White squad earns bragging rights
After a week of friendly banter among Utah State football players, it was time to put the words to action Friday night at Romney Stadium as the team held its annual Blue-White game.
And it was the White team that was able to take the bragging rights into the locker room as it scored two second-half touchdowns en route to a 14-9 victory over the Blue team.
“I heard a few bets going on, just guys talking back and forth, saying ‘the White’s going to win, or the Blue’s going to win,’ so it was real fun this year,” said White running back David Fiefia.
Besides the game being fun for both sides, it also gave USU Head Coach Mick Dennehy and his staff a chance to gauge improvement at key positions from the beginning of spring drills.
For the most part, Dennehy said, he was happy with what he saw, especially the improvement the wide receivers have made the last couple of days.
“You could really tell about the last three practices the progress that they’ve made,” he said. “They’re almost there, [but] they’re not quite there.”
Eight different Aggies caught at least two passes on the night, including five apiece by Jerome Eason, Richard Watson and Kenny Coleman. Eason led the way with five catches for 81 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown reception from redshirt junior Matt Crivello.
However, it was the defense that had its way in the first half, as only one field goal was scored in a combined nine first-half possessions. Justin Hamblin’s 27-yard field goal as time expired gave the Blue team a 3-0 halftime lead.
When asked about USU’s defensive performance, sophomore defensive end Michael Gates was quick to credit first-year defensive coordinator David Kotulski and his more aggressive style of defense.
Eleven different Aggies registered sacks in the game, including a game-high three by Gates, albeit the numbers were a little bit skewed since the quarterbacks only had to be touched for a sack to occur.
“The defense is a lot better than it was last year [and] we’re coming together more as a team,” Gates said.
While it was the defenses that controlled the tempo in the first half, the offenses showed their mettle in the second half.
The White squad found paydirt on its first two possessions of the second half, as Fiefia ran up the gut from two yards out to give the White team a 7-3 lead. And Eason’s reception from Crivello gave White a two-possession advantage.
Blue would counter with a 7-yard TD pass from Travis Cox to Jason Thomas with 03:11 remaining in the game, but was unable to get any closer.
Crivello connected on 11-of-14 pass attempts for 140 yards, while Cox, the Aggies’ projected starter, went 18-of-28 for 197 yards.
Fiefia led all rushers with 48 yards on 10 carries and continues to lead what Dennehy called a much-improved running back corps.
“We ran the ball way better than I expected, especially with the guys we lost on the offensive line,” he said. “I think our running backs came [into spring drills] in a little better shape. I think they had a mission to accomplish this spring, and I thought for the most part they were a real bright spot.”
Utah State will open its 2003 season at home against Utah on August 28.
-jasonwturner@cc.usu.edu