Saturday's 35-28 win over Idaho that set up Utah State as front-runner in the Big West football race gave the Aggies their best conference start (3-0) since 1980, their first three-game win streak and most wins in a season (five) since they won seven in the bowl year of 1993.
Another possible bowl bid is a big motivator, even for freshman RB Demario Brown, who had his second straight 100-yard+, three-touchdown game in his second straight start.Brown's first-half scores had USU ahead 21-14. The Vandals used pass interference to set up a 17-yard TD play to tie and scored again 12 seconds later after they pooched a kickoff, recovered the ball at the Aggie 32 and scored in one play for a 28-21 third-quarter lead.
USU rallied to own the fourth quarter and win. "We knew what we had to do and went out and did it," said Brown. Why? "That ring," he said. "We worked too hard for it to give up."
Brown, QB Matt Sauk and RB Abu Wilson (two TDs) all spoke well of the offensive line.
"All day long they knew they could do it," said Brown.
"They did a tremendous job," said Wilson, noting they play every snap. "They don't substitute. They fight the whole game. If we win, it's because of them," he said.
"The offensive line showed up for four quarters," said Sauk, who separated his throwing shoulder when tackled while making a crucial third-down pass to Nakia Jenkins. Sauk (17-for- 39-241 yards) became the 11th USU player to throw for 2,000 yards in a season (he has 2,195), and Jenkins (10-159) is seventh in USU history to have a 1,000-yard receiving season (1,117).
Jenkins asked for the third-and-8 play that kept the winning drive alive. "I told coach (Bob) Petrino, 'Let's go 81,' since we had been beating them all day on 81 routes," he said. "(Sauk) was going down, and I beat the guy, and the ball was coming, so all I could do was catch the ball," said Jenkins, who made a diving grab. One play later, he caught a 26-yard pass from reliever Patrick Mullins, and two plays later, Wilson scored the winner.