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COLORADO — Playing against the school he originally committed to, USU quarterback Chuckie Keeton completed 32 of 40 passes Saturday for 360 yards and five touchdowns.
“Chuckie Keeton said it was good to see Air Force, where he once thought he'd go. ‘But I wouldn't change my decision for the world,’ ” tweeted Kyle Goon.
Citing his reluctance to “be restricted” by the obligatory years of military service that follow the graduation of Air Force Academy cadets, Keeton backed out of his verbal commitment just months after it was announced, much to the delight of the USU coaching staff.
Keeton opened the scoring by connecting with Travis Van Leeuwen on a 30-yard touchdown strike to complete Utah State’s first possession, and linebacker Zach Vigil forced a fumble that was recovered by the Aggies on Air Force’s first play from scrimmage. USU capitalized on the excellent field position with a Joe Hill 1-yard touchdown plunge, which was set up by a 27-yard rush from Keeton.
“Chuckie Keeton ........... Heisman candidate,” @1HouseMoney tweeted.
The Falcons responded with a 69-yard drive that ended in a field goal. Air Force was hampered by costly drops, many of which came from Falcons players that were wide open. Air Force receivers finished the first half with six drops.
“This could be a lot worse for USU if Air Force could catch passes,” Matthew Glade tweeted.
Keeton hit Bruce Natson for 10 yards to begin the Aggies’ next possession, but Natson was stripped as he went to the ground, and Air Force came up with the loose football. The Falcons were again able to enter the red zone before having to settle for another field goal.
After back-to-back punts following the AFA field goal, the Aggies successfully marched back into Falcon territory before Keeton found Van Leeuwen for 19 yards down the sideline to set up USU with a first-and-goal from the 5. Joey DeMartino pushed his way into the end zone to put the Aggies up 21-6.
Air Force was able to get within striking distance after a 75-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown on its next series. The Aggie defense facilitated the Air Force touchdown with two defensive pass interference penalties and a defensive holding infraction.
“If we do not fix our penalty problem, good teams are going to bury us. Period!” Harry Caines tweeted.
USU kicked a field goal on its last offensive series of the half and entered the locker room with a 24-13 lead.
The Aggies eliminated any doubt that the outcome of the game might be in question with an absolutely dominant second half. USU scored touchdowns on each of its first three offensive series to open the half. Keeton was nearly perfect over that span, going 10-of-11 for 132 yards and three touchdowns. He also gained 41 of his 77 total yards rushing over the combined seven minutes of offense.
“Can I put Chuckie Keeton on my nfl fantasy league?” Justin Reeves tweeted.
Utah State’s defense vanquished any remaining hope for the Falcons, as AFA was able to enter Aggie territory only once in the second half.
“Really like what I'm seeing from USU's defense so far in the 2nd half,” tweeted Jonny Floyd. “Playing up to their capabilities. Keep it up!”
Even USC fans took notice of the Aggies' superb second half. USU travels to the Coliseum to take on the No. 25 Trojans in two weeks.
“I am worried about WSU and Utah State,” Matt Rexroad tweeted. Kyle Spencer is a ksl.com intern. He is studying journalism at Utah Valley University and is the sports editor of the UVU Review. Follow him on twitter @kyledspencer.
