USU, BYU football: Getting defensive

PROVO — What figured to be a shootout between two explosive offenses and two defenses prone to giving up big plays turned out to be a relatively low-scoring affair Friday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

In a contest that featured fewer offensive fireworks than expected, No. 20 BYU defeated Utah State, 35-17.

The Cougars led by just 11 points, 21-10, going into the fourth quarter before both offenses broke out a bit in the final 15 minutes of play.

"Utah State's defense showed a lot of improvement," said Cougar coach Bronco Mendenhall. "Our defense controlled the momentum and tempo of the game. We made significant progress, especially on the defensive side of the ball."

BYU held Utah State to 109 yards rushing as Aggie running back Robert Turbin was limited to 47 yards on 17 carries. USU quarterback Diondre Borel passed for 213 yards and a touchdown and rushed 16 times for 38 yards. He was sacked three times.

"Going into the game, I was very concerned with (USU's) speed, athleticism and their mobile quarterback," Mendenhall said. "They presented things that have been difficult to stop for us. I thought our defensive performance was outstanding."

Utah State coach Gary Andersen was impressed with the Cougar defense. "I've got to credit BYU," he said. "They tackled well and cut off some of those lanes. BYU did a nice job rallying to the football and getting hats around the ball."

BYU's defense, which surrendered more than 300 rushing yards against Florida State two weeks ago, was happy with its effort.

"It was a big challenge for us. It was a good opportunity to redeem ourselves and I thought we did a good job," said safety Andrew Rich. "Our front seven did a good job. We were very physical up front. I thought we just played harder than they did."

"I can't give enough credit to our front seven, the way we were able to contain them," said defensive lineman Jan Jorgensen.

BYU's offense was led by running back Harvey Unga, who rushed 21 times for 118 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Luke Ashworth caught five passes for 91 yards and a TD while Dennis Pitta had five catches for 83 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Wide receiver McKay Jacobson did not play due to a tight hamstring.

Quarterback Max Hall completed 16 of 23 passes for 218 yards and three TDs, along with two interceptions.

BYU took the opening kickoff and promptly gave the ball to USU when wide receiver Spencer Hafoka was hit by Bobby Wagner after catching a short pass and fumbled. Chris Randall recovered, giving the Aggies possession at the Cougar 42.

Seven plays later, Diondre Borel scored on a six-yard run to put the Aggies ahead, 7-0, minutes into the game.