USU Football Signs Running Back to Fill Empty Roster Spot

This is both a measure to fill Turbin's empty spot and to prepare for next year when Smith and Speight are gone.

I would say it's a wise move. Whether or not it pans out is yet to be seen.

--Landon

Aggie Football Signs Junior College Running Back
Joey DeMartino Comes To USU From Grossmont College

LOGAN, Utah — Utah State football head coach Gary Andersen announced Tuesday that Joey DeMartino has signed to play for the Aggies in 2010.

DeMartino, a 5-11, 198-pound running back from San Diego, Calif., will have three years of eligibility, coming to USU after one season at Grossmont Junior College.

“With the injury to Robert Turbin plus two senior running backs this fall in Michael Smith and Derrvin Speight, we felt that it was important to get a quality running back in our program for this fall. We’ve been looking for the right fit since January and we feel we’ve found a perfect match in Joey DeMartino,” Andersen said. “He’s a tremendous fit to our program and a great fit for our University and Cache Valley.”

DeMartino earned second-team all-National Division, Southern Conference offensive honors and was named Grossmont’s Offensive MVP after leading the Griffins and ranking seventh in the Southern California Football Association in rushing, with 952 yards on 143 carries (5.8 yards per carry/91.7 yards per game), with six touchdowns. He added 120 yards on 12 catches (10.0 ypc) with one TD. DeMartino was also Grossmont’s top all-purpose runner, averaging 118.5 yards per game while scoring 42 points.

Additionally, DeMartino was named Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Men’s Athlete of the Week on Sept. 13, for his performance which included his second straight 100-plus yard outing, rushing for 179 yards and a 61-yard touchdown on 16 carries, as the Griffins routed College of the Desert, 61-14 on Sept. 12.

With the Aggies, DeMartino will reunite with Grossmont teammate, USU junior wide receiver Xavier Martin. DeMartino and Martin helped the Griffons to an 8-3 record last season. The Griffins capped their season by defeating El Camino College, 27-22, in the US Bank Beach Bowl on Nov. 21.

At Mt. Carmel High School, DeMartino rushed for 1,168 yards on 137 carries (8.53 ypc/116.8 ypg) with nine TD’s his senior season in helping the Sundevils to a 4-6 record and earning first-team all-Palomar League honors as was named MCHS’s MVP. He added 18 receptions for 329 yards (18.3 ypc) with five TD’s and 12 kick returns for 426 yards (35.5 ypr) with a TD return of 99 yards and another of 96 yards, finishing the season with 16 total TD’s and adding a pair of two-point conversions for 100 total points.

As a junior, DeMartino rushed for 832 yards on 127 carries (6.6 ypc/75.6 ypg) with six TD’s, adding 19 catches for 171 yards (9.0 ypc) with one TD and five kick returns for 151 yards (30.2 ypr) and two TD’s.

DeMartino was also a four-year letterwinner in track & field, running the 100m and 4x100m relay. He helped the Sundevils to a second-place finish in the TIF and was team captain as a senior.

Andersen added that he and the Aggies are still looking to add a big running back from the high school ranks.

Aggie Bull Horn & Gary Andersen

Coach A will be on the air this Friday morning at 9 AM. Submit any question you have to fusionhd3@usu.edu as soon as possible.

Tune in HERE (Windows Media)
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Peace out, and Go Aggies!

Kane is not so Able

Kane Wilson Leaving Utah State Football Program
Quarterback Redshirted Last Season

LOGAN, Utah - Utah State football head coach Gary Andersen announced Friday that redshirt-freshman quarterback Kane Wilson has left the program.

Wilson, a native of Yorba Linda, Calif. (El Dorado HS), is a 6’4”, 215-pound quarterback who redshirted the 2009 season. Last month, Wilson was suspended for a violation of team rules.

-USU-

The Horn's take -

USU is not without its options for this year's football season. Diondre Borel is still the starter. Beyond Borel, Jordan High School Quarterback Alex Hart and St. Louis High of Hawaii QB Jeremy Higgins committed to USU this season. Higgins is the younger brother of the all-star Cameron Higgins of Weber State University. Beyond the new recruits, a former Snow College QB is attempting to walk on to the program.

I'm not too concerned. Borel is a terrific QB and has proven very resilient. I would expect the Aggies to be fine as long as Borel isn't hurt within the first six weeks of the season. Before that, beware. Inexperience can bite you, especially if Turbin is still out with his ACL injury.

As far as Kane goes, The horn has lost a lot of respect for him. If he can't handle Andersen's rules, then he doesn't belong in the program.

USU Lays It All Out but Offers No Serious Challenge to No. 6 Boise St.

Coach A postgame

Diondre Borel postgame

Bobby Wagner Postgame

Michael Smith Postgame

Today in the Football segment of the Bull Horn, we three amigos identified a few keys to the BSU-USU football game.

