--- A new season of football had arrived, as summer turned into fall. This time, it was experienced from a new home after the move from Tulsa to Utah State, and from an offensive coordinator to head coach. The coaching staff and I had worked hard over the past months to get ready for the 2020 season, we just hoped it would be enough to improve upon the 0-12 record that the Aggies suffered last season. Starting off our new campaign, it wasn’t going to be easy my first game out, as we headed on to road to face an old foe, now rival, the Utah Utes in the Battle of the Brothers and the first leg of the Beehive Boot. We were underdogs going into the game, no one in the media giving us any chance. We were hoping to prove them wrong. We won the coin toss and elected to kick.
A 28 yard kickoff return got Utah started at their 27 yard line. A 6 yard pass from Jason McNeil to Derrick Barrett got the drive started for the Utes, followed by a 27 yard strike to Wendell Washington, setting Utah up with a first down at our 40 yard line. The defense would hit back, tackling Brady Bennett for a two yard loss on first down to bring up second and 12. A 9 yard reception to Clint Graham left third and three. The offense would race back to the line and exploit our defense being out of position, allowing Bennett to race around the right tackle for a 33 yard touchdown, giving Utah a 7-0 lead with 7:43 left in the first quarter.
A touchback on the kickoff got us lined up from our 25 yard line. Handing the ball off on first down, Preston Roberson took the carry for a 5 yard gain, followed by a 5 yard rush to get a first down at the 35. Powering his way outside the right tackle, Roberson was able to pick up four yards on the first down play. Looking to sneak one in on the defense, Adam Powers threw a quick pass to Dre Martin for a 12 yard completion, moving the chains to the Utah 49 yard line. Lining up in shotgun on first down, Powers winged up a pass to Eric McGuire, complete for a 15 yard gain to give us a first down at the 33 yard line. Roberson took the ball on first down, but was instantly stood up for no gain, the Utes trying their damnedest to shut down our running game early. The defense would also do their best to shut down our passing game, sacking Powers for an 11 yard loss, leaving third and 21. Powers found David Douglas along the right sideline for a 17 yard completion, but it wasn’t enough, leaving fourth and four form the 27. The 44 yard field goal by Richard Burnette was good, just barely clearing the crossbar and just barely getting inside the left upright, cutting Utah’s lead to 7-3 with 3:53 left in the first quarter.
No return on the kickoff got Utah set up from their 25. Utah would commit the first error of the game as McNeil ran to his right to avoid the pass rush, but was caught from behind by outside linebacker Casey Hunter. As Hunter was in the process of sacking McNeil, the ball was knocked loose, defensive tackle Marcus Garrett picking up the fumble and rushing 20 yards into the end zone for a touchdown, giving us a surprise 10-7 lead with 3:45 left in the first quarter.
Another touchback on the kickoff again got Utah lined up at their 25 yard line, the Utes hoping for much better this time around on offense. They wouldn’t have to wait long as Bennett broke a 24 yard rush, giving Utah a first down at the 49 yard line. Bennett would take the ball again around the left tackle, but our defense was able to bring him down for a one yard loss on the play. The Utes would keep swinging on the ground, Bennett fighting his way around the left side before being driven out of bounds for only a two yard gain. Lining up on third and 8, McNeil took a shot deep down the right sideline at the end zone, but the pass intended for Oliver Harris was broken up by out cornerback and safety around the 5 yard line, leaving fourth and 8 and the punt team coming out. The punt came down at the 10 yard line and bounced into the end zone for a touchback, giving us the ball at our 20 yard line.
Running around the right tackle to start the drive, Roberson was quickly brought down for no gain. Going into the air on second down, D. Martin was just able to haul the ball in for a 17 yard completion, before being flattened by the safety, moving the chains to the 37 yard line. Another rush by Roberson gained three yards, followed by an attempted rush by Powers, the middle linebacker dragging him down from behind for no gain. Lining up in the shotgun on third down, a pass over the middle to Tim Fields gained 11 yards, keeping our drive alive at the Utah 49. Roberson picked up four yards on the first down rush, leaving second and 6 from the 45. That would be the final play of the first quarter as it came to a close, surprisingly holding a 10-7 lead over Utah.
Opening up the second quarter on second and 6, Roberson kept at it, picking up two yards on the play to bring up third and four. It would be our turn to make an error on third down, as Powers took a shot deep over the middle, the pass intercepted by safety Willie Anderson, returned four yards to the Utah 24 yard line.
