Aggies struggled in first SBC season
Mistakes.
Costly penalties.
Flashes of hope.
Disappointment.
That pretty much sums up the year for the Utah State football team.
Utah State had seven players named to the first and second all-Sun Belt teams, but a three-win season fell short of the league title and bowl game the team hoped for its first season in the conference.
Aggies Chris Cooley and David Fiefia were named first-team all-conference players. Cooley was selected at his tight end position, while Fiefia, a running back, was named the all-purpose player on the team. Fiefia was a threat as a runner, pass catcher, and return specialist.
Cooley is also a finalist for the John Mackey award, given annually to the nation’s top tight end.
Fiefia was also named to the second team in both the running back and kick returner positions.
Utah State players named to second-team honors were offensive guard Trevor Hutton, quarterback Travis Cox, defensive lineman Ronald Tupea, linebacker Robert Watts and safety Terrance Washington.
The Aggies started the season with a tough road trip. Their first three opponents all spent time in the Top 25 during the year, but the Aggies felt like playing tough early games would help them in the long run.
They fell to 40-20 to Utah, who ended the year as Mountain West Conference champions and is heading to a bowl game. USU fell to all three MWC opponents it faced this year.
Utah State quarterback Travis Cox threw for 280 yards in his first game as a starter, but the Aggies had a 100-yard interception return called back and couldn’t overcome the Utes’ 19-point fourth quarter.
The Aggies’ next opponent, Nebraska, was ranked No. 23 when the two teams met in Lincoln, Neb.
The Cornhuskers went 9-3 on the year but Head Coach Frank Solich still got fired.
Utah State’s offense came out red-hot in the game, with Cox completing 13 of his first passes as the Aggies drove easily against the Cornhusker defense.
Cox found Cooley for a 41-yard touchdown and the Aggies held a 7-6 lead until the second quarter. That’s when Demario got his first of a school-record four sacks, leading the Cornhuskers to a 31-7 victory.
One positive for the Aggies in the Nebraska game was the defense holding the Cornhuskers to three field goals on trips inside the redzone in the second half.
Utah State also played a respectable game against its next opponent, then-No. 16 Arizona State.
Cox threw for 308 yards and running back David Fiefia was named the Sun Belt offensive player of the week for gaining 159 all-pupose yards (77 rushing and 82 receiving).
But 13 penalties, including one called back a touchdown and an interception returned for a touchdown held the Aggies back from pulling out an upset.
Utah State lost 26-16, a respectable score against a ranked team.
Despite losing all three games, there were enough positives that it looked like the Aggies would be in good condition once they started playing teams in their own league.
The Aggies returned to Romney Stadium and took advantage of the home field, beating Louisiana-Monroe 28-10.
Fiefia rushed for 142 yards in the game and it looked like Utah State was on its way to contending for a conference title.
But the Aggies had to deal with Mountain West foes New Mexico and Wyoming before getting to the rest of the Sun Belt season.
Utah State fumbled on its first play at New Mexico and the offense stumbled, falling 34-7.
The Aggie defense fared no better the following week in the Homecoming game, giving up four straight scores to the Cowboys as Wyoming ran rough-shod over the Ags.
The final outcome was a demoralizing 48-21 loss for USU, but with the rest of their games being against Sun Belt teams, the Aggies still held out hope of a trip to a bowl game and the conference championship.
The Aggies’ next opponent was two-time defending Sun Belt champion North Texas. The Mean Green hadn’t lost a conference game in two years and this one was no
exception.
Bad punt snaps backed the Aggie defense against the goalline right from the start and USU couldn’t overcome its blunders, falling 37-27.
Following the North Texas game, USU still hoped that someone else could knock off UNT so the Aggies could still contend, and they played like it, crushing their next two opponents at home. The Aggies blew away Arkansas State with a dominating 49-0 showing. Both the offense and defense rolled, taking the suspense out of the game early by jumping out to a 21-0 first quarter lead.
The Middle Tennessee game was the same song, different verse. The defense protected its streak of nine straight quarters without allowing a point until the fourth quarter, when the Blue Raiders put up 21 points against mostly backup players.
But USU’s title hopes were short lived, as North Texas remained undefeated and repeated as league champions for the third straight year.
The Aggies fell the following week at New Mexico State, losing 21-26 to their name-sharing rivals. Utah State had its opportunities, but missed two field goals in the game, the first field goals the team had attempted since the Arizona State game.
Utah State returned home to face Troy State, but seven turnovers and an injury that knocked Cox out of the game led to a 23-14 defeat. The game counted towards conference standings though the Trojans don’t join the Sun Belt until next year.
The Aggies finished the year like it started, completing a winless year on the road in a 20-13 loss at Idaho, despite career best performances by Cox and Cooley.
-royburton@cc.usu.edu