1. Win the turnover battle
2. Control the lines
3. Limit the BSU big plays
4. Score on every opportunity

For 25 minutes, Utah State did almost all of those and looked every bit as good as the Boise State Broncos they and every other WAC team seeks to emulate. Although USU turned the ball over twice, the Aggies matched the Broncos score for score through 25 minutes of football. Then reality set in and it all came crashing down when Boise State took a three TD lead on three scores in roughly six minutes.

The first score of that three TD lead came after Moore finally connected on one his many longball attempts. Moore launched a 52-yard bomb to Titus Young, who caught the ball on the USU 2-yard line even though Rajric Coleman was guilty of pass interference. Doug Martin walked in the score on the next play. The score, while unfortunate, was not demoralizing to the Aggies, as USU had equalized the score of the game twice to that point. Demoralization came on the next USU series.

Diondre Borel and the Ags started their drive on their own 20. On 1st and 10, Borel was sacked for a 9-yard loss by BSU's Shea McClellin. On 2nd and 18, Borel and Robert Turbin miscommunicated on the handoff, the ball came out, and Boise recovered on the USU 9. One play later, USU found itself down by two TDs.

Desperate to score and bring the margin down to seven, the Aggies started their drive, but got to midfield and stalled. Peter Caldwell kept the Broncos honest, putting the ball on the BSU 17-yard line. Caldwell's efforts were in vain, however. Boise marched 85 yards in 1:28 and took a 35-14 lead.

Boise wasted no time in the third. They marched and scored on their first drive, widening the lead to 28. USU managed to drive and score one later in the quarter, but a 52-yarder from Kyle Brotzman again widened the margin to four scores.

Going into the fourth, USU had one option - produce the same type of quarter BSU produced in the 2nd or roll over like a dead rag doll. The first possession by the Aggies was not encouraging. USU moved the ball about 40 yards and was forced to punt. BSU scored on the next possession. I would write more from here, but I don't want to rub any more salt into the senior-night wound.

The first 25 minutes were encouraging. USU showed a lot of spunk, character, fire, desire, and will to win. After the fumble on the USU nine, USU folded like a house of cards in a poker tournament. The final result was 52-21 for the Broncos.

On a more positive note, Michael Smith converted two 4th down plays on fake punts, and Turbin scored on a TD run. Borel didn't do too bad, but would have done better if he knew how to throw the ball away once in a while.

Well, that's football. USU is on the road next week to wind up the season against a team the Aggies steamrolled last year. The Idaho Vandals definitely appear to be on the right track this year though. They are a bowl team, after all. If USU wins next week, we will have won four games this year, which is one more than the Aggies managed last year.

Best of luck on the road and on the recruiting trail. I guess there's always next year...
-LMH

USU defeats San Jose State Spartans in Football

Gary Andersen Postgame

Rajric Coleman Postgame

Robert Turbin Postgame

Utah State football broke through this week for a third time. The Aggies checkmated the Spartans from San Jose, 24-9, in front of a very slim home crowd.

The big story in this game was Robert Turbin. The man is a beast. He ran for nearly 200 yards, passing the 1,000-yard mark for the season. Turbin's father was also in attendance at today's game. The signature play of Turbin's game today was a 37-yard TD run that began slow. Turbin drifted toward the left side of the field, and San Jose's entire defense shifted and gained momentum. Turbin saw it and came back the other way. Two cutbacks later, Turbin was in the endzone, celebrating a two TD lead.

On the downside, the defense still needs a lot of work, especially heading into the Boise game. One small bright spot shines in that USU allowed only 56 yards of rushing this week after being lit up by the Warriors last week on the islands. The downside? USU allowed 245 yards passing.

My thoughts on this game are scattered. Firstly, a winning record at home is awesome for this team. The completion of one of the teams major goals coming into this season should bring much excitement to the boosters and to the students. However, the Aggies played San Jose today. The Spartans only have one win this season, and that win came at the expense of Cal Poly. I know, right? A real college football Mecca... Next week, the Aggies can ruin everything for Boise State... and the WAC in general by beating the #5 team in the country. I am not sure this is something they can do, and even if they can, I don't know that winning is something USU should do. If Boise goes undefeated (and if TCU loses) the WAC will have its third BCS representative in five years. That means $$$ for the Aggies.

So you can see my dilemma heading into next week. Obviously, I want the Ags to pull it out. But watching Boise win again in the BCS will also make me happy.

All in all though, this win wraps up a great, great, great 24 hours for USU Athletics. The Ladies' Basketball team has beaten Utah, the men beat Weber on the road, and USU football finally got itself back to winning ways.

Go Aggies.
-lmh

USU Football Pre-Nevada coverage

USU will be looking right the ship against a very, very difficult Nevada team.

I only wish they could have righted the ship against a slightly (actually, significantly) less dangerous NMSU team, but they couldn't.

