Aggies thrash Wildcats in Homecoming game
A complete-game performance on offense, defense and special teams led to a blowout victory for the Utah State football team Saturday in a 70-6 win over in-state foe Weber State on Homecoming weekend at Romney Stadium.
“It was a tremendous atmosphere with Homecoming weekend, and I thought it was a great turnout from our fans. It was a great crowd to play in front of early on,” said USU head coach Matt Wells. “It was a total team victory and a team effort. I liked the way these guys focused throughout the week and continued to stress it in the game. I’m happy with both sides of the ball. We were explosive early, and that’s what we wanted to do, start out aggressive.”
Junior quarterback Chuckie Keeton nearly duplicated his performance at Air Force, tying his career-high with five touchdowns passes – all of which came in the first half. Keeton connected with four different receivers for touchdowns, and 10 different receivers made a catch for the Aggies.
Keeton led the offense 60 yards on six plays for USU’s first touchdown, taking just two minutes off the clock before finding DJ Tialavea from five yards out to get on the board. USU replicated the drive on its next six possessions, cruising to a 49-0 lead before sending in second and third team players just before the half.
“It was good. On offense, we got those guys in right before halftime. It was good to get Craig (Harrison) a lot of reps. I’m happy for him with his performance,” Wells said. “The biggest key was to get those five guys in up front. We were able to get them some playing experience because I understand what’s coming up next year.”
A week after setting a personal-best with five touchdown passes, Keeton – who finished 19-of-25 for 249 yards passing – just missed out on setting a new personal best with his sixth touchdown pass, something he said he wished he could have done.
“I had the opportunity. I just missed on a couple throws. It’s nothing a receiver did. If anything, he did his job more than exceptionally because he was wide open,” Keeton said. “I missed Travis Van Leeuwen right down the middle. That’s a ball I’d like to have back. Hopefully next week we’ll have the same opportunity, and we can hit it for a touchdown. It’s fun to get out there and play and have the ability to break a record, but winning is the most important thing at the end of the day.”
Senior running back Joey DeMartino had a big game for the Aggies, rushing for a career-high three touchdowns and 107 yards on just eight carries.
“All the credit goes to the o-line and the perimeter blocking on the outside with the tight ends and wide receivers,” DeMartino said. “They opened up the holes, and as a running back, you run through it. It wasn’t much I did, all the credit to them.”
The Aggies racked up 587 yards of offense in the win with seven different players finding the end zone, including sophomore linebacker Kyler Fackrell. The 6-foot-5 Mesa, Ariz. native got in on the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown catch from Keeton to start the second quarter.
“I can tell you, that was probably the biggest celebration I had. I think I ran
like 30 yards and no one really understood why,” Keeton said. “It’s special to get him out there. He’s one of the kids on the team who we’re happy to have because he’s such a great athlete. That being said, we were able to utilize his ability and go up and make a play.”
USU improved to 2-1 overall this season. The Aggies have a chance to gain some national attention on Saturday, Sept. 21 when they take on USC in southern California.
“We’ll be in a national spotlight. It will give us a chance to continue to brand our image. It’s about marketing from a recruiting standpoint,” Wells said. “We’ve knocked on that door for four-straight years, and we’ll see if these boys can knock it down. They’ll be ready to play, they won’t flinch. They’ve been on big stages before, and it will be a fun game.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.