The last Utah State win against a Pac-10 opponent was clear back in 1961, when the Aggies - led by a guy named Merlin Olsen - defeated Washington State.
Thirty-seven years later, the Aggies had an excellent chance to knock off a Pac-10 opponent Saturday night at cold and wet Romney Stadium. But thanks to a pair of key second-half interceptions, they came up just short in a 20-16 loss to Oregon State.The painful loss, their eighth in the last two seasons by eight points or less, dropped the Aggies to 1-4, while Oregon State improved to 3-2.
"I'd like to curse right now and really swear up a storm," said Utah State coach Dave Arslanian. "It is really frustrating for our young men because they've really been battling. I feel for them because we are so close. You need to make plays and we made some and didn't make some."
This Oregon State squad wasn't a great Pac-10 team by any means. The Beavers have endured 27 straight losing seasons and have lost 18 straight road games dating back to 1994. On the other hand, the Beavers had won six straight nonconference games and earlier this year had crushed Big West favorite Nevada 48-6.
The Aggies played the Beavers to a standstill (353 yards to 346 for OSU), but two interceptions in Aggie territory led to the Beavers' only two touchdowns of the night and were the difference in the game.
Utah State came out in the second half with a 6-3 lead and the ball. However, on third-and-10 at the 20, quarterback Riley Jensen threw an ill-advised pass in the flat that was picked off by Andrae Holland.
Four plays later, the Beavers scored the first touchdown of the game when Terrance Bryant dove in from a yard out on a quarterback sneak.
The Aggies came right back, driving 80 yards in six plays, with Jensen hitting Ricky Brumfield with a 29-yard touchdown pass to make it 13-10 with 10:07 left in the third quarter.
A 61-yard kickoff return by Tim Alexander put the Beavers in great field position, but the Aggies held and forced a 36-yard field goal by Jose Cortez.
Late in the third quarter, the Aggies had a a couple of chances to score. Jensen found Brumfield in the end zone for an apparent 41-yard touchdown pass. The only problem was that Jensen threw it from the 40, and the Ags were penalized for an illegal pass.
Then on the ensuing punt, Alexander fumbled it at the 10. However, before the Aggies could jump on the loose ball, it rolled out of bounds at the 1-yard line.
On the Aggies' next possession, Jensen threw another poor pass into the flat that was intercepted by Ricky Walker. Five plays and less than a minute later, the Beavers were in the end zone on a 19-yard pass from Bryant to Greg Ainsworth. A 34-yard pass from Jensen to Robert Scott put the the Aggies at the OSU 21-yard line, but they stalled and had to settle for a 37-yard field goal by Brad Bohn with 8:46 left.
The Aggies had one more chance but had to punt and couldn't hold the Beavers on a third-and-16 play.
Jensen finished with 13-of-27 passing for 217 yards, while John Roberts led the rushing with 69 yards. As expected, the defenses dominated in the first half as the Aggies took a 6-3 lead on a pair of Bohn field goals.
It looked like the Beavers would go into halftime with a 6-3 lead, but Cortez missed a 33- yard field goal with 52 seconds left. On the Aggies first play, Riley Jensen threw a swing pass to Demario Brown, who, sprung by a block by guard Ken Watts, rambled down the left sideline for a 47-yard gain. Then Jensen connected with Brown on a 17-yard pass, afterwhich Jensen scrambled to the 3-yard line. But the Aggies couldn't get a play off and had to settle for a 20-yard field goal as time ran out.
The Beavers scored on their second possession as Cortez booted a 46-yard field goal with 11:21 left in the first quarter. The teams traded fumbles on three straight possessions as USU's Blake Eagal picked up a loose ball and ran 30 yards, but Jensen fumbled it back at the OSU 20-yard line. However, Donald Dicko recovered a Beaver fumble at the USU 47.
The Aggies moved into field goal range, but Bohn's 46-yarder was wide right, breaking his string of nine straight field goals this season.
GAME NOTES: The Aggies play another Pac-10 opponent Saturday when they travel to Seattle to face Washington . . . Wide receiver Adam Colbert sat out the game with an injuries along with safety Guerschom Demosthenes . . . Johndale Carty injured his shoulder early in the third quarter and didn't return.