Aggies let opportunities slip away
The Utah State football team has held the lead over its opponents in the fourth quarter of every game it has played this season, and for the fifth time the Aggies have given up that lead.
An all too familiar scenario played out for USU in its Western Athletic Conference home opener Saturday afternoon against the Louisana Tech Bulldogs. USU held a slim lead heading into the fourth quarter and eventually surrendered the lead after the offense sputtered and completely stopped.
The Aggies failed to score at all in the fourth quarter and only moved the ball a total of 28 yards.
“We found a way to lose another game,” USU head coach Gary Andersen said. “We knew exactly the fight we were in for, and the fight did not change a bit from film. We obviously did not react in a positive enough way.”
Andersen said he expected a defensive battle and the Bulldogs won the turnover battle.
“They get an interception for a touchdown, and we get our hands on three and can’t pick them off,” he said. “In a defensive game, you’ve got to find a way to make those plays. Obviously both offenses were a non-factor for the most part.”
Louisiana Tech senior cornerback Terry Carter ripped the ball away from Aggie wide receiver Eric Moats and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown, to give the Bulldogs a 14-10 lead, with just under 12 minutes to play in the third quarter.
McKade Brady, Jumanne Robertson and Kyle Gallagher all got in on pass breakups that could have been interceptions. Brady dropped a ball that landed right in his arms, as did Robertson.
Andersen has said all year that USU needs to force turnovers on defense to be a good team, and the Aggies were not able to do that against the Bulldogs.
“At this point there is something and we need to be tougher mentally,” Andersen said. “We need to be tougher apparently as coaches and players find a way to turn around and make a play. We may not even be in that position if we are an opportunistic football team. You’ve got to be opportunistic at times to have a chance to be able to win.”
Andersen said he was disappointed that his team was not opportunistic on either side of the ball against Louisiana Tech, including special teams.
“We drop a punt at the one-yard line, and we’re fortunate to fall on it,” he said. “You get a chop block again in the red zone. For the second week, we got a chop block or a hold in the red zone.”
That chop block Andersen referred to negated a six-yard touchdown run by Kerwynn Williams, midway through the second quarter, and the Aggies were forced to attempt a field goal.
Andersen, as he has in past losses, said he and his coaching staff need to do a better job.
“You’ve got to coach them, and you’ve got to put kids in a position to be able to be successful,” he said. “We’re where we are at for a reason. We’re not coaching well enough to win football games.”
Senior linebacker Bobby Wagner, who played the best defensive game of any Aggie, with 20 tackles, said during post-game interviews that players are to blame for the losses.
“It’s not on the coaches, it’s on the players,” he said. “Players are out there. Coaches are coaches. It’s on us. We’ve got to make plays. We drop three picks — miss tackles. Coaches can’t do nothing for us out there. That’s not their fault. That’s our fault. We play the game. All they can do is coach. It’s not on ‘Coach A’ or the coaching staff. It’s on the players.”
The Aggies will have a bye week to figure out what needs to change.
“We’ve got a bye week, and we’ll take a long, hard look and see what we can do better as a football program to find a way to get better,” Andersen said.
– ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu