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AUBURN, ALA. -- The Utah State Aggies nearly pulled off the biggest upset of the young season Saturday in Auburn. But the Tigers prevailed in a last-minute comeback, beating the Aggies 42-38 in front of 90,000 in Jordan Hare Stadium. Let's take a closer look at each position and the overall performance of the Aggies.
Quarterback: A-
Chuckie Keeton led the Aggies' offense all day long, keeping the Auburn defense on the field for a total of just over 37 minutes. Keeton remained composed and made smart decisions with the football throughout the game. He went 22 for 30 with 213 yards through the aerial attack. It would have been nice to see a touchdown pass from Keeton, but he played within himself and within the offense. Not bad for a true freshman in his first start in front of a rabid SEC crowd against the defending national champions.
Running Backs/Full Backs: A
Robert Turbin was the most consistent of the Aggies' running backs, finishing with 22 carries for 70 yards and 2 TD's. Kerwynn Williams had the longest rush on the day, a 43-yard dash for the TD and the first score of the new season for Utah State. The lone dark spot for the Aggies was Michael Smith's tough day against the Tigers, rushing 6 times for only 12 yards. The running backs were all very patient in waiting for holes to open up in the line and they showed that the running game will be a stronghold in Logan this year. Overall, with 4 TD's on the ground game for the Aggies, you couldn't ask for much more.
Wide Receiver/Tight End: B+
There wasn't a whole lot of action for the passing game in terms of touchdowns, but Keeton definitely got his receivers involved. Matt Austin lead the receiving corps with 6 catches for 67 yards while Stanley Morrison, who missed all of 2010 due to injury, finished with 5 catches for 41 yards. The last minute heroics of Auburn forced the Aggies hand in throwing the football during the last 30 seconds of the game, but the Aggies receivers went cold and couldn't help out Keeton.
Offensive Line: B
The offensive line did a pretty good job of containing the Auburn defense with the exception of a few spurts in the 3rd quarter and late in the 4th quarter. The line made it possible for the USU running backs to find the gaps and gain some nice yardage. The line did their job for the most part, and if they could have those spurts in the 3rd and 4th quarter back, it might have been a much different outcome.
Overall Offense: A-
The offense moved efficiently throughout much of the game. With a true freshman quarterback and new additions to the offense going up against the vaunted defense of Auburn, it was quite the show. Utah State's underdog mentality helped them to stay poised and to patiently work through their offense. They kept the Auburn defense on the field and chewed up the clock.
Defensive Line: B+
Linebackers: B+
Bobby Wagner and company held the Tigers for much of the game. Wagner came up with some big tackles to help keep Utah State in the game. The meltdown in the 4th quarter was pushed along with the Aggies sudden inability to tackle the ball carrier. It seemed like Auburn's offensive players bounced off of the would-be Utah State tacklers several times on their way to the comeback win.
Defensive Backs: C
The coverage was good at times and not as good at the worst possible moment. It may have been the SEC speed of the Auburn receivers or just blown coverage assignments on the part of Utah State. The touchdown pass to Philip Lutzenkirchen, who isn't gifted with speed, really exposed the Aggies' coverage issues.
Overall Defense: B-
The defense helped get the Aggies ahead in the game and then helped bring Auburn back into the game. For the first 3 and a half quarters, Utah State for the most part had figured out Auburn and was shutting down their high-powered attack. The last 3 minutes of the 4th quarter was nothing but a nightmare for the defense, as they were unable to stop the bleeding. However, the way that they played up until that point is very encouraging for the Aggies moving forward.
Special Teams: D-
The only reason that the special teams' grade is not an F is because of the beautiful field goal made by Josh Thompson, a local Logan product, who had never attempted a field goal before. The special teams' is what really lost this game for the Aggies. There was the 97-yard kickoff return TD by Auburn's Tre Mason, who went virtually untouched the entire way to the end zone. There was numerous long returns made by Auburn on punt and kickoff returns all game long. And then there was that onside kick. Watching that play, it looked like no one from special teams wanted to be out on the field right then. The way in which no one from Utah State even came close to getting a hand on the ball was difficult to watch. Kerwynn Williams, who lead the FBS last year in return yards, was virtually non-existent on special teams.
Overall Team: B+
Playing an SEC team at the beginning of a season is never easy. The fact that Utah State nearly took Auburn wire-to-wire in Auburn's home stadium will go a long way for the Aggies, even if they ended up on the wrong side of the score. If the Aggies can correct their mistakes on defense and special teams, Utah State is going to have a really good shot at making it to a bowl this season.
Chuckie Keeton's performance ought to delight Aggies fans and be an encouraging sign that the culture and style of the program really is changing under head coach Gary Andersen.
Email: onlinesports@ksl.com