A first down pass to Washington gained 21 yards, followed by a one hand grab from Harris along the right sideline for a 10 yard completion and a first down at our 45 yard line. Continuing with the passing attack, McNeil’s first down pass intended for Barrett was off the mark, landing incomplete to bring up second and 10. Our defense pushed back on second down, sacking McNeil for a one yard loss in a play that sent him airborne during the hit, leaving third and 11 after the play. A dropped pass by Washington would bring another Utah drive to a close, the Utes lining up to punt on fourth and 11. Or maybe not, as Utah snapped the ball, running a fake punt run. Fullback Alan Pruitt was initially trapped for only a couple yard gain, but he was able to break free from the tackle and stumble his way forward for a 13 yard gain before finally being brought down, giving Utah a first down at our 33 yard line. Bennett would again put Utah in the end zone, catching a pass from McNeil along the right sideline, breaking three tackles along the way to a 33 yard touchdown, giving Utah a 14-10 lead with 7:17 left in the second quarter.
Roberson gave it his best shot on the return, but was unable to fully break into the open, a desperation shove resulting in him going out of bound at our 42 yard line for a 44 yard kickoff return to give us great field position. Brian Paris took the ball on first down for a three yard gain, followed by a one yard rush by Roberson to leave third and 6. Paris would pull in the third down pass for a 9 yard reception, moving the chains to the Utah 45. Paris received a pitch to the left, but never had any hope as the outside linebacker blitzed in untouched, shoving him down for a 5 yard loss. Throwing up a pass on second down, the pass from Powers intended for Maurice Martin was broken up by the outside linebacker, leaving us facing third and 15. The third down pass intended for Douglas was way off the mark and incomplete, bringing out our punt team on fourth down. A 12 yard return on the 34 yard punt set Utah up at their 28 yard line.
A pair of rushes by Bennett to start the Utah drive resulted in little fanfare, as he was tackled initially for a one yard loss, followed by a three yard gain to leave third and 8. McNeil’s pass on third down was wide and end up sailing out of bounds, bringing out the punt team on fourth and 8. McGuire could only manage a 6 yard return on the 40 yard punt, lining us up from our 36 yard line with 4:18 left until halftime.
Roberson got us started on first down with a four yard rush, followed by a gain of 5 to leave third and one. Paris would receive the handoff on third down, seemingly stopped for no gain, but a facemask penalty on outside linebacker Gerald Irvin would breathe new life into our drive, giving us a first down at the Utah 40 yard line. Roberson kept pounding the rock on first down, picking up 7 yards on the play, followed by a four yard rush from Paris to move the chains to the 29. Roberson tried to keep it up on first down, but the defensive line quickly filled up any holes and penetrated the backfield, tackling him for a one yard loss. Lining up under center, Powers dropped back on second down, connecting with M. Martin for a two yard gain, leaving third and 9. Powers would keep us moving on third down, hooking up with Douglas for an 11 yard gain and a first down at the 16 yard line, our first timeout taken with 1:12 left on the clock. A pass down the right sideline to McGuire was good for a 15 yard gain, the safety tackling McGuire to save the touchdown, giving us first and goal at the one yard line. Roberson never had a chance on first down, tackled for a two yard loss to leave second and goal from the three. Paris would try his luck on second down, but was wrestled down for only a two yard gain, leaving third and goal at the one, our second timeout taken with 23 seconds remaining. Putting the ball back in Roberson’s hands, he was brought down for a one yard loss, the Utah defense refusing to give any ground, leaving fourth and goal at the two. Lining up for the 19 yard field goal, the chip shot by Burnette was good, cutting Utah’s lead down to 14-13 with one second left until halftime.
A touchback on the kickoff gave Utah the ball at their 25 yard line. The Utes would settle for a rush by Bennett, brought down for a three yard gain to send us into halftime, Utah leading 14-13.
Opening up the second half, 23 yard kickoff return by Roberson got us lined up at our 22 yard line to start the third quarter. Paris opened up the drive with a one yard rush, followed by a Powers keeping the ball on a triple option for a seemingly 5 yard gain, but the ball came loose on the play, Utah recovering the fumble to take over possession at our 25 yard line. We would challenge the fumble, as it appeared Powers was already on the ground, but we would fail our challenge, replays showing the ball coming loose while his knee was just inches off the ground.
Taking over at our 25 yard line after the turnover, Bennett received the handoff for a 14 yard gain around the left end and a first down at our 11 yard line. Despite a completed pass for a gain of 5 yards, a flag came out on the first down play, roughing the passer called on safety Sam Vinson, giving Utah first and goal at our four yard line. Bennett would easily rush it in for a four yard touchdown, giving Utah a 21-13 lead with 7:55 to go in the third quarter.
