Aggie football records second-straight win
In Vegas they’d call this deuces wild.
Utah State got its second-straight home win 41-20 in a game between second-place teams playing in just their second ever meeting.
Odds are Middle Tennessee would have rather been playing in Las Vegas where chances are good they wouldn’t have seen temperatures in the 20s and snow falling.
The Blue Raiders didn’t get a first down in the initial quarter and Utah State’s defense extended its streak of scoreless quarters eight before giving up 20 points in the fourth quarter with backup players seeing time on the field.
Utah State Head Coach Mick Dennehy said the team has practiced well this month.
“I thought we played about as well as we can for about three quarters,” Dennehy said. “I’m very pleased. It just seemed like the [team] was focused and we were almost a step ahead for three and a half quarters.”
The Aggies’ two-game winning streak marks the first time they have won back-to-back games this year and propels them into sole possession of second place in the Sun Belt Conference with a 3-1 league record. North Texas leads the league with a perfect 5-0 record.
Utah State’s defense got on the board for the third-straight week when a bad snap missed MTSU quarterback Andrico Hines, who slipped in the muck and couldn’t reach the ball just past his fingertips.
Defensive lineman Michael Gates picked up the ball and strolled four yards into the end zone for the first score of the game.
Dennehy said he was pleased with the defense for not giving up big plays.
“Our guys just kind of cinched it up and really buckled down,” he said. “They’re playing with a lot of confidence right now.”
The Aggie offense took a little longer to thaw out but warmed up in the second quarter and scored more than 40 points for the second game in a row, going over the 400-yard mark for the first time this year.
Utah State quarterback Travis Cox passed for more than 300 yards for the second time this year, throwing for 301 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Cox completed 22-of-34 passes and finished seven yards shy of his career high.
“We’re starting to click a lot better than we were in the past,” Cox said. “Things are starting to come together. This is the most fun I’ve had playing since I’ve been here.”
David Fiefia rushed for 101 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries, getting most of his yards in the second half when the Aggies started to control the clock with the running game.
The Aggies had good field position throughout the first half, thanks to Fiefia’s 40-yard return of the Blue Raiders first punt that kept the game on the MTSU end of the field while the Aggies and Raiders traded punts. Aggie punter Ben Chaet pinned the Raiders inside their own 15-yard line three times in the first quarter, including one that led to Gates’ fumble return TD.
Utah State extended its 21-0 halftime lead on their opening drive of the third quarter, scoring on a three-play, 65-yard drive that receiver Chris Stallworth finished with a 24-yard catch-and-run.
“We knew if we could go down and score on the first drive we could pretty much take their will away and we did that exactly,” Fiefia said.
Raider backup quarterback Clint Marks replaced starter Andrico Hines in the third quarter. Marks threw two TD passes and ended with 113 yards.
Marks and Hines had almost identical completion rates, with 11 completions and one interception apiece on 22 and 23 attempts, respectively.
Hines finished with 83 yards passing and no touchdowns.
The Aggie secondary kept MTSU star receiver Kerry Wright in check. Wright, who was ranked fifth in the nation in receiving coming into the game, led all receivers with 89 yards but got 53 of those yards and his touchdown reception in the fourth quarter when the Aggies had the game well in hand.
Freshman safety Terrance Washington got his team-leading fifth interception of the season for the Aggies. Derek Shank added another interception, his first of the year.
Utah State’s passing attack was fairly balanced. Stallworth led the team in catches with six for 61 yards and a touchdown. Raymond Hicks had a team-high 67 receiving yards. Barry Tolli had only one catch in the game but he made it count, a 59-yarder over the middle to put the Aggies up by 21 in the first half.
Tight end Chris Cooley added 56 yards and a TD and Kenny Coleman grabbed a 16-yard touchdown pass.
Aggie backup running back Travis Davis found a big hole in the fourth quarter and turned on the afterburners for a 69-yard touchdown run, his first as an Aggie and Utah State’s longest rushing play of the year.
Davis ended with 92 yards rushing on the game.
-royburton@cc.usu.edu
Utah State´s Travis Davis tries to outrun Middle Tennessee´s Will Martin during Saturday´s contest. (Photo by John Zsiray)