Spinning carousel: QB question still not settled
With two games left to play, the USU quarterback carousel is still going round and round.
Sophomore quarterback Diondre Borel, who has started the past seven games, was pulled with eight minutes to go in Saturday’s 49-14 loss to the Boise State Broncos.
Senior quarterback Sean Setzer played almost all the snaps from that point on and had a career day. Setzer tallied 226 yards passing with two touchdowns on 19-of-33 passing, including a 51-yard scoring strike to sophomore tight end Doug Barbour late in the second half. That pass sent USU into halftime trailing, 28-7. Setzer also had 18 yards rushing and threw two interceptions.
During Monday’s weekly press conference, USU head coach Brent Guy would not say who will start Saturday at Louisiana Tech.
“We are watching film on Louisiana Tech and will try to see what gives ourselves the best chance,” Guy said. “Who knows right now, but I anticipate both of them could play.”
In his limited time against the Broncos, Borel was 3-of-8 for 35 yards, had one interception and rushed for 12 yards.
Guy said Borel let the rowdy and loud Bronco fans get to him.
“I certainly think the environment affected Diondre,” Guy said. “I think the environment affected a lot of (our young players), especially by the end zone. We haven’t been in an environment like that since Oregon. They are there to intimidate the opponent. I think that affected us.”
Perhaps Borel’s most costly mistake came at the beginning of the second quarter. After the Aggie defense had forced the Broncos to punt, USU had a first-and-10 from its own 8-yard line. Borel fumbled the ball and Boise State’s Ellis Powers returned it four yards for an easy touchdown.
“If you’re not performing well, we need to get the next guy in,” Guy said.
The jolt the Aggies were hoping to get from Setzer didn’t come until the end of the half.
Setzer went 4-of-6 passing on his first drive, but the Aggies ended up punting.
In the Aggies’ next drive, Setzer went 1-of-3 and the Aggies punted again.
On the next possession Setzer was 2-for-4, and the drive ended quickly in a punt.
It was with 43 seconds left in the half that the Setzer found the end zone with his bomb to Barbour – a pass that took eight seconds off the clock.
Four plays into the second half Setzer struck for the second and final time – a 29-yard touchdown pass to freshman running back Robert Turbin.
Just like that the Aggies were back into the game just over a minute into the second half.
“I was proud of how Sean came in and made some plays,” Guy said. “He did make mistakes, but I was proud of the way he came in and threw the ball around. He did give us a spark. The pass he made to Robert Turbin was a beautiful pass. So we made some nice plays, we just did not make near enough.”
One of Setzer’s big mistakes was a fumble late in the third quarter at the Bronco 47. Six plays later the Broncos had another touchdown.
Borel was inserted again for the Aggies’ final two drives of the game. In five plays from scrimmage Borel completed one pass, rushed for zero yards and ended with an interception.
Borel and Setzer have shared playing time in all but two games this season (at Nevada and home against Fresno State). Setzer started the first three games before Borel was called on for his first career start Sept. 20 against the Idaho Vandals.
–samuel.hislop@aggiemail.usu.edu