Utah State football: Aggies showing signs of improvement

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The question was asked to more than a few people outside the Utah State locker room after the Aggies suffered a closer-than-expected 38-30 loss to historically powerful Texas A&M.

Is this Utah State team better than the one that lost 35-17 just two weeks earlier at Utah? Are the Aggies, which had three shots in the final 25 seconds to tie the game against those other Aggies, really that much better than the team which limped to just nine wins over the past four seasons?

And, if USU is an improved team, when will that improvement show up on the record books as a win?

"Bottom line," first-year USU coach Gary Andersen said, "is we lost. That's not what we came here to do."

Indeed, Utah State is still winless this season and Andersen has yet to record his first victory as a Division I (FBS) head coach. But while pointing out the obvious shortcoming on the Kyle Field scoreboard, the Aggies were able to highlight what appears to be obvious signs of improvement.

USU piled up an impressive 521 yards of total offense — against a Big 12 opponent.

Sophomore running back Robert Turbin had 121 yards on 13 carries, averaging 9.3 yards per touch, and showed again he has the speed to match his power when he turned the corner on A&M and outraced a pair of defensive backs for a 50-yard touchdown.

Quarterback Diondre Borel, while showing some poise problems at times, had a strong day. His 334 yards through the air came on 24-of-47 passing. But he also was sacked five times when he held the ball longer than he should have while trying to find an open receiver. On 22 carries, Borel had 94 yards gained. But his 60 yards of negative rushing left him with just 34 total yards.

True freshman Kerwynn Williams had his redshirt removed and provided a big spark on special teams. The pint-sized speedster returned five kickoffs for 130 yards and would have taken one all the way back if not for a desperation facemask tackle by an A&M player as Williams blew past him on the sideline.

Most importantly, though, was what Andersen described as a refusal to give up when down by 21 points early in the fourth quarter.

"Our goal was to get the game in the fourth quarter," Andersen, admitting Texas A&M was favored and expected to win, "and give ourselves the opportunity to win."

Despite giving up a whopping 573 yards to A&M, Utah State's defense came up big at times. After shutting down a potentially game-clinching drive by Texas A&M, USU's Devin Johnson got a finger or two on a field-goal attempt with 2:43 to play.

That allowed USU to drive 76 yards for a touchdown as Borel ran to the corner from two yards out. The Aggies recovered the ensuring onside kick and gave it one last try.

"We kept fighting the whole game," Andersen said. "We had an opportunity on the last drive but couldn't make a play."

So, while Andersen and his players say the team is definitely improving, they wait for a victory.

One that very well may come this week when Andersen plays his first game in Romney Stadium as USU coach against the only other team he has been the head coach of — Southern Utah.

Aggies on the air

Utah State (0-2) vs. Southern Utah (1-2)

Saturday, 6 p.m.

Romney Stadium

TV: None

Radio: 610 AM, 1230 AM, 95.9 FM

e-mail: jeborn@desnews.com