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HONOLULU -- The tables turned this time for the Aggies of Utah State as they traveled to Honolulu and stole a victory from the Hawaii Warriors. When the game seemed most bleak for the Aggies is when head coach Gary Andersen was able to pull the most out his squad and pull out the win.
Here's a look back on the top performers of the game.
Bryant Moniz, Hawaii senior quarterback: The Warrior signal caller set the tone for Hawaii throwing for 227 yards on 27-43 passing and two touchdowns. Moniz made plays on his feet all night starting by rushing for two touchdowns in the second quarter alone, finishing the night with 75 yards on the ground and another two scores. Not only did Moniz run for yards but he was also able to escape USU pressure and get the ball downfield through the air. Late in the first half Moniz eluded a Bojay Filimoeatu sack and connected with junior wide receiver Jeremiah Ostrowski for an 18 yard touchdown.
Adam Kennedy, Utah State junior quarterback:
Utah State defense: There aren't enough words to describe how the Aggie defense came out in the second half. The Warrior high-powered offense was held to just three points in the second half after scoring 28 in the second quarter alone. On three separate occasions the Aggie defense came up with the big stop on fourth down and forced a turnover on downs. Junior defensive linemen Bojay Filimoeatu was certainly a big-time player in this game recording a sack and a tackle for loss on Hawaii's last true drive.
Filimoeatu said the team's second half performance was due the fact the Aggies were "embarrassed by our performance in the first half."
Stanley Morrison, Utah State senior wide receiver: Morrison extended his WAC leading consecutive game with a reception record (32 games) with two catches for 105 yards including a 72-yard touchdown deep pass from junior quarterback Adam Kennedy. Perhaps the most impressive plays Morrison made all night were on special teams. After the USU offense had sputtered, Morrison took a direct snap fake punt and ran for a first down. Later in the game Morrison completed a tip-drill first down pass to freshman running back Joe Hill. This is certainly a game Morrison will remember for the rest of his life.
Utah State coaching staff: Many have been complaining about the Aggies lack of offensive creativity and aggressiveness as well as the lack of finishing power from the Aggie defense, but credit must be given where credit is due. The Utah State coaching staff came out after an embarrassing first half and made the adjustments that needed to be made to knock off a very powerful Hawaii team. The Aggies were aggressive on both offense and defense and the play calling was near perfect, coming up with big play after big play. The largest stat of the night may be Utah State out-passing Hawaii (USU finished with 239 yards passing to Hawaii's 227 yards). Aggie- faithful know that this is only one game though and Utah State will need to carry this momentum through the final four games of the season to hope to become bowl eligible this season.
It was a rough start for the Aggies, but they managed to leave Aloha Stadium with a victory. Their hearts will be heavy as they leave the islands of Hawaii without true- freshman quarterback Chuckie Keeton who will stay overnight in a Honolulu hospital. The good news is that Keeton has movement in all his extremities and if all is well will be able to return to Logan Sunday night with the Utah State training staff.
Email: onlinesports@ksl.com
