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MOSCOW, IDAHO — The entire community let out a sigh of relief when senior linebacker Bobby Wagner picked off a pass in the end zone to keep Utah State's bowl hopes alive in a thrilling double-overtime win over Idaho 49-42 on Saturday.
“We know in the close losses that we had we were a couple plays away from winning,” Wagner said. “We just stayed positive about the whole situation, and it’s starting to turn our way. Two more wins and we get to this bowl game and everybody is happy.”
Tied at 35 in the fourth quarter, Idaho kicker Trey Farquhar was poised to give his team the lead with a 44- yard field goal well within his range.
Farquhar’s kick hit the left upright and bounced off, giving the ball back to the Aggies on the 26, with just under seven minutes to go in regulation.
After a couple of punts, Utah State started a drive at its own 34, but junior running back Robert Turbin was stripped by senior linebacker Tre’Shawn Robinson, and Idaho took the ball back on the USU 43-yard line with 1:40 left in regulation.
The Aggie defense held strong, and overtime ensued after a Vandals punt.
“I felt very good going into overtime, I really did,” USU head coach Gary Andersen said. “I felt like the offense was kind of starting to take over and the power play was working very, very well consistently. I thought if we could get them into a fourth-down scenario and stop the run, we’d be fine.”
We know in the close losses that we had we were a couple plays away from winning. We just stayed positive about the whole situation, and it's starting to turn our way. Two more wins and we get to this bowl game and everybody is happy.
–Bobby Wagner
The two teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime, and the Aggies struck first in the second when Turbin took the ball in from the 2-yard line, on the fourth play of the drive, to make it 49-42.
Turbin had 208 yards on 24 carries for three touchdowns. He reached a career milestone of 3,000 rushing yards with his effort.
Idaho took over and on second and two, cornerback Jumanne Robertson picked off Brian Reader’s pass to receiver Mike Scott in the end zone, but the interception was overturned upon review.
Two plays later Reader connected with sophomore receiver Daniel Micheletti to earn a first and goal from the 8-yard line.
Runningback Kama Bailey rushed on each of the next two plays, getting down to the 2-yard line. On third and goal, Reader pitched to running back Korey Toomer, who was stripped by Utah State D-lineman Havea Lasike.
Idaho recovered the fumble on the 3 and took a delay-of- game penalty on the next play.
Facing the last-chance fourth and goal from the 8, Reader threw a bullet over the middle to tight end Michael LaGrone, but Wagner jumped through the air and tipped the ball to himself for the game-winning interception before a teammate tackled him to end the game.
“They’d been killing us with No. 80 (LaGrone) the whole game,” Wagner said. “I knew they were going to throw it to him. I knew my job was just to make sure I’m in the flight pattern. I knew they were going to try and throw it over me. God blessed me to make the play.”
Wagner finished the game with 11 tackles and one interception. Junior defensive back McKade Brady led the Aggies with 16 tackles.
Idaho overcame a 21-7 deficit in the second quarter to get back into the game. Farquhar hit a pair of 23-yard field goals on either side of halftime to make it 21-13, and defensive back Ashley Quin ran back a 78-yard interception to tie the game at 21, with 8:19 in the third quarter.
Toomer had three touchdowns in the contest. Reader went 27 of 39 with one interception for 275 yards and one touchdown.
“We probably played better defense all day long in the red zone than we did in the middle of the field,” Andersen said. “I thought we played poor defense overall.”
Tavin Stucki is a sophomore journalism student at Utah State University. He is the sports editor and football beat writer for the Utah Statesman, the Aggie campus newspaper. Twitter: @tavinstucki