A 26 yard return by McGuire on the kickoff got us lined up at our 23 yard line. A two yard rush by Roberson was followed with a 6 yard rush by Paris, leaving us with third and two at the 31. Taking our chances on the ground, Roberson found a hole for a 7 yard gain, picking up a first down at the 38. Paris kept the ball moving with a 6 yard rush, followed by a three yard rush to set up third and one. A four yard rush by Roberson would be enough for the first down, moving the chains to the Utah 49 yard line. Coming out with a play action pass on first down, the pass intended for McGuire was nearly intercepted, leaving second down. Trying to hit McGuire cutting over the middle, the pass from Powers was broken up, leaving us with third and 10. Our drive would stall out after the third down pass intended for Douglas was wide and off the mark, leaving fourth down. The punt would land at the 5 yard line, bouncing into the end zone for a touchback to give Utah the ball at their 20 yard line.
A 6 yard pass to Barrett got the drive started, before Barrett was tripped up in the backfield on a second down rush. During the fall to the ground, Barrett fumbled the ball, Garrett scooping up his second fumble recovery of the night, managing to return it 7 yards before losing his balance and falling at the Utah 18 yard line. Utah would challenge the fumble, unfortunately his right knee dropping to the ground before the ball came loose, the fumble being overturned and leaving Utah with third and four at the 26. A third down screen pass to Bennett was blown up for a 6 yard loss, but we would shoot ourselves in the foot on the play, a roughing the pass flag on middle linebacker Lee Bradley giving Utah 15 free yards and a first down at their 41 yard line. A first down pass to Marty Gray was broken up, leaving second down. McNeil would never get the ball off on second down, Bradley making up for his previous screw up by sacking McNeil for an 8 yard loss to leave third and 18. Bennett would pull in a quick pass from McNeil, shaking off one tackle and fighting for all the yards he could get, but it wouldn’t be enough, brought down for only an 8 yard gain to leave Utah punting on fourth and 10. A fair catch by McGuire on the 39 yard punt gave us the ball at our 19 yard line.
Paris got our drive started on the ground with a four yard carry, followed by a three yard gain to bring up third and three. Looking to get the first down through the air, the pass intended for Fields was intercepted by Anderson, his second of the day, returned 7 yards to set Utah up with a first down at our 36 yard line.
Taking over after the interception, Utah wasted no time at all on capitalizing, McNeil heaving up a pass to Washington for a 36 yard touchdown, instantly increasing Utah’s lead to 28-13 with 1:52 left in the third quarter.
A 22 yard kickoff return by Buck Castillo got us lined up at our 21 yard line, looking to get back into the game. Paris started the drive with a 12 yard rush and a first down at the 33. Keeping it on the ground, Paris had decidedly less success the second time around, tackled for no gain. Dropping back from under center on second down, Powers threw up a pass to McGuire, only to have it intercepted by a Anderson, his third interception in the game, returned 8 yards to our 41 yard line.
Taking over after yet another interception, Utah started their drive in the shotgun, the pass intended for Washington broken up at the line of scrimmage to leave second down. Handing the ball off on second down, Bennett ran for a three yard gain to bring up third and 7. A roughing the passer penalty on defensive end Caleb McBride was called after a 20 yard completion to Bennett, half the distance to the goal giving Utah first and goal at our 9 yard line. Bennett was brought down for a one yard loss on the first down play, as the third quarter came to an end, Utah lead 28-13 and knocking on the door for more.
Opening up the fourth quarter, Bennett was again stuffed by the defense, this time for a four yard loss, leaving third and goal at the 14 yard line. We would be unable to keep the Utes out of the end zone for long, a pass to Sam Hamby complete for a 14 yard touchdown, giving Utah a 35-13 lead with 8:35 left in the game.
A 23 yard kick return by McGuire got us lined up at our 23 yard line, looking to actually complete a drive this time around. Paris could only gain one yard on the first down rush, sending us back into the air early. McGuire was able to haul in the second down pass from Powers for a 16 yard gain and a first down at the 40 yard line. Staying in the air, Power found D. Martin for 18 yards, moving the chains to the Utah 42 yard line. Dropping back into shotgun on first down, a quick pass to Matt Leierer gained three yards to leave second and 7. Continuing with the passing attack, Powers found Brian James for a 13 yard gain and a first down at the 26 yard line. Changing it up on the defense, Paris took the ball on first down, but could only get three yards on the play. Lining up under center on second down, Powers dropped back, trying to hit D. Martin over the middle, but the pass was broken up to bring up third and 7. A 13 yard pass to Douglas would keep the drive alive, giving us a first down at the 10 yard line. Another pass to Douglas around the left hash picked up 9 yards, leaving us with second and one at the one yard line. Paris would punch it in on the ground for a one yard touchdown, cutting Utah’s lead to 35-20 with 5:11 left in the game.
