Utah State football: Aggies build lead, hold on to post WAC victory

LOGAN — Utah State has had double-digit leads late in the game before — just last week, for example — and still managed to end up on the wrong side of the scoreboard when the clock hit zeroes.

So, with a 23-7 lead and 15 minutes of football left to be played Saturday against Louisiana Tech, USU coach Gary Andersen wasn't about to celebrate.

That mood didn't come until the Aggies had nearly squandered that lead following a flood of injuries to key defensive players.

"We found a way to get them out of a drive," Andersen said of the late-game drama, "and get into victory formation."

It wasn't until Aggie quarterback Diondre Borel took a knee and the clock ran out, with Utah State (2-5, 1-2 WAC) holding on to a narrow 23-21 win over the Bulldogs, that Andersen felt safe.

"Obviously, it was a team victory," Andersen said. "All phases played a key factor, in a good way and a bad way, all the way through the game. It was fantastic to get the win, especially in a close game."

The victory was a much-needed one for Utah State after a pair of WAC victories slipped from its grasp in the final minutes.

But, as is typically the case with USU football, the Aggies found a way to make it interesting.

After a dominating defensive effort through three quarters limited Louisiana Tech to just 108 total yards, the Bulldogs took advantage of some holes in the Aggies' defense created by injuries.

For starters, USU lineback Paul Igboeli saw his streak of 38 consecutive starts end because of a knee injury. Then team caption and senior safety James Brindley pulled a hamstring and was forced from the game in the second quarter.

By the time senior cornerback Kejon Murphy was knocked unconscious and out of the game in the fourth quarter, Utah State was using a handful of players that had seen precious little playing time before Saturday.

It showed as the Bulldogs finally found a way to move the ball and nearly knock off the Aggies.

But the 16-point USU lead was a little too much for LaTech despite the heroics of quarterback Ross Jenkins, who shook off a miserable start to throw a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes.

But his attempt to complete a pass for the Bulldogs' second two-point conversion was no good with 6:15 to play, and the Aggies, despite giving the Bulldogs one final chance to score, held on.

"It was definitely concerning," Andersen said of the close game. "But they kept fighting ... it was still concerning that we couldn't put them away in the fourth quarter."

The second and third quarters, it turned out, were all the offense Utah State needed.

After a scoreless first quarter which saw neither team move the ball much, USU struck first when Borel found Stanley Morrison on a perfectly-placed 41-yard strike.