Down goes Garretson
Utah State fans are in for a change at quarterback for the second time this season after Darell Garretson went down in the third quarter versus Colorado State. Senior Craig Harrison replaced Garretson Saturday and was 5-12 passing for 28 yards in his limited time on the field.
“He’s out, Craig will start and Kent Myers will be the backup. We’ll go from there,” said Matt Wells, head coach for the Aggies.
Coaches are still unsure about the extent of Garretson’s injury. Wells confirmed Saturday he has an arm injury, but the team is waiting on MRI results to determine his availability for the rest of the season.
“We know what adversity is,” Wells said. “We’ve had a lot of season-ending injuries and we had a lot last year. We’re going to get off the mat and fight. We know how to do it. We’ve done it before and we can do it again. I like the mindset of these guys and we’ll give our very best for Aggie nation.”
Harrison is a six-foot-two-inch 203 pound junior college transfer student from Grantsville, Utah. In high school he earned all-state honors after throwing for over 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns his senior season.
After redshirting as a freshman at Snow College, Harrison played one season and threw for over 2,000 yards and 19 touchdowns before coming to Utah State.
“When it’s your number called you’ve just got to step up and make plays,” said Jordan Nielsen, a junior defensive end. “It happened with Darell, he stepped up and made plays now it’s time for Craig to step up. You’ve got to be ready when it’s your turn.”
Since arriving at Utah State Harrison has seen limited action. He has played in a total of 16 games, mostly coming into games when injuries occur or in blow-out situations. He has made only one career start, last year against Boise State where he was 18-41 passing for 185 yards and a touchdown.
“We believe in Craig,” said Joe Hill, senior running back. “Given the opportunity to gain confidence this week, I feel like he’s going to do good.”
Coach Wells said he won’t accept injuries as an excuse for losses. He and his players feel that they can win even when faced with adversary.
“It’s hard. You can’t change it, but we’re not going to sit around and mope and cry about it,” Wells said. “We won’t accept self-pity, so don’t give me any. We’ll move on.”