Attempting the onside kick, Utah would recover, giving their offense the ball to start at our 42 yard line. Bennett would take the ball on first down, rushing for a 15 yard gain, followed by a 23 yard pass to Hamby, giving Utah first and goal at our four yard line. McNeil would drop back to pass on first down, before scrambling to the right, taking it into the end zone for a four yard touchdown to give Utah a 42-20 lead with 4:50 left in the game.
A touchback on the kickoff gave us the ball at our 25 yard line. Coming out in the shotgun on first down, the pass from Powers intended for D. Martin was broken up to leave second down. A quick pass to Douglas gained 15 yards, followed by a 17 yard pass to Ryan Conley, giving us a first down at the Utah 43. Trying to hit Michael Smith over the middle, the pass from Powers was broken up by the outside linebacker, followed by an incomplete pass intended for Max Rhodes, leaving third and long. Douglas was able to pull in the pass from Powers around the first down line, breaking out of a tackle attempt by the cornerback but unable to keep his balance for long, brought down for a 20 yard gain at the Utah 23 yard line. A pass to M. Martin was completed for a 21 yard gain, brought down shy of the goal line to give us first and goal at the two yard line. Paris would receive the handoff on first down, punching it in for a two yard touchdown, his second of the game, cutting Utah’s lead to 42-27 with 3:42 left in the game.
Again attempting an onside kick, the front line of the Utah return team was unable to get a grasp on the hard driven ball, Castillo diving into the mass of bodies to come up with the ball and successfully recover the onside kick at our 45 yard line. Lining up on first down, Powers came out in the shotgun, throwing a 13 yard pass to D. Martin for a first down at the Utah 42. A first down pass intended for Douglas was broken up, leaving second down. A second down pass to M. Martin was wide and off-target, leaving us facing third and long. A third down pass to McGuire was broken up at the last second, bringing up fourth and 10. Going for it on fourth down, Powers was forced to roll out to avoid a sack, the pass intended for Douglas overshooting both receiver and defender to land incomplete, turning the ball over on downs at the Utah 42 yard line with 3:13 left in the game.
Taking over after the turnover on downs, Bennett took the ball on first down for a one yard rush as the Utes chewed up the clock. Another rush by Bennett gained one more yard, leaving third and 8. McNeil dropped back to pass on third down, unable to get the screen pass off as he was sacked for an 11 yard loss to leave fourth and 18 from their 33 yard line. A 10 yard return by McGuire on the 35 yard punt gave us the ball at our 41 yard line, just 58 seconds left on the clock.
Lining up in the shotgun on first down, the first down pass intended for Conley ended up wide and sailed out of bounds to leave second down. Heaving up a deep pass to McGuire, the ball was broken up, nearly intercepted, by the cornerback to bring up third and long. A 10 yard pass to Douglas left us with fourth and inches at the Utah 49 yard line, our second timeout taken with 43 seconds left on the clock. We put the ball into the hands of Paris, but he was stuffed at the line for no gain as the defense forced a second straight turnover on downs, giving Utah the ball at their 49 yard line with 41 seconds left on the clock.
McNeil snapped the ball on first down and took to a knee, followed by us pointlessly calling our third and final timeout with 38 seconds left, just delaying the inevitable. Another knee by McNeil would be the final play of the game, sealing the 42-27 victory for Utah in the Battle of the Brothers and giving Utah the leg up in the Beehive Boot, needing only defeat BYU later in the year to win it.
With the loss, we open our 2020 campaign 0-1, 0-0 in Mountain West action. With the win, Utah opens their year 1-0, 0-0 in Pac-12 play. Up next, we head back on the road, opening Mountain West conference play with a trip to Air Force. The Falcons enter the game a shocking 0-1 after coming up on the losing end of a 28-21 stunner against Colgate.
Final Score
42,
27
Stat(s) of the Game:
Utah State Offense - A rough day for Powers, ending 21-39 for 277 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions and one lost fumble. Rushing, Roberson led the way with 49 yards on 18 carries. Paris ended with 45 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Receiving, Douglas was the top guy today, ending with 95 yards on 7 receptions, followed by D. Martin with 60 yards on four catches. In all, nine receivers caught a pass today, seven ending with double digit yards.
