Utah State racks up 37 unanswered points in 44-24 victory over Colorado State

LOGAN — Utah State came up big in its homecoming game Saturday night, beating Colorado State 44-24 to record the team's first conference win of the season.

For the fourth time this season, the Aggies finished the first quarter down by 14 or more points. The Rams had some early fireworks with a pair of early interceptions and a long punt return touchdown.

"I was honestly not sure we were going to be able to throw a forward pass all night long after the first two series," Aggies head coach Blake Anderson said.

In what has become Utah State's specialty, the Aggies then ignited a comeback after a 17-point deficit with 37 unanswered points, and Colorado State failed to score for 45 consecutive minutes. The Aggies' offense finished with 639 total yards, which ended up almost doubling that of the Rams' 320 yards.

"All it really takes is one big play and you can feel the energy shift," said Aggies quarterback Cooper Legas, who started in place of McCae Hillstead after sustaining a head injury last week against Connecticut. "As soon as (the running backs and receivers) get the spark going, then I think we've done a good job of rolling with it, we've just struggled getting the spark early."

Legas finished the night throwing for 387 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions on 19-for-29 of passing. He was consistently pressured by the dominant Rams defensive line who finished with six sacks and nine tackles-for-loss.

"I think the one thing he's doing really well right now is just kind of continuing the process when things don't go well," Anderson said of Legas. He declined to answer whether or not Legas would be the starter when Hillstead returns from injury, but did say that "it's going to take both of them to win" due to the physical nature of their schedule.

Though the Aggies accumulated 387 passing yards, only three players caught a pass: Jalen Royals, Terrell Vaughn and Micah Davis. All three finished with at least 100 yards and a receiving touchdown on the evening.

On the defensive side of the ball, there were a slew of turnovers forced by both teams, with the Aggies ultimately winning the turnover battle 5-4. Ike Larsen had two of Utah State's turnovers with a pair of interceptions. Larsen said that punching the ball out and winning 50-50 balls is emphasized extensively in their defensive practices.

"We practice that every single day in practice," he said. "It showed up tonight big time."

Notably, Utah State's punter Stephen Kotsanlee was carted off the field after a roughing the kicker penalty late in the game. Anderson later told media that the injury, which appeared to be sustained to his leg, was season-ending.

The entire Aggies team gathered around him on the cart in the middle of the field to show their support and love. Kotsanlee waved his arms, signaling to the crowd to keep cheering and staying excited. As he was carted off, the Aggies' student section chanted "MVP" repeatedly.

"You hate to see his career, or at least his season, end that way. … Our kids' hearts were broken," Anderson said. "But he'll come back strong; that's just who he is."

The ensuing play, in what seemed to be a tribute to Kotsanlee, was a 48-yard touchdown rush from Davon Booth, who finished with 14 rushes for 141 yards and two touchdowns. His 48-yard touchdown run was the final score of the night for the Aggies.

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