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LOGAN – Craig Harrison and Darell Garretson both struggled in their efforts to replace Chuckie Keeton in the Aggies' 34-23 loss to Boise State Saturday night.
Harrison got the nod to start for Utah State, which was seeking its first win against Boise State since 1997.
Offensively, three three-and-outs to start the game had Aggie fans second-guessing head coach Matt Wells’ decision.
Meanwhile the Broncos used a blend of running back Jay Ajayi’s power and wide receiver Shane Williams-Rhodes’ speed to jump out to a 10-0 lead.
“Jay Ajayi runnin some dudes down,” tweeted @reflectivity.
Utah State's Nevin Lawson intercepted Boise State quarterback Joe Southwick on the Broncos’ next series, and following Jaron Bentrude’s fourth punt of the first quarter the Aggies’ defense again stepped up by forcing a three-and-out.
“USU defense is doing a heck of job IMO. Been on the field a TON,” tweeted @DesNewsKraig.
The Harrison-led offense showed signs of life on its resulting possession. Travis Reynolds hauled in a deep ball, setting the Aggies up at the Boise State 10. Joey DeMartino took the handoff on the next play and bulldozed forward for nine yards. His next carry on second-and-goal got Utah State on the scoreboard.
Boise State answered right back on its subsequent series by going 91 yards in just under five minutes to re-extend its lead to 10. Southwick found Williams-Rhodes in space on three different occasions during the Broncos’ march down the field.
“Williams-Rhodes is showing some super skills,” tweeted @barklikeadog.
Lawson’s efforts to try and stick with the Boise State speedster opened up space for Southwick to trot into the end zone on a third-and-five from the Utah State 7.
The Aggies appeared to gain some momentum on their next drive, but stalled after a 15-yard penalty for an illegal block. The Broncos quickly took advantage of their seventh offensive series of the first half and were aided by a bizarre delay of game call against the Aggie defense.
Southwick hit his receiver in stride to put the Broncos up by 17 points.
Aggies fans turned to mourning the loss of their star quarterback as their collective outlook on the remainder of the season became bleak.
Utah State wasn’t giving up and bounced back with a seven-play 59-yard drive that ended in a Nick Diaz 33-yard field goal.
A strange sequence of events ensued after Boise State elected to kneel the ball twice inside its own 20. Wells called a timeout to stop the clock after each two-yard loss, and a stop of Ajayi on third down forced the Broncos to punt from inside their 10 with 18 seconds left on the clock.
“Really Utah State with the timeouts? Classy,” tweeted @simply__sadie.
“Matt Wells master of the timeout. Go USU Aggies!” tweeted @R8RCODY.
Devin Centers busted through the Boise State wall on fourth down and blocked the punt, setting the Aggies up at the Broncos’ 12 with 12 seconds to go until halftime.
Two Harrison lobs to the corner of the end zone fell incomplete and Utah State was forced to try for three. Yet the Broncos made a huge special teams play to maintain their 10-point lead.
The Aggies got the ball to start the second half, but their fifth three-and-out gave possession back to Boise State, which used Southwick to Williams-Rhodes connections to hastily move into Aggie territory and score on the tandem’s fourth hookup of the drive.
“Williams-Rhodes is so good he has two last names,” tweeted @zenor_baby4.
“Shane Williams-Rhodes has 75 catches tonight. Probably,” tweeted @DesNewsKraig.
The clamoring for freshman Darell Garretson gained steam with Utah State now down by 21.
“Want to see garretson in for @usufootball. Give him a chance,” tweeted @usugoalie13.
Fans hoping for the Garretson for Harrison substitution got their wish, but one three-and-out and Garretson’s first interception introduced an alternative perspective.
"#USU is going to throw a True Frosh to the wolves? nice move,” tweeted @iwasrun.
“Utah State essentially throws in the towel by playing true freshman at QB,” tweeted @PhilDailey.
Garretson made a nice throw that allowed Reynolds to adjust and make a 40-yard grab prior to throwing his first pick, however he insisted on forcing the ball downfield on numerous plays. Both of his interceptions were thrown out of the reach of his intended receivers and were easily caught by Bronco defenders.
“Utah State sans Chuckie = Utah State circa 2006,” tweeted @lindetrain.
The mistakes and consequent 21-point deficit prompted a mass exodus from the Aggie sellout crowd.
“Disappointed in USU students. Leaving in 3rd quarter is indefensible,” tweeted @AaronPeck.
Boise State turned the takeaway into three points to go up by 24, and the Utah State offense continued to sputter. Lawson made another strong play by intercepting Southwick a second time. He returned it 65 yards to pull the Aggies within 18.
Utah State had additional opportunities to get back into the game but converted just 3 of 15 third downs compared to the Broncos’ 8 of 17. Though the outcome of the game had already been decided, Garretson led his team 91 yards and notched his first career touchdown pass to give fans hope.
Utah State (3-4, 2-1) travels to Albuquerque next week to try and remain competitive within the Mountain West Conference against New Mexico (2-4, 0-2). Kyle Spencer is a ksl.com intern. He is studying journalism at Utah Valley University and is the sports editor of the UVU Review. Follow him on twitter @kyledspencer.
