The replacements
After tight end Chris Cooley and cornerback Jerome Dennis went down with injuries last week there were a lot of questions as to whether they could be replaced. Those questions were answered Saturday in a positive way as Utah State defeated Louisiana-Monroe 28-10 in the Aggies’ first Sun Belt Conference game.
Jason Stephens caught a touchdown in place of Cooley and, Dennis’ replacement, Reggie Willson tipped a pass to teammate Terrance Washington for an interception deep in the USU zone, each play coming at critical times for the Aggies.
In the first quarter, after a Louisiana-Monroe fumble recovery at the USU 47, ULM quarterback Steven Jyles threw a pass deep down the sideline. Willson appeared to be beaten on the play, but jumped up and tipped the pass to Washington to give the ball back to the Aggies.
USU would go on to score its first touchdown on that drive.
Then in the second quarter, quarterback Travis Cox threw the ball on the run to Stephens who made a jumping catch in the back of the end zone to give the Aggies a 21-10 lead, which would prove to be more than enough to win.
“Those guys need to understand that when their number’s called, they need to be ready,” said Head Coach Mick Dennehy.
Stephens wasn’t completely satisfied with his performance, however.
“Passing-wise, I think I did great,” Stephens said. “I still have a lot to learn blocking-wise. Chris Cooley is such a good blocker and receiver. I still need to work a lot on my blocking.”
Despite the big shoes to fill, Stephens didn’t feel a whole lot of pressure coming into the game.
“Cooley and I both played back in [Logan] High School together,” Stephens said. “I started in front of him and then I went on a mission and came back and now he’s starting over me. So, it’s just like old times.”
Even though he performed well, Willson still felt a hole in the defense without Dennis.
“It’s a bad deal when someone like Jerome gets hurt,” Willson said. “He’s such a team leader. It’s hard to step in and fill his shoes like that. I was little bit nervous at first, but you just rely on your basics and everything works out.”
Both players were excited about their first conference win of the year.
“It feels great,” Willson said. “There’s nothing like winning a conference game.”
Stephens said, “I’ve lived in Logan my whole life and have been coming to games ever since I was born. This is awesome to be a part of this. This is the first step to Louisiana. This was a big game for us. It’s great to come out with a victory.”
The Sun Belt Conference champion gets an automatic bid to the New Orleans bowl in Louisiana.
The last time Utah State played in a bowl game was the 1997 Humanitarian Bowl. Cincinnati knocked off the Aggies 35-19 in Boise.
“If we keep playing well, if our defense and offense keep clicking and everyone keeps playing together, then we’ll have a good chance [of winning the conference],” Willson said.
Utah State is only the fourth out of eight SBC teams to win a game this year and they join North Texas as the only two teams to post a conference win as of this weekend.
-bhhinton@cc.usu.edu
Utah State’s David Fiefia gets taken down by a pack of Indians on Saturday night. He rushed for 142 yards on 25 carries. (Photo by John Zsiray)