Aggies get a win over UNLV, but it comes with a cost


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LOGAN — Utah State got the bitter taste of a loss at Colorado State out of its mouth with a 34-20 home win over UNLV on Saturday afternoon.

The offense showed flashes of greatness, and the defense continues to play at a high level — especially against the run. JoJo Natson got back to his explosive ways, scoring his first touchdown since Sept. 13 against Wake Forest, and Nick Vigil was the two-way monster Aggie fans have expected of him in the past four weeks.

But the victory didn’t come without a cost. Utah State (4-3, 2-1 MWC) saw its third starting quarterback leave a game early with an injury, and the prognosis on senior Craig Harrison “doesn’t look good,” according to head coach Matt Wells. Vigil also picked up a lower-leg knock, which may or may not prove costly down the road.

Here are a few things we learned from Utah State’s 34-20 win over the Rebels (2-6, 1-3).

The Good: ---------

Nick Vigil is a beast — and so is that defense.

Vigil took the bulk of snaps going two-ways for Utah State, starting at linebacker and carrying the rock six times for 46 yards — on the offense’s first drive. He finished with a team-high 51 yards on 11 carries, as well as six tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. The senior forced the first fumble of the year with a strip-sack on UNLV quarterback Blake Decker in the first quarter, forcing his fourth career fumble that was recovered by Travis Seefeldt.

On defense, the Aggies finished with 73 tackles, six sacks, 10 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, four quarterback hurries and two interceptions.

JoJo’s back

The junior wide receiver and punt returner made his mark on Saturday’s game, resurging for the first 100-yard receiving game of his career. Natson finished with 124 yards and a touchdown on six receptions, including a 71-yard score from Craig Harrison in the first half. He also ran the ball three times and returned three punts in an all-around performance.

Coaching.

Utah State second-year head coach Matt Wells lost his third starting quarterback to injury when Craig Harrison went down with an apparent knee ailment at the end of the third quarter. True freshman Kent Myers led the team the rest of the way, and true freshman DJ Nelson is his backup. But Wells’ team kept chugging, putting up 34 points on UNLV to get a win and help cleanse the Aggies’ mouths of a disappointing loss at Colorado State a week ago. With all the injuries, 2014 may prove to be Wells’ finest coaching job.

Needs Work:

The offense — barely.

By “needs work,” this description does not mean the offense played bad. Craig Harrison was capable as a third-string quarterback thrust into the second start of his career, finishing with 13-of-23 passing for 221 yards and three touchdowns. Kent Myers came in and completed 3-of-5 passes for 45 yards, including a stunning 32-yard pass to Hunter Sharp in his first drive of the fourth quarter that brought the Aggie offense into the red zone.

With the quarterback carousel, it’s hard to fault the Aggies for lack of synchronicity and crispness at times on offense. Still, there were moments when the squad stalled and special teams ace Jaron Bentrude saved the day with an average of 47.3 yards on seven punts, including a career-long 56-yarder in the opening quarter.

The Bad:

No redshirt for Myers.

The true freshman Texas quarterback entered the game for one series in the first half, where he promptly went 0-for-1 passing and led the offense to a 3-and-out. Wells said the replacement had been planned all week, and it proved fruitful as Myers replaced Harrison for the entire fourth quarter after the knee injury. A redshirt is the least of Utah State’s worries, though; the Aggies no longer have a healthy quarterback on the roster with Division I starting experience.

Vigil’s hammy.

This one may prove to be an issue, or not. But after playing two-ways for four games, Vigil spent much of the second half on the sideline with an ace bandage over his hamstring. It’s too early to diagnose the extent of the injury, Wells said, but there is almost certainly a lower-leg issue. Playing offense and defense is taxing, in which case Vigil’s best antidote is simply a few days of rest and he’ll be back by next week. But with the injury-plagued season the Aggies have suffered in 2014, nobody can blame Wells for taking an extra precaution with his standout linebacker/running back.

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Sean Walker

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