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MOSCOW, Idaho -- If there is such a thing as "white- knuckle journalism", then Saturday's game between Utah State and Idaho at the Kibbie Dome was a fantastic example.
In a back and forth game that took two overtimes to decide, the Aggies pulled out a 49-42 victory to even their record on the season at 5-5 and move one step closer to their first bowl appearance since 1997.
It was not the prettiest of victories by any means.
With a winter storm raging in the Moscow area, the announced attendance of 8,216 looked more like 800 as the game got under way.
The sloppy conditions outside the dome seemed to relate to the sloppy defensive play by the Aggies inside of it.
Utah State gave up 450 total yards of offense, including 275 through the air to an Idaho team that averaged a meager 180.6 yards per game in passing offense coming into the game, a ranking of 96th in the nation.
The Vandals rushing attack also averaged 105.6 yards per game, ranking 107th in the nation before the game. Kama Bailey led Idaho to 175 total yards on the day against the Aggies run defense. Even with the letdown, USU held their opponent to less than 180 yards total rushing for the sixth consecutive game.
Despite the struggles of the USU defense, Bobby Wagner made up the difference as he intercepted Idaho quarterback Brian Reader at the goal line to seal the win for the Aggies in the second overtime.
While the defense struggled, the offense seemed to be clicking on all cylinders for Utah State. Adam Kennedy had another efficient outing as he was 13-for-18 passing for 182 yards and two touchdowns. However, he did throw one interception which was returned 78 yards for an Idaho touchdown in the third quarter. Kennedy also rushed seven times for 39 yards.
If Kennedy's performance can be classified as efficient, Robert Turbin's performance was flat-out dominant. The junior running back rushed for 208 yards on 24 carries and had three touchdowns, including an 80-yard score in the second quarter.
Turbin's performance marks the seventh time he has rushed for over 100 yards this season. He became the fifth 3,000 yard rusher in school history and set the all-time single season scoring record for the Aggies. Turbin also has 19 total touchdowns on the season, including 17 on the ground which also breaks Abu Wilson's school record for most rushing touchdowns in a single season.
Michael Smith chipped in 58 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns for the Aggies, who improve their rushing average to 6th overall in the nation at 273.9 yards per game. The offense has rushed at least 31 times for 35- straight games and scored a rushing touchdown in 10- straight games, including at least two rushing scores in the past five games.
The receiving corps improved once again this week as they have become a more integral part of the offense now that Kennedy is under center.
Stanley Morrison had three catches for 83 yards and a touchdown while Travis Van Leeuwen also had three receptions for 40 yards and a score. Matt Austin caught three balls for 26 yards as well for the Aggies.
Morrison extended his WAC-leading games with a reception streak to 34 in a row.
Despite the offensive success throughout the game, Utah State reverted to conservative play-calling at certain points in the game by offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin. After leading 21-10 at halftime, the offense stalled after more and more "safe" plays were called in, including a wide receiver screen play on 3rd-and-long late in the fourth quarter that resulted in a three-and-out.
If the Aggies want to have any sort of a chance at making it to a bowl game, the play-calling has to be more aggressive. If you haven't noticed, the Aggies are pretty darn good when they are given the green light to be aggressive.
The Utah State special teams did their fair share in the win over the Vandals. Placekicker Josh Thompson connected on all seven of his extra point attempts while Tyler Bennett and Stanley Morrison pinned Idaho deep in their own territory in the punting game.
Chuck Jacobs and Kerwynn Williams handled the kickoff return duties, combining for seven returns for 201 yards. Williams did fumble a return on the day for the Aggies, which seems to be a continuing issue for the special teams.
Utah State finished with 492 total yards, including 310 on the ground. It's the 15th consecutive game that USU has finished with at least 240 yards of total offense.
The Aggies were 6-for-13 on third down conversions, including a perfect 2-for-2 on fourth down conversions. USU was penalized seven times for a total of 75 yards.
The big difference in the overall team statistics was time of possession, as Idaho owned that category with an astonishing 38:29 total. That's nearly two-thirds of the game being played on the offensive end for the Vandals. Even more impressive is that Utah State scored 49 points in only 21:31 of game time.
Even with four turnovers, Utah State was clutch down the stretch as they have now won five games in a season for the first time since 2000. The win also marks the first three-game winning streak for the Aggies in 10 years and the first time they have won three straight WAC games.
Utah State improves to 10-9-1 overall in Moscow and now has their first three-game win streak against the Vandals in Moscow since winning four straight in the series between 1969 and 1997.
The Aggies will return home for a crucial Thanksgiving weekend tilt against the Nevada Wolf Pack this Saturday at Romney Stadium with kickoff scheduled for 12 p.m. MST. Nevada is coming off of a 24-20 loss at the hands of Louisiana Tech, dropping them out of first place in the WAC. A Utah State victory would make the Aggies bowl- eligible for the first time in 14 years.
