Aggies run over Wildcats on field and stat sheet


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LOGAN -- If this article were merely about the first half of the Utah State-Weber State game, there wouldn't be much to report on from a statistical perspective.

Thank goodness for that Aggie offense!

Utah State ran over Weber State all throughout the second half en route to a 54-17 blowout victory on Saturday at Romney Stadium.

With the win, Utah State extends their winning streak over Weber State to six games, including a 7-1 mark overall at home and 12-1 all-time in the series between the two schools.

During the current win streak, the Aggies have outscored Weber State by an average of 22 points each time they take the field. With the win tonight, the average margin of victory climbs to 25 points.

The Aggies also collected their first three-game home opener winning streak since 2003-05. Utah State won the 2009 opener 53-34 over Southern Utah and the 2010 home opener 38-17 over Idaho State.

Once the dust had settled, the Aggies had pounded Weber State for 635 yards of total offense while running only 64 plays. That is an impressive 9.9 yards gained per play. Weber State only managed 213 total yards on 69 plays.

The Utah State offense was on the field for only 26 minutes total in the game. That is about 11 minutes less than last week against Auburn. However, the Aggies had four scoring drives that lasted three minutes or less, including a 99-yard drive that was finished in three plays. That drive was capped off with a 49-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Chuckie Keeton to Matt Austin. The touchdown also happened to be Keeton's first career touchdown pass.

Keeton connected with eight receivers on the night, completing 10 of 15 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns. Backup quarterback Adam Kennedy made his first appearance of the season, completing both of his passes for 29 yards.

Wide receiver Stanley Morrison only caught two passes on the night for nine yards, but in doing so, he increased his WAC-leading receptions streak to 26 games.

Running backs Robert Turbin, Kerwynn Williams, and Michael Smith combined for 337 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Overall, the Aggie offense churned out 461 yards rushing on the ground, which is the highest output by Utah State since 1960. It is also the largest amount of yards gained against Weber State all-time, dating back to 1976 when the Aggies ran for 342 yards against the Wildcats.

Utah State is now averaging 344 yards per game on the ground, good enough for fourth in the nation.

Turbin also had a career night to himself as he became only the eighth Aggie running back to hit the 2,000 career rushing yards milestone, finishing the game with 2,049 total rushing yards for his career.

Linebacker Bobby Wagner hit a milestone of his own as well, moving to No. 10 on the WAC's all-time tackles list. Wagner collected 10 tackles on Saturday tying him with fellow linebacker Kyle Gallagher, for the game high.

Utah State's next game is Saturday, Sept. 24th at home versus Colorado State. It is also Homecoming for the Aggies, with this game marking the 13th time that the Rams have played the Aggies in the Homecoming game. It will be the first match-up on Homecoming for both school since 1966, with Utah State leading the series 7-4 with one tie. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium.

Email: onlinesports@ksl.com

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