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LOGAN — Darell Garretson had just played arguably the best game of his life.
The sophomore quarterback from Chandler, Arizona, completed 19-of-25 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns — and ran for another score — to lead the Aggies to an upset win over then-No. 18 BYU in Provo.
And he couldn’t wait to celebrate with his team.
“We did those one or two things, got off the ball and we did what we did. We made plays,” Garretson told the media after Friday night’s game.
Anything else, he inquired of the group of reporters. No? Garretson jumped up from the table, sprinted out of the room underneath LaVell Edwards Stadium and ran through a throng of traveling Aggie fans yelling “U-TAH STATE, U-TAH STATE!” and into the locker room, he and his teammates still screaming at each other following the first win in Provo since 1978 for Utah State (3-2, 0-0 MWC).
It’s fair to say he was happy. It’s also fair to say he was very good. And officials around the Mountain West Conference took notice Monday.
Garretson was named the Mountain West offensive player of the week following the Aggies’ win over their highest-ranked opponent in program history. Air Force’s Christian Spears and San Jose State’s Austin Lopez took league defensive and special teams player of the week honors, respectively.
Not bad for a sophomore who entered the season as the clear-cut backup to dark-horse Heisman candidate Chuckie Keeton.
“Being the backup quarterback is the hardest job in sports. I’ve been there. It’s good at times and not so good at times,” said Utah State coach Matt Wells, a former signal caller for the Aggies. “It’s probably a little more talent-driven than preparation-driven on my part. Adam Kennedy was a talented kid and Darell Garretson is a very talented kid. You coach them in a way that they’re always one play away. You play out all the scenarios in your head. You say that you’re going to get 30 percent of the reps, yet you’re responsible for 100 percent of the game plan. In Darell’s case, with eight months of knowing he was the backup after what he had done last year, that’s not coaching, that’s the kid. That’s how he was raised and how he was coached in high school. The kid has been ready to play and had played at a very high level. He’s really young, but he’s been successful. The key here now is to move on.”
Wells added during his weekly press conference Monday that, while the individual performance of Garretson was great, it was his team’s ability to rally behind the new starter that impressed him just as much.
“He’s had a high performance level and you lead by performance at quarterback, first and foremost before you even open your mouth,” Wells said. “If you have the performance and do what you’re coached to do, the O-linemen will respond. The running backs will respond. If you’re playing decently on offense, the defense will rally behind you. I think that’s the easiest part.”
The Aggies now move into their Mountain West schedule, which opens Saturday night at home against Air Force (4-1, 1-1 MWC).
But there were plenty of smiles during Utah State’s bus ride back to Logan, and all through the weekend.
“I think it’s a very, very big win for our program, especially on ESPN,” Garretson said. “We had a chip on our shoulder and we had something to prove.
“I can’t explain (the feeling). It’s awesome. It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever experienced.”
