Today in the Football segment of the Bull Horn, we three amigos identified a few keys to the BSU-USU football game.
- Win the turnover battle
- Control the lines
- Limit the BSU big plays
- 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
Notable from this game was the lack of perimeter shooting. Pooh Williams went 6-7 from the field with two 3-pointers, but the Aggies two leading scorers, Jared Quayle and Tai Wesley, only managed to go 10-30 from the field. Wesley had a horrible night from the foul line, shooting 50%.
