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BOISE — It is easy to forget in the Aggies 41-15 that early in the fourth quarter it was 13-6 and Toledo was knocking on the door looking to tie the game up.
While Utah State's offense was struggling to score on their own the defense turned the game around twice with red-zone stands to give the Aggies their eleventh win and first bowl win in nearly two decades.
Terrance Owens checked in at quarterback for Toledo for the first time trailing 13-6 in the second half. He began a drive that would ultimately turn the game around. Just not the way he wanted it to.
Owens drove his team down to the 9 when Toledo was forced into a 4th and 1. The Rockets had the play clock run down and called a timeout to set up their play.
Owens had led them down the field and he was going to try to take them over the top. In the shotgun with blockers packed tight and he looked to power in. He ducked low, put his head down and and picked his spot, but the Aggies front line didn't budge.
He said that he chose his spot early and chose wrong and that his eyes were a tell that allowed the defense to pick the play.
After a scrum the refs came in and placed the ball just in front of the hash mark and the Aggies took over ready with momentum.
"We just looked into each other eyes and got the call, we knew it was going to be a quarterback draw," said Utah State defensive lineman Bojay Filimoeatu." The defensive line hit every hole perfect. We're just great players, and great players make great plays coach always tells us that."
Kerwynn Williams lost the momentum and the ball one play later forcing the Utah State defense back out.
After a five minute drive with the defense holding on for dear life the senior running back lost the ball and forced them back onto the field.
"The effort tonight was just like the effort all season long," USU coach Gary Andersen said. "These kids have done a tremendous job of wrapping their arms around the scheme and playing hard. Their ability to communicate is impressive. That is something the normal football fan may not understand and see. Their ability to get in and out of things."
Toledo took the ball back over at the 29 and it looked like they were losing control. A first down on the ground to bring the ball to the 15 then the defense dug in again. They gained three yards in three plays and ended kicking a field goal.
It wasn't as much momentum as the fourth down stop, but Filimoeatu said that the field goal was a win, and the next offensive series proved it.
Utah State got the ball back and went 70 yards in two plays with a 63-yard run for the previous goat Williams. From what could have been a tie game or even a Toledo lead became a 20-9 lead and then the Aggies broke the game open.
