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PROVO -- With yet another difficult loss under their belt, the Utah State Aggies have some things to work on. Although the offense played well and the defense definitely gave it their all, the Aggies fell short at the end giving up the game-winning touchdown pass, on a tipped ball, with only 11 seconds left on the clock losing 27-24 to the BYU Cougars.
Observation 1:
Utah State junior running back Robert Turbin is a very good player and may well one day earn a paycheck playing on Sundays. Turbin opened up passing lanes for freshman quarterback Chuckie Keeton by putting his head down and carrying potential tacklers for extra yards. Not only were the passing lanes opened, but the Aggie playbook as well. Turbin's success on the ground gave offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin the ability to call several option and play-action calls that gave Utah State big gains. Head coach Gary Andersen definitely relied on all of his running backs with senior Michael Smith rushing nine times for 87 yards and junior Kerwynn Williams carried the ball 10 times for a total off 55 yards.
Observation 2:
True-freshman quarterback Chuckie Keeton is young and talented. Keeton not only made plays with his arm (13 for 25, 122 yards and two passing touchdowns), but he also made plays with his legs. The freshman QB rushed 10 times for a total of 55 yards. He was able to extend passing plays by moving around the pocket, and at times out of it, to avoid the rush and all the while keeping his eyes downfield looking for an open receiver. Keeton created many problems for the BYU side of the ball, but when the game was on the line, the offense could not move the ball and put the Cougars on ice.
Observation 3:
We've been able to see that Utah State has had problems against the pass so far this season, but now we're seeing another shortcoming: a running quarterback. When USU transfer, BYU senior quarterback Riley Nelson entered the game the Aggies seemed to lose some of their fire on defense, hesitant to collapse the pocket. With sophomore quarterback Jake Heaps on the bench, the more accurate Nelson was able to find the holes in Aggie defense passing for 144 yards on 10 of 14 and two scores. Nelson also rushed for 68 yards on 11 carries. As the season progresses, USU won't face the same talent level and will be able to cover up on some of their defensive inefficiencies, but after downing a punt at the four-yard line the Aggies were unable to defend Nelson and gave up the final touchdown pass. The defense played very well, but seemed just too tired to finish the game with a victory.
Observation 4:
As the third quarter become the fourth with the Aggies leading 21-13, it seemed that the Aggies became too predictable, too conservative. Allowing the Cougars to claw their way back into the game and ultimately win. It seemed as if offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin was calling plays to not lose, not to put the game away. After a key fumble recovery with 3:53 left on the clock, the Aggies ran up the gut three times only gaining one yard. Utah State was then forced to punt and Brigham Young was able to drive the ball down the field and win the game.
Email: onlinesports@ksl.com
