Ags hit jackpot in Vegas
The Aggies’ nine-game road losing streak came to a halt on Saturday when Utah State beat UNLV 31-21 in Las Vegas. The game marked the fifth-straight victory USU has had over the Rebels.
Utah State improved its record to 2-2 with a 119-yard receiving day by Tony Pennyman, who caught four passes one of those passes being a touchdown.
“We got a lot of road games left,” USU’s Robert Watts said. “We needed to get one under out belts and get it rolling.”
The loss dropped the Rebel’s record to 0-4.
“I can’t find anything to really comment on,” UNLV Head Coach John Robinson said. “I have never been through anything like this before. Things just don’t seem to be going very well. We are trying but it is just not working.”
Travis Cox completed just over 46 percent of his passes using seven different receivers going 12-26 with 177 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions. This is the first game of the season in which Cox has not thrown an interception.
The Aggies trailed at the end of the first quarter 7-6. Those six points came on a 30 and 27-yard field goals kicked by Ben Chaet.
Rod McNeal had a big game running the ball averaging 16 yards per carry on three runs for a total of 48 yards. One of those runs was a 42-yard break away.
Cox also scored a touchdown on a 5-yard scramble with just more than 14 minutes left in the second, giving USU the lead for the first time 13-7. It was the first rushing touchdown of the season for the Aggies.
USU rushed for a season high with a total of 114 yards on 33 carries. Eight different players rushed for Utah State, Chris Forbes rushed for 28 yards on seven carries while Cox had 12 yards on 10 carries.
The Running Rebels answered on the ensuing possession when Dominique Dorsey burst for a 53-yard touchdown run, putting UNLV back on top 14-13. Dorsey ended the day with 189 rushing yards.
“I thought we would play,” Robinson said. “We had [a good offensive day] which is what we were hoping for, but we kept ourselves from winning. The interceptions in the second half were disastrous. We just are not able to do the things we need to do.”
Robert Watts and Antonio Taylor both had big days on defense, each with two interceptions. Watts returned his 90 yards for a touchdown, while Taylor tallied eight stops to lead the Aggies.
“Defensively we gave up a lot of yards,” USU head coach Mick Dennehy said. “But, when we needed to make plays we did.”
After that defensive touchdown and a two point conversion rush by Chris Forbes the Aggies led 21-14.
UNLV tied the game at 21 when Kurt Nantkes, the Rebels quarterback, hooked up with Shelvion Williams for an 8-yard score.
Utah State tacked on 10 more points with another field goal from Chaet, his third of the day, and a Cox-to-Pennyman, 79-yard touchdown pass to cement the win for the Aggies.
“Sometimes it takes a little bit of time to get together as a team and feel comfortable,” Dennehy said. “They are starting to get more comfortable and it showed.”
The 79-yard touchdown pass for the Aggies was the longest play since last year, when Cox hooked up with Barry Tolli for 79 yards against New Mexico.
Utah State had 10 combined turnovers during its first three games, but Saturday the Aggies had zero giveaways. This breaks a 34-game streak with at least one turnover. The last time USU didn’t have a turnover in a game was against Wyoming in 2001.
Watts’ interception return for a touchdown was the second longest in school history. In 1947 Ernie Groll went 102 yards against Montana State.
USU extends its streak to nine games of having at least seven receivers with at least one reception.
-kcaustin@cc.usu.edu