Utah State wide receiver Jordan Nathan (16) jumps over his teammate Jaylen Warren heading to the end zone between New Mexico defensive lineman Joey Noble (98) and safety Jerrick Reed (9) for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019 in Albuquerque, N.M. | Andres Leighton, AP
Powered by a strong second quarter, the Aggies defeated the Lobos 38-25, earning the program’s seventh win of the season
LOGAN — The Utah State Aggies did something Saturday afternoon against New Mexico that they hadn’t pulled off all season: They scored 24 points in a single quarter.
Those points came in the second period of the Aggies’ regular season finale, courtesy of placekicker Dominik Eberle, wide receivers Jordan Nathan and Derek Wright and running back Gerold Bright.
They represented the most points scored in a quarter by Utah State since Dec. 15, 2018, when the Aggies’ defeated North Texas in the New Mexico Bowl.
In that game — played in the same stadium that Utah State and New Mexico battled in on Saturday — the Aggies coincidentally dropped 24 points in the second quarter before rolling to a 52-13 victory.
Utah State hardly needed the scoring outburst against North Texas. They needed every single point against the Lobos.
Utah State (7-5, 6-2) defeated New Mexico (2-10, 0-8) 38-25, and the 24-point second quarter was the difference in what was otherwise an up-and-down season finale.
“We knew it was going to be a fight,” said Utah State head coach Gary Andersen. “New Mexico played hard. They played physical. It was a tough physical battle. We had some issues, but we made more plays at the end.”
The majority of which came in the second quarter, whether it be on offense or defense.
Offensively, quarterback Jordan Love and the passing attack took a back seat to the Aggies’ run game, headlined by Bright.
The senior rushed for 53 yards and a touchdown in the first half before finishing with 113 total, which pushed Bright over the 2,000-yard mark for his career and into the top 10 in Utah State history
There it is!@GBR1GHT has surpassed 2,000 rushing yards in his career!#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/R3lY1BlSov
— USU Football (@USUFootball) November 30, 2019
“It is pretty cool,” he said, before bemoaning his total rushing numbers on the day. “I had a personal goal I wanted to make and I fell short of that goal. I’m kind of upset about that. My expectations for myself are pretty high.”
Nathan, meanwhile, rushed for his score on an 11-yard carry, as Utah State ran for 116 yards in the first half, 196 in the game.
“I was proud of the way we ran the ball,” Andersen said. “It was great to see our young offensive line make some plays in the run game to give us an opportunity to control the game.”
Defensively, Utah State recorded three turnovers in the second quarter: an interception by cornerback DJ Williams and fumble recoveries by defensive end Justus Te’i and defensive tackle Christopher ‘Unga.
The later two led to back-to-back touchdowns, Bright’s 1-yard run and Wright’s 16-yard reception.
LOVE ✈️ WRIGHT for 6️⃣!#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/Uusxn8KxEv
— USU Football (@USUFootball) November 30, 2019
“Defense got some turnovers,” said Andersen. “Our defense had its issues but made plays at the end, and we finished with four turnovers. Two of them led directly to scores.”
While the second quarter proved the high point in the game, Utah State largely struggled the rest of the contest.
Exclude the second quarter and New Mexico outscored USU 19-14, taking advantage of some uneven play.
After trailing 31-6 at the half, the Lobos opened the third quarter with back-to-back touchdowns, pulling within 13 points of Utah State.
A quick three-and-out then gave the Lobos possession of the ball again, with a chance to cut the Aggies’ lead to six points.
“All of a sudden it was game on,” said Andersen.
With the game in doubt, Utah State made just enough plays to walk away with the win.
The USU defense forced a New Mexico punt, after which Love marched the Aggies down the field on a 14-play, 77-yard drive, before finding Siaosi Mariner for a 10-yard touchdown reception.
RED ZONE ALERT @SdotGatsby with the one handed catch!#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/ViPH9VBVm5
— USU Football (@USUFootball) November 30, 2019
“It was big because you can’t win games if you can’t score points, and you can’t win unless the defense gets stops and gives the ball back to the offense,” said Bright.
The defense then came up with one final stop in the fourth quarter, when Williams intercepted his second pass of the game, sealing the victory.
Read it like a book!@GodsWarrior615#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/8U5w9wxhrj
— USU Football (@USUFootball) December 1, 2019
“I guess to sum it up, every time these kids have faced real adversity, we understand it, but don’t accept it,” said Andersen. “It hasn’t gotten to the point where they haven’t come back. I am proud of these kids. They came into this situation and fought back from another tough loss that they had last week, and they have done that every time. They have bounced back hard.”
from Deseret News https://ift.tt/2Ld3Cxc
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