It was the home finale for Utah State football, plus the senior send-off, so the Aggie football players made sure both went out with a bang. USU defeated San Jose State 62-24, extending its winning streak to nine games.
Here are some things from the past, things for the future, and things about the Mountain West with two weeks remaining.
Three things from the past: seniors and history
1. Senior secondary
Sticking with the senior send-off theme, shout-outs for the win over San Jose State will be given to some seniors. Jontrell Rocquemore, a personal favorite, made his mark on the game multiple times Saturday afternoon. He had a quarterback sack/fumble that was called back but then he tipped the following third-down play to force a punt. One play later, the Aggie offense scored on its first possession. The Rock had five tackles, one tackle for loss, and one QB hurry, too. He was everywhere. Another senior in the secondary, Deante Fortenberry, had an athletic breakup-turned-interception late in the game to secure a senior gift for himself.
2. Senior Nelson
DJ Nelson, the do-everything athlete from Logan High, caught a ball early in the game, then weaved 40 yards for a near TD. The Aggies ended on the 1-yard line thanks to his huge reception and punched the ball in the play after his catch. Nelson has played quarterback, placeholder, receiver, returner and basically everything else while in the blue and gray. He’s a glue-guy in the locker room, a hard worker, the ultimate teammate and a genuinely good guy to be around. Props to Nelson for his Aggie career.
3. More history
- The Aggies finished with 804 yards, tied for the 15th most in an FBS game since 2000. Two weeks ago, the Aggies grabbed 704 yards to break their school year. It was a short-lived record.
- USU broke its season record for points in a season, as the previous record was 454 from 2012. In addition, the Aggies have set the record for the most TDs in a season. The record was 60 and the number is currently at 66. Remember, the Aggies have two regular season games remaining.
- One such touchdown was a screen pass to running back Darwin Thompson who raced 88 yards to the house for a score. It was the sixth-longest pass play in program history and the longest since 1990.
- My favorite stat: 22 scoring possessions now under a minute.
- The Aggies average 51.3 points per game, now best in the nation. Oklahoma is second with 49 and Alabama third with 48.6. But, hey, look at the other side, too. The Ags give up 21.9 points per game, good for 31st best in the FBS while leading the country with 26 forced turnovers and eight non-offensive touchdowns.
PS:
Sophomore Jordan Love is a top-20 quarterback IN THE NATION when it comes to total passing yards, touchdowns, completion percentage and QB rating. He also hasn’t played 12 quarters this season due to blowouts. That’s essentially three games he has missed, which is a lot of stats left on the table. Just saying.
Things for the future: USU at Colorado State
All right, follow me for a second.
San Jose State gives up the 10th most points per game in the country at 38.7 a game. Hawaii gives up the 17th most at 36.5. Colorado State? Right in the middle, 12th worst, with 38.5.
Total yardage? A similar story. San Jose is eighth worst at 496 a game. Hawaii 21st at 454 and then Colorado State in the middle at 17th with 464 yards given up a game.
Now here's the connection. Against Hawaii, the Aggies gathered 601 yards en route to 56 points. Against San Jose State, the numbers ballooned to 804 total yards of offense and 62 points. If Colorado State gives up something in the middle, well, you do the math.
The Rams do have a high-octane offense, however, so keep that in mind as the game progresses Saturday afternoon. Senior K.J. Carta-Samuels guides an offense that can accumulate a lot of yards. Carta-Samuels has had three games with over 300 yards passing, including a 537 game against Hawaii, but he also has three other games in the 100s. Which version will be available on Saturday?
The receiver to watch is No. 11, junior Preston Williams. Williams has already surpassed 1,000 yards receiving on the season while also grabbing five touchdowns in the last five games.
ESPN's Power Football Index gives USU a 95.6 percent chance of coming back to Cache Valley with its 10th win of the season.
Two things and a quote:
1. Bronco watch
As you've heard by now, Fresno State went onto the Smurf Turf of Boise as the 2.5-point favorites. The Broncos wanted none of that and came away with the 24-17 "upset" over the No. 23 ranked Bulldogs.
The win vaulted Boise State back onto the national radar as it took over the No. 23 ranking spot. Its mantra now is to win and control its own destiny. As you also know, Utah State hopes to win and control its own destiny, too, and will take on Boise on the road on Nov. 24. The winner of that game will land in the conference championship game, which has been a goal for both teams all season long.
Boise head coach Bryan Harsin recently said, “it’s a matter of fact, we know what our goal is, to play in that championship game, and you have to win games to get into it.” He added, "We've got two guaranteed games left … a lot of work goes into where we are right now. (We have) a chance to finish it right and it starts with New Mexico this week.”
2. Bowl game watch
Nevada added its name to the list of postseason eligible teams with its win over Colorado State last weekend (49-10).
Hawaii looks for bowl eligibility this weekend against UNLV, something that seems likely (favored by seven; ESPN gives it a 68.5 percent chance of winning).
Wyoming needs to win its last two games to make the list, but it seems feasible. It will be at home versus 4-6 Air Force and then on the road versus 3-7 New Mexico.
Should Hawaii and Wyoming take care of business, the Mountain West Conference would have seven teams available for December football.
3. Shout-out for the home crowd.
If you attended every home game this season, you saw the Aggies go 6-0 and outscore opponents 357-128. Quarterback Love recognized the significance of such a feat but also gave some shout-outs to the Aggie fan base for being a part of it.
"That was our goal at the beginning of the season to be 6-0 at home, and we accomplished that," said Love. "It's a testament to how fun it is to play at home. We've got a good crowd out there."