Football debrief: The good, the bad and the ugly
The Bad: If there was any flaw to the way USU played on Friday night, it was the number of penalties the Aggies had. USU committed 12 penalties for 105 yards against BYU, compared to only six Cougar penalties for 45 yards. Against a better team, USU may not be so fortunate to overcome that many penalty yards. On another note, receiver Eric Moats’ streak of catching a pass in 16 consecutive games came to an end.
The Good: Give the offensive line its due. While Borel and Speight may get the majority of media attention coming out of the game, and rightly so, it was the big men up front who prevented the Cougar defense from sacking Borel, while also paving the way for 242 rushing yards. Oscar Molina-Sanchez, starting in place of the injured Spencer Johnson, gets special consideration for keeping BYU defensive end Vic So’oto in check.
The Great: Borel’s execution of the offense was almost flawless throughout the game. From hitting all but three of his passes to making the right reads in the offense, the senior quarterback avoided the mistakes which have cost the Aggies close games in the past. His play-action fake on Xavier Martin’s 79-yard touchdown catch was a thing of beauty, while his heady play and management of the game allowed the Aggie offense to stay one step ahead of BYU.
The Exceptional: Utah’s State’s secondary didn’t have much to feel good about after last Saturday’s loss to San Diego State. In that game, Aztec quarterback Ryan Lindley passed for 362 yards and two touchdowns, with injured defensive backs Chris Randle and Rajric Coleman struggling to stay on the field. Playing through pain on Friday night, Randle and Coleman had career games for the Aggies, each recording an interception and combining for three pass-breakups. Coleman should have had another interception, but missed a lame-duck throw by Jake Heaps. Curtis Marsh, playing opposite Randle at cornerback, stuck to the BYU receivers like super glue, and finished the game with four pass-breakups.
Play of the Game: With 11:29 left in the first half and trailing 10-0, BYU went for it at the USU 37-yard line. Calling an off-tackle run to J.J. DiLuigi was a calculated risk by Cougar headman Bronco Mendenhall, but USU’s defense held strong and stuffed DiLuigi, with Chris Randle and Kyle Gallagher tackling the Cougar scat back in the backfield. The play only solidified USU’s early momentum, and combined with the subsequent Aggie scoring drive, helped put USU up 17-0 early and deal an emotional blow from which BYU could not recover.
Numbers Game: Utah State not only snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Cougars, but the Aggies snapped a four-game home losing streak to BYU and a 12-game losing streak to opponents out of the Mountain West … The 16 points USU allowed to BYU are the fewest yielded by the Aggies against the Cougars since their 1978 meet-up … Utah State rushed 59 times during the game, the most rushes by a Utah State team since 1990.
What it Means: Not only does this win give the Aggies their first “signature” win of the Gary Andersen area, but it provides the team with a launching point for a possible mid-season run that could put the Aggies in postseason contention. Utah State, which needs four more wins to become bowl eligible, will play a struggling Louisiana Tech team (1-4) next weekend, before what could be a season-defining homecoming game against Hawaii Oct. 23. For BYU, it signals the worst start in the program’s history since 1973, and was likely the final nail in the coffin of former defensive coordinator Jamie Hill, who was fired Saturday.
– adamnettina@gmail.com