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LOGAN -- The home opener for the Aggies of Utah State was the tale of two halves. While the Aggies came out quite flat and at times, the Aggies went on a run of 23 unanswered points in the third quarter and never looked back. The Weber State Wildcats were able to score 17 points in the first half, but never again were they able to taste the end zone.
Observation 1:
Head coach Gary Andersen began the game very conservatively on offense with freshman quarterback Chuckie Keeton throwing the ball only nine times in the first half, completing six of those passes for a total of 43 first half passing yards. The second half proved to be a stomping ground for the Aggies scoring 23 unanswered points in the third quarter on several big plays from junior running back Robert Turbin and freshman quarterback Chuckie Keeton. Utah State is most successful when they run the ball and allow Keeton to make plays with both his arm and his legs.
Observation 2:
The Utah St. defense is solid when they aren't committing penalties. In the first half the Aggies allowed themselves to give Weber St. two first downs on penalties that led to scores. In the second half is when Coach Andersen put the clamps on the penalties and the Weber State offense. The linebacker blitzes became more frequent and the Wildcat first downs became scarce. If the Aggies can solidify the defensive secondary they will be extremely difficult to score on.
Observation 3:
Chuckie Keeton is a very impressive young quarterback (throwing his first career touchdown on a 49-yard pass to junior wide receiver Matt Austin) but he was, at times, obviously a true-freshman. Keeton was unable to complete down the field passes to open receivers and on one occasion put the ball on the ground for a sack-fumble at a time when taking the sack would have been the more appropriate play. As the game wore on though, Keeton was able to find his footing and complete the game10-15 for 166 yards and two touchdown passes. Keeton has a future as the starting quarterback for USU and has the talent to be very successful with more experience under his belt.
Observation 4:
When Utah State makes big plays on the ground, they have the weapons to make big plays through the air. For the first Utah State drive of the fourth quarter, the Aggies began their drive from their own one-yard line. After junior running backs Robert Turbin and Kerwynn Williams ran for gains of 34 yards and 36 yards respectively, freshman quarterback finished off the 99-yard drive with a 29-yard touchdown making the score 47-17 in the Aggies favor. That pass effectively ended the night for most USU starters on offense and defense.
Observation 5:
Weber State is no Auburn. Simply put, the Wildcats were able to play with the Utah State Aggies of the first half, but were not able to keep up with the squad who came out in the second half. While the Aggies began the game flat and out of sync, they played the third quarter like the team who played beautifully against Auburn last week. A truer test of what kind of football team the Aggies are will be in the next coming weeks against Colorado State and instate rivals BYU.
Email: onlinesports@ksl.com
