Utah State football: Mistakes costly against A&M

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — When Utah State breaks down the film following its tighter-than-expected 38-30 loss at Texas A&M there will be no shortage of plays to highlight as game changers.

And, unfortunately for the Aggies, no shortage of little things to tighten up that might make a big difference.

"This was a hard-fought football game," USU coach Gary Andersen said. "We played a quality opponent. It was a game of momentum swings, up and down, back and forth."

The final swing, though, went to Texas A&M when it forced a fumble by a desperately scrambling Diondre Borel with three seconds left in the game and the USU Aggies clinging to the thin hope of a game-tying last-second touchdown and 2-point conversion.

And while that single play might have been the final one, it was hardly the only one the Aggies will think about.

A blown defensive assignment left A&M receiver Uzoma Nwachukwu uncovered and alone for a 50-yard touchdown early in the third quarter when USU nearly let the game get blown wide open.

Then there were the two intentional grounding calls against Borel when, while trying to patiently wait for something to open up, he was chased from the pocket and didn't unload the ball early.

There was the fumbled exchange on a snap in the first quarter and a bad pitch on an option play that cost USU either possession or large chunks of yardage. There was a pass route that went for a touchdown only to be called back because Omar Sawyer was pressured onto the sideline before he caught the ball. And there were the nine USU penalties for 99 yards.

Plenty of points of emphasis to address.

"To see we lost by just eight points," USU linebacker Bobby Wagner said, "is tough."

Yet, with only a handful of ticks left on the clock, Utah State had a chance to close that gap. The loss, though, leaves Utah State wondering what might have been.

"We've got a lot of work to do, but we'll do better after we watch some film," said running back Robert Turbin, who had 121 rushing and 61 receiving yards. "This leaves us dissatisfied. We know we have to make plays. Part of the reason we came up short is so many little big plays."

The Aggies, with that game film to dig through, will face Southern Utah next Saturday in their home opener.

e-mail: jeborn@desnews.com