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EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — In a nailbiter, the Aggies squeaked out their second win of the season Saturday afternoon against Connecticut.
After a hard-fought fourth quarter with less than a minute to play, UConn's Jelani Stafford scored a potential game-tying touchdown to bring the score to 34-33. Stafford is a guy who, per coach Utah State coach Blake Anderson, creates a problem for the defense and is a "big massive dude."
The two-way defensive tackle scored two rushing touchdowns and played a big role in nearly every short yardage situation for the Huskies on both sides of the ball.
On the ensuing PAT, however, Aggies safety Ike Larsen found a hole in the opposing field goal unit and blocked the kick. The Huskies' onside kick was recovered by Jalen Royals, and quarterback Cooper Legas finished the game in victory formation.
"We kind of figured out that that right side was the weak link of the block of the field goal and PAT, so when the time was right, we called the block," said Larsen, who extended his own school record with his fifth career block.
Larsen said he doesn't understand how teams haven't figured out he has a talent for blocking kicks, but he will continue to block them until teams start to block him.
The close victory certainly wasn't the score the Aggies hoped for, but as a team who just improved to 2-3 on the season, they don't have a lot of room to complain.
"It's a win," Anderson said. "I would say it's an ugly win, but it's a win, and right now we'll take it any way we can get."
The Aggies are now 9-1 under coach Anderson in one-score games.
Utah State's first half offensive efforts were, once again, unimpressive. They accumulated just 7 points and 97 total yards, holding the ball for only 17 total plays and less than six total minutes. Their 7 points and 75 offensive yards came in the last minute of the first half.
After another dismal Aggies start, in which Utah State found itself down 17-0 with less than a minute remaining in the first half, the Aggies got some momentum and scored 24 unanswered points to take the lead.
During the comeback, quarterback McCae Hillstead got smashed on a late hit and left the game injured. Anderson later confirmed that he suffered a concussion and that details about his recovery are unknown. Hillstead did not return to the game.
Legas, the Aggies' starter at the beginning of the season, took the reins of the offense in stride and went on a tear with something to prove. Legas finished 11-of-13 for 204 yards, three touchdowns, and did not throw any interceptions.
"He's done a phenomenal job," said Anderson, who added that since being replaced by Hillstead, Legas has "worked his tail off."
Legas' favorite target seemed to be Royals, who put up big numbers of his own with 185 receiving yards and three touchdowns on seven receptions.
Though the Aggies finished with 315 passing yards, Terrell Vaughn notably finished with no receptions and just one target, which was called as a pass interference against the Huskies.
"If somebody wants to double Terrell … that just makes life that much more fun and enjoyable for the other (receivers)," Anderson said. "We trust every guy we put out there, and we don't mind going to any of them."
The win marks the Aggies' final nonconference contest of the season. They will look now to a challenging two-game home stretch against Colorado State and Fresno State.
