Aggies battle Freesno in final game of season
Despite scoring the only points in the first half, the Utah State University football team’s four-game winning streak was snapped, falling 34-13 Saturday, Nov. 24 at the University of South Florida.
The Aggies dropped to 4-6 on the season.
“I don’t think I can ever remember being involved in a game, especially offensively, where we were so productive, dominated in a lot of ways, and yet we were so ineffective,” USU Head Coach Mick Dennehy said.
Wishing he could blame the second-half downfall on the defense of South Florida, Dennehy said, Aggie turnovers proved it was not the case.
USU quarterback Jose Fuentes was sacked five times and threw two interceptions.
He threw for 333 yards during the game, including 11 passes to Kevin Curtis for 211 yards.
Finding the endzone first, Fuentes teamed up with Gary Coleman on a 14-yard touchdown pass.
The 7-0 Aggie lead would last for a short time though as South Florida’s Kenny Robinson blocked a punt kick and Sidney Simpson returned the ball 34-yards for a touchdown with 4:41 left in the third quarter.
Minutes later, the Aggies would recapture their lead as Fuentes found Curtis for a 59-yard touchdown pass.
A 12-yard fumble return by South Florida’s Chris Daley tied the game once again.
“I think the crowd affected our ability to hear the snap count a little bit,” Dennehy said. “Our guys just did not react very well to that.”
With 10:36 remaining in the game, Clenton Crossley made a 3-yard pass to Tim Jones and a minute later DeAndrew Rubin scored on a 91-yard punt return to seal the victory.
The Aggies will play their final game of the season Saturday at 1 p.m. as they meet their fourth nationally-ranked opponent Fresno State University in California.
“I think without a question, Fresno State is probably the most explosive team that we have played all year long,” Dennehy said. “When you look at them on film you will see that they are so good on offense that it is unbelievable.”
The series between the schools is tied with a 9-9-1 record with Fresno State leading the series 7-2 on their home turf. The Bulldogs defeated the Aggies 30-14 in the last meeting.
Currently ranked 21st in the AP poll, Dennehy said Fresno is a team who doesn’t have any weaknesses.
“I think defensively they are high pressure, and get after you almost every single play with a group of athletes that possesses great speed and athleticism,” he said. “In order for us to be able to compete against Fresno, we are definitely going to have to play as well as we can play. We are going to have to bring our A-game and compete for 60 minutes if we are going to have a chance.”