Utah State Defense – Up and down. Did pretty good in the first half, getting a couple stops and the fumble returned for a TD to keep us in the game. Second half they sucked it up, getting driven on constantly. Granted the three interceptions and fumble by our offense didn't help matters, but they couldn't stop a leaf in the second half.
Utah State Kicking – A perfect day by Burnette, ending 2-2 in field goals with kicks from 19 and 44 yards out, and ending 3-3 in PATs. One of the few bright spots in the game.
Scoring Summary
| Team |
1st Quarter |
2nd Quarter |
3rd Quarter |
4th Quarter |
Final Score |
|
10 |
3 |
0 |
14 |
27 |
|
7 |
7 |
14 |
14 |
42 |
| Time |
Team |
Result |
Play |
Score |
| First Quarter |
| 7:43 |
|
Touchdown |
B. Bennett, 33 yard run (J. Bell kick) |
7-0 |
| 3:53 |
|
Field Goal |
R. Burnette, 44 yard field goal |
7-3 |
| 3:45 |
|
Touchdown |
M. Garrett, returned fumble 20 yards (R. Burnette kick) |
10-7 |
|
| Second Quarter |
| 7:17 |
|
Touchdown |
B. Bennett, 33 yard pass from J. McNeil (J. Bell kick) |
14-10 |
| 0:01 |
|
Touchdown |
R. Burnette, 19 yard field goal |
14-13 |
|
| Third Quarter |
| 7:55 |
|
Touchdown |
B. Bennett, 5 yard run (J. Bell kick) |
21-13 |
| 1:52 |
|
Touchdown |
W. Washington, 36 yard pass from J. McNeil (J. Bell kick) |
28-13 |
|
| Fourth Quarter |
| 8:35 |
|
Touchdown |
S. Hamby, 14 yard pass from J. McNeil (J. Bell kick) |
35-13 |
| 5:11 |
|
Touchdown |
B. Paris, 1 yard run (R. Burnette kick) |
35-20 |
| 4:50 |
|
Touchdown |
J. McNeil, 4 yard run (J. Bell kick) |
42-20 |
| 3:42 |
|
Touchdown |
B. Paris, 2 yard run (R. Burnette kick) |
42-27 |
| Utah State |
Stat |
Utah |
| 27 |
Score |
42 |
| 22 |
First Downs |
17 |
| 363 |
Total Offense |
294 |
| 39 - 86 - 2 |
Rushes - Yards - TD |
25 - 82 - 3 |
| 21 - 39 - 0 |
Comp - Att - TD |
14 - 20 - 3 |
| 277 |
Passing Yards |
212 |
| 1 |
Times Sacked |
4 |
| 8 - 16 (50%) |
3rd Down Conversion |
4 - 9 (44%) |
| 0 - 2 (0%) |
4th Down Conversion |
1 - 1 (100%) |
| 0 - 0 (0%) |
2-Point Conv |
0 - 0 (0%) |
| 3 - 2 - 1 (100%) |
Red Zone - TD - FG |
3 - 3 - 0 (100%) |
| 4 |
Turnovers |
1 |
| 1 |
Fumbles Lost |
1 |
| 3 |
Intercepted |
0 |
| 16 |
Punt Return Yards |
12 |
| 135 |
Kick Return Yards |
28 |
| 514 |
Total Yards |
334 |
| 2 – 42.0 |
Punts - Average |
4 - 41.0 |
| 3 - 28 |
Penalties |
1 - 15 |
| 22:24 |
Time of Possession |
13:36 |
| Goal |
XP Reward |
Completed |
| Score a Touchdown |
25 |
x3 |
| Defensive Touchdown |
50 |
x1 |
| Force a Turnover |
25 |
x2 |
| Pass for 250 Yards |
25 |
x1 |
| 3+ Sacks |
50 |
x1 |
| Opponent Under 100 Rush Yards |
50 |
x1 |
| Opponent Under 300 Pass Yards |
50 |
x1 |
| Pass Completion over 50% |
30 |
x1 |
| 100% Red Zone Efficiency |
50 |
x1 |
| Score 21 or More Points |
50 |
x1 |
| 350+ Offensive Yards |
50 |
x1 |
| 10+ First Downs |
50 |
x1 |
| 4+ 3rd Down Conversions |
25 |
x1 |
| Goal |
Expectations |
Progress |
| Target Wins Per Season |
6 |
0 |
Originally Posted by jaymo76
(9)
--- Contract goal numbers and job security updated through Season 10, Off-season.
Yep, this beast has kept growing and growing. Definitely the longest dynasty I have ever done and managed to keep going in my entire history of NCAA Football (and posting dynasties online), with many more pages to come.
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