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DEEP DIVE: Aggie football uses explosive second quarter to defeat SJSU

The Aggies ended the first quarter in prime position on Saturday night in San Jose, leading the Spartans 14-0. Utah State already looked to have the game in hand, but few could have foreseen how tightly Utah State would take hold of the reins of the game as the second quarter began.

Facing a 3rd-and-21 early in the second quarter on their own 39-yard-line, the possibility of the Aggies striking seemed faint. Senior QB Kent Myers began the carnage with an 18-yard strike to freshman TE Carson Terrell to SJSU’s 43-yard line. Too close to punt and too far to try for a field goal, offensive coordinator David Yost opted to keep the offense on the field for a fourth down attempt. A swing pass to sophomore WR Gerold Bright led not only to a first down, but a 43-yard touchdown to put the Aggies up 21-0 in the contest.

The Aggies’ engulfing of the Spartans was only beginning.

After the SJSU offense pieced together several positive plays toward midfield, senior CB Jalen Davis darted for QB Josh Love on a blitz, lighting up the sophomore and forcing a fumble in the process. Freshman linebacker Maika Magalei scooped the fumble and rumbled his way for a 38-yard return for a touchdown. 28-0, Utah State.

On the ensuing kickoff, Spartan returner Noah Failauga fumbled into the hands of USU senior WR Ron’quavion Tarver. A planned appearance from freshman QB Jordan Love led the Aggies into the redzone, where, following several penalties, USU faced 3rd-and-goal from the 18-yard-line. With the 6-foot-3 Tarver in the game, Love tossed a 50-50 fade route to the corner of the endzone. Tarver needed only one arm to snag the reception and again put the Aggies in the endzone. 35-0, Utah State.

One of the hardest facets of building momentum is not allowing the opposing team to build their own. After USU dumped three touchdowns on the Spartans in less than five minutes, the Aggie defense held their own, stifling any chance of San Jose State sparking a comeback by forcing the first of three straight 3-and-outs to close out the half. JC transfer Louy Compton recorded the third punt block for USU in as many games, setting up a field goal for Aggie sophomore Dominik Eberle to put the Aggies up 38-0 heading to halftime.

Utah State entered the second quarter versus SJSU with a two-score lead, but the game was ultimately decided by a stretch of plays by all three phases of the game during the second quarter. Forcing three turnovers, scoring 17 points off of those aforementioned turnovers, and piecing together a 61-yard touchdown drive didn’t just turn the tide of the game, it turned it into a tsunami.

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