Aggie offense sputters again
Shut out for the third consecutive game, the Aggie offense remains scoreless on the season in the 38-0 loss to Brigham Young University in Provo, on Saturday, Sept. 23.
In a game that at times looked like a repeat of the Utah fiasco and others showed the advances made in the Arkansas game, USU struggled to be consistent enough to score.
“We’re still making too many mistakes,” Head Coach Brent Guy said. “We have not been able to improve consecutively, week-to-week as a football team. We have gotta play more consistently top to bottom to have a chance to win a football game.”
Quarterback Jason Beck started for the first time this season for BYU as John Beck, the typical starter, sat the game out with a sprained ankle. Beck, a senior, completed 20 of 28 passes for 305 yards and his first career touchdown.
Beck wasn’t the only player to move the ball forward in the Cougar’s first shutout since 1999 against UNLV. Running back Fui Vakapuna ran for 73 yards and scored three touchdowns, making him BYU’s top scorer on the season. Tight end Jonny Harline got in on the scoring action in the Cougar’s final drive of the game off an 18-yard pass from Beck.
BYU scored on their first four possessions, making the score 24-0 at the half. The Cougars had a chance to score just before time expired at the half as they were perched on the one yard line. On fourth and one, running back Curtis Brown attempted a run up the middle for the score but was thwarted by the Aggie defense.
“That was the one highlight for me,” Guy said. “I thought it was pretty courageous and somewhere down that line, I think it will help us.”
The Cougars slowed the level of play down in the second half and spent more time on defense than offense, but that did not stop them from scoring one more time in each quarter.
On one of the few long passes for USU quarterback Leon Jackson III, Cougar corner Justin Robinson picked off the pass and returned the ball 64 yards for a touchdown.
“I compliment BYU,” Guy said. “They played a very physical game today.”
Running back Marcus Cross was the Aggies go-to player of the game as he rushed for 127 yards and brought in five passes for 38 yards. His performance made him the first Aggie to record two 100-yard rushing games in a season since 2003.
“Marcus is the guy right now that we can go to,” Guy said. “We just got to start with him. We’ve got to get more guys to step up.”
With an improved offensive performance of 242 yards, the Aggies had two drives into the red zone, but couldn’t put any points on the board. Early in the third quarter, the Aggies set up for a field goal in what looked to be the first offensive points of the season. But once again, the Aggies were denied a score as Justin Hamblin’s kick was blocked.
The second scoring opportunity for the Aggies occurred near the end of the third quarter after a drive that lasted the majority of the quarter. Hamblin set up for a long field goal attempt but did not even get the chance to kick as a long snap sent the ball downfield forcing Hamblin to scramble to recover the ball in a 40-yard loss. The Aggies never got into scoring position the remainder of the game.
“We had a tough time putting points on the board,” Jackson said. “Anything that could have happened to us has happened to us in the last four games.”
Not only did Saturday’s loss cost the Aggies the fourth-straight loss on the season, it also cost players in the form of injuries. Defensive tackle E.J. Reid, the lone returning defensive lineman, was injured early in the first quarter and sat the remainder of the game. Tight end Rob Myers took a hard hit on his first career reception that had him limping to the sidelines. Myers later returned for a 16-yard catch in the fourth quarter.
Jackson took heavy beatings throughout the game, sending him to the sidelines twice. BYU was also penalized with two roughing the passer calls as Jackson sustained more abuse. Jackson said the first hit that shook him up left his arm numb, but it got better as he sat out. When he was shaken up the second time, the numbness came back and he played with a numb arm for the rest of the game.
With the win, the Cougars improve to 2-2 while the Aggies fall to 0-4. The Aggies return to Romney Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 30, to take on Idaho in the first conference game of the season.
Guy said his team has struggled with a tough non-conference schedule, which shows as the Aggies have been outscored a combined 144-7 this season by Wyoming, Arknasas, Utah and BYU.
“We scored no points against none of them, so they’re all equally good,” Cross said.
“Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us,” Guy said. “We’d better get ready.”
-sethhawkins@cc.usu.edu