Utah State drops fifth consecutive season-opener; second in a row to Utes
It was a season-opening, defensive grudge match between in-state rivals until the fourth quarter when the University of Utah offense came to life.
The Utes defeated the Aggies 23-3.
The rivalry Saturday at Romney Stadium between Utah and Utah State remained close, with the Utes leading, 7-3, after three quarters.
Utah moved the ball 240 yards while the Aggies had gone 162.
“I’m really disappointed in how we played, particularly offensively, but I thought our defense played their hearts out,” said Aggie Head Coach Mick Dennehy.
Utah Head Coach Ron McBride said, “Utah State, give them credit. Defensively they played really hard and they made some good calls and so they were able to hang around.”
In the final 15 minutes though, the Utah offense held the ball for 13:42, racked up 207 yards and scored 16 straight points to close out the Aggies.
“We didn’t put them away when we had the chance to, but in the fourth quarter we finished them out,” McBride said.
The Utes found themselves at their own 26-yard line to start the fourth quarter but took only 2:25 to move the ball 74 yards, capping the drive with a 26-yard touchdown run by running back J.R. Peroulis.
Utah was only able to get six points though as the extra point attempt by kicker Bryan Borreson was blocked by Aggie corner back Mark Estelle.
Trailing by 10, 13-3, Utah State tailback David Fiefia lost the ball on the kickoff return. When the pile was cleared, the Utes had the ball at the Aggie 23-yard line.
It took the Utes only three plays and 1:28 to get back into the end zone. Utah quarterback Lance Rice hit running back Marty Johnson with a 17-yard pass for the score, putting Utah up 20-3.
The Utes would score once more in the game. With 2:20 remaining, Borreson would have his third chance at a field goal after previously missing two kicks of 28 yards. His 27-yard kick split the uprights and put Utah up, 23-3.
“We took over the game in the fourth quarter and that is one thing you’ve got to do,” McBride said.
In the first quarter, Utah was able to convert on their second drive when Johnson found the end zone on a 13-yard run
The Aggies finally got on the board to close out the second quarter. With 31 seconds left in the half, Aggie quarterback Jose Fuentes completed four passes to three different receivers, two to Chris Stallworth for 17 yards, one to Kevin Curtis for 25 yards and one to Gary Coleman for 13 yards, to setup a 22-yard Dane Kidman field goal. Those were the Aggies’ only points in the game.
“Any time you hold a team like this to three points, the defense plays well,” McBride said. “They tackled well, ran to the ball well and played really good pass defense.”
For the game, the Utah defense held USU to only 162 yards and no yards in the fourth quarter. The Aggies picked up 171 yards passing but lost nine yards on the ground.
“I give Utah a lot of credit,” Dennehy said. “They’re every bit as good on defense as we all felt they were going in.”
The 23-3 victory gives Utah a 1-0 start on the season while Utah State opens its season 0-1 for the fifth straight year.
Utah was led by Johnson, who racked up 176 yards on 30 carries, and scored once on the ground. He also caught two passes for 28 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown.
“Marty Johnson, I think, is another big, strong horse in a long stable of outstanding running backs at the University of Utah,” Dennehy said. “The guy is a player without question. He’s a darn good football player.”
For the Aggies, Curtis and Stallworth both caught six passes. Fuentes was 18 for 37 with one interception.
“I thought we’d come out here hitting on all cylinders. That’s what I expected,” Fuentes said. “If things get rough, we’ve got to be able to pick it up and get things going and we didn’t do that tonight.”
– SLBK5@cc.usu.edu