Utah State beats UTEP 21-6 in New Mexico Bowl
If you missed Utah State's 21-6 win over UTEP in the New Mexico, we hate to break it to you, but you didn't miss much.
UTEP was overmatched, both on defense and on offense, and when Utah State went up 7-3 on a 48-yard touchdown run by quarterback Kent Myers, the Aggie lead was insurmountable.
Myers, Utah's fourth quarterback this season, wasn't incredibly effective as a passer, finishing 5-12 for 68 yards with 70 on the ground. But he didn't need to be, thanks to the strength of Utah State's defense. And because of that defense, Utah State now has its second 10-win season in program history, a remarkable feat given the quarterback stat listed above.
The Miners struggled both rushing the football and attempting to pass it. Running back Aaron Jones compiled 25 carries, but they went for 88 yards, less than four yards a carry, as he struggled to find space on the edges against Utah State's defense. Quarterback Jameill Showers had barely more than 100 yards until a final garbage-time drive and his end-game total of 126 included a scramble-and-chuck it 53-yard completion to Ian Hamilton in the first quarter.
The craziest play of the game didn't even count. Utah State's do-it-all receiver JoJo Natson let a punt bounce over his head and he sprinted back to retrieve it. He then turned upfield and found a couple of blocks and was only prevented from the end zone by a last-ditch tackle by UTEP punter Jay Mattox at the UTEP 5. However, there was a block in the back – and yes, it did help to spring Natson – and Utah State ended up way back in its own territory.
The game was 7-3 at halftime and Utah State made it 14-3 early in the third quarter on a Nick Vigil TD run. After UTEP pulled within 14-6 with three minutes to go, Utah State didn't simply run out the clock as Joe Hill tacked on a touchdown with 1:33 to go.
Utah State's first 10-win season came in 2012, when the Aggies went 11-2 and won the Potato Bowl. The year introduced USU QB Chuckie Keeton to college football fans and Keeton was expected to lead the Aggies in 2014 after suffering a knee injury in 2013. However, Keeton reinjured his left knee early in the season and the Aggies decided to sit him out for the rest of the year, starting the crazy conveyer belt of quarterbacks.
And it continued, albeit briefly, on Saturday. Myers took a vicious hit and fumbled in the second quarter and went to the locker room for a moment. In his absence, Utah State got the ball back and was forced to utilize WR Ronald Butler at QB, and in his first play from scrimmage, he ripped off a 61-yard run. As Butler got Utah State inside UTEP's 20-yard-line, Myers returned to the game and played the rest of the way.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
