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SAN DIEGO — First quarter turmoil, second-half comeback, quarterback changes, a 50-yard Jalen Royals touchdown, and a late-game thriller. It was a game entirely true to character for Utah State, who outlasted San Diego State 32-24 in double overtime.
"I'm super excited with the outcome," Aggies head coach Blake Anderson said. "It was a tough night."
Despite three fake kicks and an attempted receiver pass play, the real excitement came late in the game.
After Aggies punter Ryan Marks fumbled a snap late in the game and botched the kick, the Aztecs offense drove the length of the field, and kicker Jack Browning put a game-tying field goal through the uprights with 33 seconds left in regulation.
Rather than use the 33 remaining seconds to try to get within field goal range, Anderson elected for overtime and ran a few conservative offensive plays — partially, maybe, due to the fact that starting placekicker Elliot Nimrod was suspended for violating team rules and did not travel with the team.
After trading touchdowns in the first overtime, the Aggies scored a touchdown and converted a 2-point conversion to begin the second overtime. Then, on fourth down of the ensuing San Diego State possession, Ike Larsen intercepted the Aztecs' pass. Ball game.
"We knew we could come out on top by just keeping faith in each other, so that's what we did," said Robert Briggs Jr, who scored the Aggies' go-ahead touchdown in the second overtime period.
McCae Hillstead started at quarterback for the Aggies and left late in the second quarter after an injury to his ankle that Anderson said was "severe enough that we didn't feel like he could be mobile in the second half."
Before exiting, Hillstead threw no touchdowns or interceptions, went 12-of-16 for 62 yards, and made a few nice plays with his feet.
All but three of the Aggies' points, however, were accounted for under the offense led by Cooper Legas, who was 11-of-15 for 167 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions — a good showing, once again, from Legas off the bench.
"Super proud of how Cooper came off the bench. This has been tough for him," Anderson said. "I just told the team in there I could not be more proud of the way he's handled himself. It's been tough to be back and forth, be the starter, not be the starter, all the things he's had to deal with. But, man, he's handled it like a pro."
Anderson added that Legas (and Hillstead) also did a good job protecting the football, which has been, according to Anderson, the one thing they have needed out of them.
Both quarterbacks were able to rely, once again, on wideouts Terrell Vaughn and Jalen Royals, who each finished with eight receptions and a touchdown as they neared the 100-yard mark.
The victory pushed the Aggies to 4-5 on the season and keeps their bowl hopes alive. ESPN favors the Aggies in two of their final three games, which would certainly make the six-win threshold for a bowl appearance attainable.
"We want to go to bowl games every year," Anderson said. "I think it's huge for recruiting, I think it's huge for our fan base, and we know we've got to earn it."
The Aggies' remaining schedule contains back-to-back home games against Nevada and Boise State, followed by their final game on the road against New Mexico on a Friday afternoon.
