Game day grades: Utah State vs. Colorado State

LOGAN -- This year's homecoming game definitely had all the drama of a Hollywood motion picture and extra tension to boot. But in the end, it wasn't meant to be as turnover problems plagued the Aggies once again with their special teams unit and they fell 35-34 in double overtime against Colorado State. Utah State now looks forward to next week's matchup against the BYU Cougars in the Battle for the Old Wagon Wheel. But before we look forward, let's take a look at the Aggies game day grades.

Quarterback: C-
Chuckie Keeton really couldn't get it going tonight in Aggieland. He fumbled in the first quarter ,seemed out of his rhythm for the rest of the night, and looked like a true freshman for the first time in his USU career. Keeton passed for only 86 yards on the night, completing 9-of-15 passes. However, the Aggies hardly looked downfield at all throughout the game and relied heavily on the run game.

Running Backs/Full Backs: B
Robert Turbin led the Aggies in the rushing game all night long as he has during the first two games of the season. Turbin had a monster game, rushing 24 times for 115 yards and four touchdowns in the loss. Chuckie Keeton, Michael Smith, and Kerwynn Williams also chipped in on the total of 281 yards rushing on the night, with Williams also collecting a touchdown. You would think looking at those stats that their grade would be higher, right? The last play of the game brings down their grade overall with Robert Turbin unable to get into the end zone on the two-point conversion attempt. If the Aggies want to be considered as a program that has fully turned the corner, they have to make clutch plays in clutch situations. That didn't happen on Saturday night against Colorado State.

Wide Receivers/Tight End: C+
The wide receivers and tight ends had a tough time getting into the action as only 15 passes were thrown all night long. The leading receiver for Utah State on the night was Matt Austin, who had three receptions and 35 yards. That was basically it for the passing game. It can be hard on the receivers who play on a run oriented team like Utah State. They didn't have tons of opportunities to get into the game and didn't capitalize on the few chances they had.

Offensive Line: B+
The offensive line held their own all night long. They gave good pass and run protection to the position players and did their job effectively. They made only a few mistakes, but the ones they did make cost the team. The big glaring mistake was the poor run blocking on the two-point conversion attempt at the end of the game where Robert Turbin was stopped short of the goal line. Part of the blame can be placed on the offensive line with the other part being placed on Robert Turbin.

Overall Offense: B-
The offense came alive during parts of the game, but it seemed inconsistent throughout the game. The Aggies collected 367 yards of offense on the night, but it seemed as if the Aggies could have had more. They didn't have all of their pieces working together at the same time on Saturday night and in the end it cost them the victory.

Defensive Line: C-
The defensive line could not seem to stop the rushing attack of the Rams. It seemed as if they were beaten left and right all night long. Huge gaps between the lineman allowed for the Rams running backs to run wherever they wanted to, even if they only collected 124 yards rushing. The line couldn't plug the holes in the sinking ship and the Rams came back to win the game.

Linebackers: B
Bobby Wagner and company did what they could to help out the defensive line against the Rams' offense. Wagner collected 17 tackles while Kyle Gallagher had 10 tackles. The linebacking crew did the best they could in trying to cover their position and make up for the deficiencies in the line. However, they couldn't get the stops when they needed them the most.

Defensive Backs: D-
The defensive backs need to go back to the drawing board and start over from square one. They were beat all night long up and down the field. The secondary missed key coverage assignments at the most crucial times of the game, especially late in the 4th quarter and in both overtime periods. The Colorado State passing game hasn't been prolific so far this season, but the USU secondary made them look pretty good on Saturday.

Overall Defense: C-
Much like the offense, the defense couldn't work together all at the same time on Saturday in Logan. The Rams had the football quite a bit more than the Aggies did on offense, which made the defense have to stay out on the field for a long time. The defense was tired and weary and just couldn't get it done.

Special Teams: F
Miscues on special teams cost the Aggies a victory. It was plain and simple. The punt return team muffed on two punts that gave great field position to Colorado State inside the Aggies 30-yard line. The last punt of the game should have been left alone, but Eric Moats called for a fair catch with three CSU players around him and dropped the ball. The Rams avoided Kerwynn Williams all night long as he only had one return for 16 yards. Tyler Bennett had an average night, punting seven times with an average of 45.3 yards per punt. The special teams absolutely must get better if the Aggies plan on improving on last season's record of 4-8 and going to a bowl game.

Overall Team: C-
Two heartbreaking losses in a month for the Aggies brings the team to a crossroads for the remainder of the season. This was a very winnable game against Colorado State, but miscues, poor ball control and horrible decisions led to turnovers and ultimately a loss for Utah State. The Aggies have only themselves to blame for the loss and now have to stare at the possibility of a 1-3 record after next week's game against BYU in Provo. Out of the three games the team has played this season, Saturday's double overtime loss to Colorado State was by far the poorest played game.

Email: onlinesports@ksl.com

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