Aggies can’t score in second half, lose
The good news for Aggie fans is their team hasn’t been beaten by more than 10 this season. The bad news is that Fresno State handed the USU Aggies their biggest loss this year, 31-21, Saturday night in Bulldog Stadium. Utah State failed to score in the second half, giving up a 21-14 halftime lead.
“Fresno State finished the game, and we didn’t,” said USU head coach Gary Andersen.
The Aggies drew first blood on the opening drive. Freshman quarterback Chuckie Keeton hit running back Michael Smith on a 47-yard screen pass for the touchdown. After a successful Josh Thompson extra point attempt, USU was on top 7-0.
Keeton completed 15 of 31 passes for 194 yards and one touchdown in the game. The Cypress Creek High School graduate added only eight yards on the ground but still has not thrown an interception.
The Bulldogs responded, going 68 yards on the next drive before quarterback Derek Carr fumbled the snap and USU safety McKade Brady recovered on the Aggie 6-yard line.
Utah State scored on each of its first two possessions, this time going 94 yards in four plays and taking 1:44 off the clock. Keeton hit tight end Travis Van Leeuwen for a 36 yarder, to put the Aggies to the USU 43. Star running back Robert Turbin took the ball the rest of the way, two plays later, as he powered through a couple would-be tacklers up the right sideline and in for the score, 14-0 Utah State, with just over six minutes to go in the first quarter.
Turbin ended with 155 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.
On the ensuing drive, USU cornerback Jumanne Robertson committed two personal fouls — a pass interference on Bulldog receiver Jalen Saunders and a facemask on Josh Harper — giving Fresno State 30 free yards of the 84-yard touchdown drive. Fresno put its first touchdown on the board with a 23-yard pass from Carr to Isaiah Burse, 14-7.
Utah State again marched down the field after the kickoff, this time getting stood up on third down and six yards to go on the Fresno State 17. Thompson put the 35-yard field goal attempt wide left, and the Aggies were stopped inside the red zone for the first time all season.
Carr drove the Bulldogs from the 20 and eventually jumped over the pile at the goal line to tie the game up at 14, four and a half minutes into the second quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Aggie kick returner took the ball two yards past midfield. After a two-yard run by Turbin, running back Smith ate up the remaining 46 yards to put Utah State back on top, 21-14, where the score stayed until halftime.
Smith ended with 124 offensive yards and two touchdowns, but the Aggies did not score again.
“I thought that Fresno came in with a good plan on offense,” Andersen said. “I thought we came in with a good plan on offense, both units adjusted, their defense adjusted, our defense adjusted and the ability to execute in key situations for them were better than ours. Example: third and 15, five missed tackles for them changes the game. We can’t protect the quarterback late, we can’t rush the quarterback. In a nutshell that’s what I see.”
Adding to kicking woes, Utah State failed to capitalize on each of three field goals attempted. Thompson was blocked by Fresno’s Marcel Jenson at the start of the fourth quarter on a 31 yarder, which would have put the Aggies up by seven. Down 10 with just over a minute left in the game, Jake Haueter hit the crossbar on what would have been a 53 yarder.
Fresno scored two touchdowns within four minutes after the blocked field goal to seal the game.
– tavin.stucki@aggiemail.usu.edu