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BOISE — The Utah State Aggies won their second bowl in school history, beating the Toledo Rockets 41-15 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. The win capped off the best season in school history and will likely give the team some momentum as they move forward in the Mountain West Conference next season.
The game progressed slowly, but the Aggies were able to pull out a win in the final minutes of the game with an amazing performance by senior running back Kerwynn Williams to put the game out of reach. Utah State's offense looked nothing like it had all season in the first three quarter of the game, but put together a great win at the end.
Here are the Aggies' Most Valuable Players:
Offense: Chuckie Keeton
The Aggies offense was slow to get anything done, especially in the run game. Early on, Keeton appeared to be the only player who gave the Aggies a chance, rushing for a 62-yard touchdown for Utah State's first score. While the offensive line struggled to contain to defense, Keeton was able to stay composed and made enough plays to keep Toledo out of the ball game.
The bowl game was a great finish for a full season of play from Keeton, who set the school's season record for passing yards Saturday. Keeton ended the game going 21-of-31 for 229 yards. He also rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown. Ultimately, Keeton kept the Aggies in the game when no one else could.
Defense: Bojay Filimoeatu/Jake Doughty
Senior linebacker Bojay Filimoeatu was a beast Saturday, disrupting much of the Rockets' offensive attempts. Filimoeatu had 11 total tackles, one sack and one broken up pass to help the Aggies hold off the Rockets. His presence on the field will be greatly missed next season.
Junior linebacker Jake Doughty was everywhere for the Aggies Saturday night. Doughty tipped several passes to keep the Rockets from moving the chains. Two of the tipped passes were recovered by Utah State defenders Kyler Fackrell and Brian Suite for an interception. The two interceptions set up the Aggies for some late-game points. In addition, Doughty ended the game with eight total tackles and was a major factor in helping the Aggies pull out a win.
Overall: Kerwynn Williams
Kerwynn Williams started out slow, but amassed an amazing fourth quarter performance, putting the game out of reach for the Aggies. It was an appropriate ending for the senior running back, putting up 198 rushing yards in the fourth quarter alone. Williams started it off with a 63-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, following it up with a 56-yard run, which would turn into a five-yard rushing touchdown, and a 25-yard touchdown.
Williams was simply unstoppable in the final minutes of the game, making use of the gaps provided him by the offensive line. Williams ended the game rushing for 235 yards and three touchdowns, and had 34 yards on two catches.
