Aggies get ‘needed’ win over Air Force 34-27
LOGAN — Utah State Football snapped their four-game losing streak, beating Air Force 34-27.
Quarterback Cooper Legas said it was an important win to save the season.
“We lose tonight and it’s like what are we playing for?” Legas said. “I think this one was huge — a good team like Air Force. We’re still in contention to go to the (conference) championship so I feel like this really is just getting the ball rolling — beating a team like this and now we can go on a run.”
The Aggies showed that they are capable of going on a run with their performance. They put together their most complete game of the year with highlights on both sides of the ball, especially in the fourth quarter.
Down 24-20 with 13:33 left in the game, the Aggie offense marched down the field but was held to a fourth down with four yards to go. Legas whipped a shovel pass to wide receiver Terrell Vaughn who cut through the Falcon defense and scored from 34 yards out.
“We made plays tonight. We don’t win the game without them,” head coach Blake Anderson said. “Guys executed really, really well.”
On Air Force’s next drive, they built some momentum gaining nine yards and a first down after a pass interference penalty by cornerback Andre Grayson, but he was able to redeem himself on the very next play.
Cornerback Ajani Carter swooped across the field and forced Falcon running back Jalen Johnson to fumble. Grayson recovered the ball to give the Aggies another offensive possession.
“It’s a great feeling — being able to get the ball and turn it over for the offense and they can go score and get points on the board,” Carter said.
The offense took advantage of the turnover quickly as they scored in 69 seconds on three plays, capped off with a 32-yard touchdown run by Legas.
“When it really mattered, the defense was coming up with some big stops,” Legas said. “That helped us out a ton.”
With seven minutes left in the game, Air Force drove down the field trailing 34 to 24. The Falcons crossed midfield and ended up on the USU 35-yard line when quarterback Haaziq Daniels thought he had a receiver open down the right side of the field. He didn’t. Carter picked him off for his second turnover of the game.
“Every week I try to be a playmaker,” Carter said. “Defensive backs try to be playmakers and take the ball away — cause that’s our job. I came out there — We knew it was gonna be a big deal to get turnovers on Air Force.”
The Falcons were able to get a field goal on their last drive of the game, but wide receiver Justin McGriff recovered the Air Force onside kick to allow USU to kneel out the rest of the clock.
As Legas took his final kneel, Utah State earned their second victory in a row — for just the second time in series history — over the Falcons and their first Mountain West Conference win of the season.
“If a team needed a win worse than that group, I don’t know what team that is,” Anderson said. “We finally got it all to click.”
That was evident on the stat sheet as the Aggies put together a balanced attack on offense, with 199 rushing yards and 215 passing yards.
Running back Calvin Tyler Jr. passed the century mark for the second week in a row as he ran for 109 yards and a touchdown. Legas also found success with his feet as he set a career-high in rushing yards with 76 and scored a touchdown on a 32-yard run. That efficiency was especially impressive against a physical Air Force defense.
“I really think the O-line did a good job, especially in the run game blocking,” Legas said. “There was just holes opening up and we were able to hit them.”
Through the air, wide receiver Brian Cobbs led the attack. He snagged eight passes and gained a career-high 136 yards and a touchdown. More impressive to Anderson is Cobbs’ leadership.
“He leads by example. He does everything right,” Anderson said. “When you look at selfless, he’s the epitome of what we’re looking for. It’s why we brought him here and it’s showing — he’s affecting the guys in a positive way every day.”
Cobbs also came up clutch on fourth and two when he caught a pass on a slant to get the first down.
Vaughn and wide receiver NyNy Davis also found success as they combined for 72 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions.
Defensively, linebackers AJ Vonphachanh and MJ Tafisi led the team with 13 tackles each. Carter and Grayson tied for third with seven tackles a piece.
Next week the Aggies travel to Fort Collins, Colorado to take on the Colorado State Rams. The action will begin at 5 p.m. on Aggie Radio 92.3 FM and CBS Sports Network.
Featured image by Aspen Marshall.