Here's what Coach Andersen had to say about that NMSU game and what he plans on doing for the USU-Nevada game ahead.



Likewise, here's what team captain Robert Turbin, who had a career yardage day against NMSU had to say about the NMSU game, and what he hopes to do against Nevada.

BYU - USU: 2009 Edition

Before reading on, check out the preview I wrote in August and see if it was accurate. Had USU managed to get one more TD, I would have pinned the score on the dot. Personally satisfying, for sure!

Utah State came into Provo Friday Night with a dream - beat BYU and get their first win in Provo in more than 30 years. Nope. Didn't happen. They lost, 35-17.

For all intents and purposes, the game ended at the 13:09 mark in the 4th quarter. USU, faced with a crucial 4th and 1 in their own territory, went for it. At that point, USU needed to advance the ball and try to close an 11 point gap that widened with each tick off the clock. Turbin got the handoff, had space, looked to turn upfield, but didn't follow his blocker and was taken down two yards short of the 1st down marker. One 30-yard Harvey Unga run later, and BYU found itself inside the five. They sealed the deal on the next play; who else to do it but Harvey Unga? Unga ran 10 yards all over the Aggie D and BYU widened its lead to 28-10.

And then, just to rub salt in the wound, Riley Nelson came in for a single play and ran 15 yards up USU's gut late in the game. Max Hall immediately returned to the game after Nelson's run. Oooooh, Riley Nelson. I hate you, Riley Nelson. I hate you.

However... wait for it... Did USU quit? NO. With 2.6 seconds remaining, Borel tossed a 16-yard TD pass, his only of the game, to Xavier Bowman and closed the game out strong for USU. Indeed, strong finishes are a quality that seems to be a good trend for USU's football future.

Loads of hype surrounded the USU offense coming into the game. USU boasted Turbin's three-game streak of 100+ rushing yards, and Diondre Borel had put up over 300 yards of total offense in the previous two games. The hype was mostly made of the same material as dreams. However, the happenings of the first five minutes of the first quarter would lead one to believe otherwise.

No. 20 BYU came into this game a huge favorite, but it would be USU's offense that would score first off what has become known as a typical BYU turnover.

USU took possession after BYU fumbled at the 45-yard line. Diondre Borel and led his troops to the end zone in less than 3 minutes to give USU a very quick lead over their rivals from Provo. BYU then soaked up the first quarter in a very, very long scoring drive that took over 8 minutes off the first quarter clock. That locked the score at 7 apiece.

The most notable statistic in the first quarter was that Robert Turbin only managed to earn 6 yards rushing, and USU as a team only obtained 17 rushing yards, which was quite a step backward from last week's 600+ yard outing against SUU. BYU, on the other hand, racked up 69 yards rushing in their drive, and earned 111 yards of total offense to USU's 43.

USU then got the ball, went 3-and-out, and BYU found the seam in the Aggie D. In less than two minutes, BYU scored. The final play of the drive was a 45-yard pass to Luke Ashworth, who walked unmolested to the end zone in the first minute of the second quarter.

USU didn't do much on the next two drives and gave it up to BYU, but didn't make it easy. Two times in succession, BYU had to drive out of their own endzone. On the first, USU contained BYU to a punt, but not on the second. BYU drove 50 yards and sucked a sizable amount of time off the clock. By the time USU recovered at their own 27, and then the unthinkable happened.

USU fumbled once again on a bad pitch from Borel to Turbin. BYU recovered at USU's 30-yard-line, and threw a 26-yard-pass to Dennis Pitta. With less than 30 seconds on the clock, BYU's Manase Tonga scored it up the middle and widened the gap on the Aggies. 21-7. Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers...

In the third, the turnover monster reared its ugly head against BYU, but USU was unable to capitalize. After grabbing a pick in BYU territory, USU only managed to get to the BYU 2 and kicked a field goal. A second pick came on the ensuing BYU drive, but USU's offense stalled at midfield, and the Aggies were forced to punt again. USU's offense was stifled. Through three quarters, Turbin only managed to rack up 36 yards. Quite the different story from last Saturday...

Credit must be given to the USU defense. It squeezed out two more picks from Max in the third, and held BYU near midfield on their third offensive attempt of the third quarter. USU managed to claw its way a bit closer to BYU.

And then the 4th and 1 happened, and as quickly as USU momentum came, it was gone. USU fell short again on their next drive, once again giving it up on 4th down, and allowing BYU to score again before retaking the ball with next to nothing on the clock and driving for their final score.

USU is now going to start their conference season. This is where we'll see really where this team is.

Riley Nelson.... the cougar...

Great article on Riley Nelson and how he USED to play for USU. He now backs up Max Hall on BYU's sidelines, and is in prime position to take over the BYU QB job next year.

Check it out

Oh, Riley! Why???