are not catching it. I think the kids are very frustrated.
“Thank goodness we have one week left to go out and try to get some things right and try to finish it up right with some class and some dignity and some pride,” Dennehy said.
Last week, the Aggies defense did not allow an offensive touchdown all game and did not allow Arkansas State to reach the red zone. That was the first time this season USU has not allowed its opponent to get into the red zone. Saturday could be more of a challenge for Utah State because of NMSU improvement on offense.
“I think they are a team that is probably as hot as any team in the league right now,” Dennehy said. “They are on a roll. They are playing very, very well after a difficult start. Hopefully, as confidently and as well as they are playing at this point in time, us being at home, this being our last ball game, the weather and all of those kind of things, will counteract that and our kids will finish this off correctly.”
-kcaustin@cc.usu.edu
(Photo by John Zsiray)