Offensive explosion propels Utah State to 73-12 victory over Tennessee Tech

Summer may almost be over, but Utah State’s offense still had some fireworks to set off.

The Aggie offense exploded on Saturday night at Maverik Stadium, going off for 621 total yards, as Utah State easily dispatched Tennessee Tech 73-12 to improve to 2-1 on the season. Jordan Love led USU with a spectacular night, completing 21 of 26 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns.

“I’m proud of our team and our guys for their level of preparation this week,” said USU head coach Matt Wells. “They did a nice job throughout the week, preparing and practicing…They did a nice job getting ready to play and then I think we came out started out fast. Plenty of praise to go around.”

Utah State started slow, fumbling the ball away on their first possession as TTU took an early 3-0 lead. The Aggies were also stuffed in the red zone on the second possession, settling for a field goal to even up the game at 3-3.

Then the floodgates opened.

Junior running back Gerold Bright put USU in front by courtesy of a 5-yard TD run that capped off a 12-play, 79-yard drive. Fellow junior RB Darwin Thompson entered the fray on the next possession, cutting through the TTU defense for a 65-yard TD run. Then Love piled on with a 2-yard TD run of his own.

Megan Albrechtsen

Utah State’s Darwin Thompson, a junior running back, drives the ball down the field as he dodges the Tennessee Tech defense. USU beat Tennessee Tech with a final score of 73-12.

“First play, we had that fumble but we bounced back,” Love said. “After that, on the next couple drives, we went down and scored every time. Whether it was passing or running, we were just executing our plays and moving the ball every play. We had a good tempo to the offense today. It was a really good day.”

For the game, the Aggie rushing attack had a prolific outing, rushing for 330 yards in the game, the most in a game since gaining 396 yards on the ground versus Nevada in 2016.

After a field goal from Tennessee Tech made it 24-6, USU continued its offensive onslaught. Sophomore wide receiver Savon Scarver hauled in a 36-yard TD reception, before senior WR Aaren Vaughns followed suit with a 2-yard TD reception of his own. Sophomore WR Jordan Nathan finished off the first-half scoring with a 59-yard punt return TD that put Utah State up 45-6 heading into halftime.

“We’ve been saying all year we’ve got a lot of weapons on offense,” Love said. “No matter who touches the ball, they’ve got that big playmaker potential. We’ve got a lot of weapons and the thing for us is finding a way to get them the ball in open space.”

USU’s pace slowed in the second half with the game already in hand, as sophomore RB Tre Miller’s 4-yard TD run was the sole score for USU in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, sophomore RB Morian Walker added two 1-yard rushing TDs, while senior RB Justen Hervey added a 15-yard rushing TD to cap off the scoring for the Aggies.

Megan Albrechtsen

Darwin Thompson, junior running back, and Savon Scarver, sophomore wide receiver, celebrate after Thompson scores a touchdown during their game against Tennessee Tech on September 13. Utah State won the game 73-12.

Thompson led Utah State on the ground with 107 yards on six carries. Bright and Hervey followed with 55 and 52 yards rushing, respectively. Six different players hauled in at least three receptions for Utah State.

“No matter who you’re playing, you’ve gotta prepare the same way,” Love said. “All week, Coach Wells has been telling us to respect your opponent…No matter who it is, you have to go out there and perform. We came out and we were ready to start the game.”

The offense was aided in their efforts by a dominating defense, who swarmed around the Golden Eagles throughout the game. Utah State held TTU to only 227 total yards for the game, and held them to 1-15 on third downs.

“We don’t want anyone to score on us,” said USU junior defensive end Fua Leilua, after recording a career-best 3.5 tackles for loss. “That’s just the mentality of our defense…We just feel like nobody’s better than us, nobody can outscheme us, nobody can score on us. That’s just the mentality we have that comes through our coaches. We respect everybody, but we fear nobody. That’s what really helps ties us all in.”

Another aspect of the game was the amount of underclassmen who received playing time. Utilizing the new NCAA rule that allows athletes to play in up to four games while still maintaining redshirt status, the coaching staff was able to give vital playing experience to the majority of the roster. In total, 23 different players recorded a tackle on defense.

“That’s huge,” Leilua said. “Some of the young guys, they got to get in in the second half, and I was really happy for them that they were able to get their toes wet in the game. We’re really versatile on defense and we’re really deep at our positions, so we’re going to be a defense to compete with in the MW.”

The same amount of involvement showed on offense, as nine different players scored touchdowns while 19 players received a carry or made a reception on offense.

Megan Albrechtsen

Utah State sophomore quarterback Jordan Love gets ready to snap the ball during Utah State’s game against Tennessee Tech on September 13th.

“Any time you get in a game like this that gets a little bit out of hand,” coach Wells said. “It’s nice to see the young guys get in and have a little bit of success.”

With the victory, Utah State will now turn their attention to a pivotal in-division matchup with Air Force next Saturday at home. Already, the team knows the importance of the game, and having the home crowd behind them for it.

“It’s extremely important,” coach Wells said. “We need to get the top deck on the east side filled in. We need to get the west side filled in…The comments that I hear from opposing coaches the last few years is that Maverik Stadium is a legit home field advantage for the Aggies and it’s loud. It’s extremely, extremely loud. Our players feed off that. It’s extremely important to protect Maverik. We want to be undefeated at home. That’s a preseason goal of ours…If you go undefeated at home, you’re going to have a really good season at the end of the year.”

Kickoff versus Air Force is set for next Saturday at 8:15 pm.