New Mexico Bowl: Utah State Makes Big Plays To Defeat North Texas, 52-13
The Aggies looked like the same old Aggies.
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Who needs a head coach?
Utah State just had four coaches on the sideline in this game against North Texas and it did not matter as they thrashed North Texas 52-13. The Aggies just did what they have done all year. It did help that David Yost was back in the booth calling plays, but it may not have mattered.
Give credit to interim coach Frank Maile who got the Gatorade bath in this game, but give a ton of credit to the players in this game.
Yes, Jordan Love was only 21 of 43 but he had 359 yards with four touchdowns. Two of those touchdown passes which went for 67 and 72 yards.
Running game was amazing with Gerold Bright had a pair of scores and 103 yards and his back mate Darwin Thompson had 93 yards.
The game started with that 72-yard pass play from Love to Aaren Vaughns who broke some ankles for a touchdown. North Texas did respond with a score and the first quarter it was 14-7, but the difference was the second quarter which saw Utah State outscore the Mean Green 24-0.
One thing that did not help North Texas was injuries to quarterback Mason Fine and the Mean Green nearly went full quinterback, but it ended with playing just four.
Fine suffered a hamstring injury on the third drive of the game and he tried to come back in the game but he was not able to finish it out.
North Texas went with Quinn Shanbour who was awful and Utah State picked him off three times, then came in freshman Jason Bean and the fourth and final quarterback to come in was Kason Martin. He came in to start the third quarter and showed promise with a 75-yard touchdown but that would be the final points of the game for the Mean Green.
Yes, injuries hurt North Texas on offense but its defense had not seen a team like Utah State which was in peak form all afternoon even without head coach Matt Wells and others on the sideline.
The win for the Aggies gives 11 wins on the year which ties a school record set in 2012 by former and now current head coach Gary Andersen. Utah State also will finish the season ranked for just the third time in school history.
