LOGAN — Southern Utah nearly pulled a massive season-opener upset over Utah State as the Thunderbirds held the lead up to the final minutes before an Andrew Rodriguez punt return handed the Aggies their first lead of the night, 12-9, which they held to the end.
As the Aggies look ahead to next week’s Utah matchup, they’d better hope they got their jitters out — particularly in star quarterback Chuckie Keeton, who went just 16-of-33 for 110 yards.
But as USU coach Wells emphasized, Keeton is going to need more protection if he’s looking to stay healthy and improve his game.
“We have to be able to protect him. We did not protect him very well and we’re going to have to shore that up really quick. I can tell you that,” Wells said. “Because the guys we play next week will rush the pass a little bit better.”
Scoring recap: The Thunderbirds stopped the Aggies on their first offensive run with a punt block by Matt Holley, which was recovered by James Cowser on the Aggie 24. SUU didn’t let the work go to waste as QB Ammon Olsen connected with Mike Sharp on a 27-yard pass to put the season’s first points on the board.
The Aggies responded quickly as USU’s David Moala blocked SUU’s PAT, which was returned by Torrey Green to cut the T-Birds’ lead to four.
Utah State’s Brock Warren nailed a 30-yard field goal late in the first quarter to force a one-point game, trailing Southern Utah 6-5.
The second quarter was scoreless on both ends until SUU launched a drive with 1:30 to play in the second, which led to a Keita Calhoun 36-yard field goal to push the Thunderbirds ahead to enter halftime 9-5.
“I really liked the way our defense played and our punter really kept us in the game,” SUU head coach Ed Lamb said. “They were getting more field position on their drives than we were, but we kept the field position battle close and our punter was a big part of that.”
With six punts and no points, the third quarter suffered a scoreless drought. The drought continued well into the final quarter before Rodriguez returned a punt for an 88-yard touchdown, the third longest punt return in Aggie history. Maverik Stadium erupted as Rodriguez, the JC transfer back-up punt returner, sealed the Aggies’ home-opening victory.
Utah State’s three stars
Andrew Rodriguez, receiver
This one is a no-brainer. Rodriguez pulled on an Aggie uniform for the first time in the SUU matchup. Little did he know he’d be the man of the night. Throughout fall camp, the USU coaching staff has been searching for a punt returner. After rotating through punt returners as the night went on, it’s safe to say the Aggies have found the guy to get the job done. As far as numbers go, Rodriguez finished with 20 receiving yards and 136 punt return yards.
Nick Vigil, linebacker
Vigil wrapped up a game-high 13 tackles, five solo and eight assisted. His 13 tackles mark his seventh double-digit tackles in his career. The linebacker’s experience, composure and consistency provided a solid foundation for Aggie defense. Earlier this week, Vigil was named to the USA Today Sports 2015 All-America football team, and Thursday night he proved why.
LaJuan Hunt, running back
Hunt led the game with 90 rushing yards, including a 14-yard rush to wrap up the first half. The sophomore also had a career-high two receptions in the SUU matchup. As the leading rusher from last fall, Hunt is right on track for a repeat.
Analyzing the stats
USU
Senior OL Ben Wysocki, redshirt freshman WR Zach Van Leeuwen, redshirt junior WR Rodriguez, senior NG David Moala, senior CB Tyler Floyd and senior SS Marwin Evans all earned their first career starts
Keeton’s 33 pass attempts place him third all-time in school history career pass attempts with 902. Along with pass attempts, Keeton’s 11 rushing yards placed him 18th all-time with 1,241.
Rodriguez’s 88-yard punt return marked his first career touchdown and the third longest in school history behind Kevin Robinson (90 yards in 2004) and Dale Leatham (90 yards in 1950).
Braelon Roberts earned career-highs against the Thunderbirds in receptions (4) and receiving yards (25).
SUU
James Cowser posted .5 TFL, placing the senior defensive end that much closer to the all-time NCAA FCS record currently held by Sherrod Coates (2002) with 67. Cowser currently sits at 61.5.
Up next: Utah State hits the road to take on Utah next Friday. The Utes will face the Aggies after pulling a 24-17 victory over Michigan Thursday night. The Utes led just 3-0 to enter the second quarter before the Wolverines nailed a 29-yard kick to tie up the game. Utah’s Travis Wilson connected with receivers on four throws before Devontae Booker sealed the drive with a 1-yard touchdown.
Utah extended its lead late in the third quarter with a 14-yard touchdown run by Wilson and a PAT from Andy Phillips. Michigan responded by cutting the lead in half (17-10) in the third before the Utes answered as Justin Thomas returned a 53-yard interception for a touchdown.
The Wolverines tacked on a final touchdown with under a minute to play — but still fell short as the Utes took the win.
Someone is going to suffer their first loss next Friday at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Will it be the Aggies or the Utes?