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FORT COLLINS, Colorado — Utah State’s 16-13 loss at Colorado State Saturday night puts the Rams in the driver’s seat for a Mountain Division crown and a spot in the Mountain West Conference title game.
But more discomforting for the Aggies (4-3, 1-1 MW) is the potential loss of quarterback Darell Garretson. The sophomore from Chandler, Arizona, left the game in the second half with a wrist injury and backup Craig Harrison finished the game in his place.
Utah State coach Matt Wells isn’t sure how long Garretson will be out, but he said after the game his team is preparing to move forward with Harrison — even if it’s for “a minute,” Wells added.
Here are grades for the rest of the Aggies in their first road loss in conference play since 2011.
Joe Hill started to come back and he looked like he was leading a resurgence in the run game early in the opening half, but the offense finished with only 100 yards on 20 carries as a unit. Hill led the way with 71 yards on nine carries, but 59 of those yards came on his touchdown run in the first quarter. Upstart two-way player Nick Vigil had one carry, and Harrison was third in rushing with 15 yards on one scramble.
Through the air, Hunter Sharp saw his four-game streak of 100 yards or more disappear. The junior college transfer hauled in two catches for 33 yards. No receiver topped 46 yards, and the unit only amassed 160 yards on 15 catches.
Garretson completed 14-of-19 passes for 132 yards and an interception before his injury, and Harrison struggled in a relief effort with 5-of-12 passing for 28 yards.
Defensively, the Aggies were sound with a strong outing led by the usual suspects — Zach Vigil had a team-high 13 tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss for a unit that finished with a season-best eight sacks. Nick Vigil and Jalen Davis each had two tackles for loss and a sack, but the defense also didn’t force a turnover for only the second time in 30 games. Utah State forced 19 turnovers in its previous five games combined.
The secondary also allowed Colorado State star Rashard Higgins to grab 10 passes for 187 yards, including a 46-yard completion that set up kicker Jared Roberts’ game-winner in the final seconds.
Utah State’s specialty players showed up in front of a sellout crowd on the other side of the Rocky Mountains, and many of the special teams players took the spotlight.
Nick Diaz was 2-for-2 on field goals for the second straight game, knocking down three points from 24 and 32 yards. Sharp stepped in to return kicks and rattled off a 21-yard return, and Jaron Bentrude averaged 42.6 yards on seven punts, including a season-high 53-yard punt in the second quarter.
Defensively, the Aggies did enough to win, but the Rams made one more kick on special teams and held the Utah State offense to one touchdown to snap the Aggies' four-season road conference win streak and move to 6-1 on the year.
Though nothing is known for certain and more examinations are imminent, Garretson’s injury may keep him out for longer than Saturday night’s game. If that happens, the offense will need to learn to move under Harrison or it could be a long slog through the Mountain West for the Aggies.
