Utah State Going For First Seven-Win Season Since 1993, First Regular Season Seven Wins Since 1979
Nov. 28, 2011
LOGAN, Utah -
USU FB Notes at New Mexico State 
NMSU Notes vs. USU
UTAH STATE at NEW MEXICO STATE
Saturday, Dec. 3 - 1:30 p.m. (MT)
NMSU Aggie Vision/KCSG
Aggie Memorial Stadium (30,343)
Las Cruces, N.M.
QUICKLY -- Fresh off becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 1997, Utah State (6-5, 4-2 WAC) will take its four-game win streak on the road to Las Cruces, N.M. to take on New Mexico State (4-8, 2-4 WAC) on Saturday, Dec. 3... Kickoff from NMSU's Aggie Memorial Stadium (30,343) is set for 1:30 p.m... The all Aggie affair will be televised by NMSU's Aggie Vision, airing regionally on KCSG (Comcast Ch. 116/DirectTv Ch. 44/Dish Network Ch. 37) with Glen Cerny as the play-by-play announcer with analysis from Danny Knee... There will also be Internet video and radio streaming links at www.UtahStateAggies.com.
SATURDAY'S STORYLINES -- Things to watch for in Saturday's all-Aggie affair:
* A win would be USU's seventh of the season, the first time winning seven games since 1993, when the Aggies' seventh victory came in the Humanitarian Bowl... It would be Utah State's first regular-season seven win season since 1979, when the Aggies were 7-3-1... Overall, it would be the 21st time in USU's 113 seasons of football of having at least seven wins.
* Utah State is seeking its first five-game win streak since 1993, which is also the last time that the Aggies won a bowl game, winning the Las Vegas Bowl, 42-33, over Ball State. USU's only other bowl appearance since that time was the 1997 Humanitarian Bowl, where the Aggies lost to Cincinnati, 35-19.
* After not playing in December since 2001, USU has now played in the 12th month for the second year in row, playing on Dec. 4 at Boise State last year... It is just the 18th time overall that the Aggies have played in the 12th month.
marks USU's first game in December since 2001 and just the 17th time overall in Utah State's history that the Aggies have played in the 12th month.
* Saturday is only USU's third game played on natural grass this season, joining season-opener at Auburn on Sept. 3 and at BYU on Sept. 30.
* Saturday's match-up features two top all-purpose players in the WAC in USU's Kerwynn Williams and NMSU's Taveon Rogers... Last year, Rogers broke the FBS single-season kick return yards mark and held it for a week until Williams topped his mark, finishing with 1,444 yards while Rogers had 1,410... This season, Rogers has the second-most kick return yards in the WAC (1,251) behind Fresno State's Isaiah Burse (1,431), while Williams is fourth with 817 yards.
{What to watch for list con'td on pg 2}
* Aggie junior RB Robert Turbin needs:
-- One rushing TD to break USU Career Rushing TD record that he currently is tied for with Abu Wilson (1992, 94-96) with 40 rushing TD's.
* USU's offense needs:
-- 182 rushing yards to tie the school-record holder 1960 rushing attack.
-- Four rushing TD's to tie the school-record 1961 mark of 39 rushing TD's.
FOLLOWING THE GAME AND THE AGGIES
ON TV -- Saturday's game will be televised by NMSU's Aggie Vision, airing locally throughout the region on KCSG (Comcast Ch. 116/DirectTv Ch. 44/Dish Network Ch. 37) with Glen Cerny as the play-by-play announcer with analysis from Danny Knee.
ON THE AIR -- All Utah State football games are carried live on the Aggie Sports Network: KVNU 610 AM, KVNU 102.1 FM (Cache Valley) and KLZX 95.9 FM in Logan; KZNS (97.5 FM only) in Salt Lake City; on KLZX 105.3 FM in Montpelier, Idaho... All Aggie football games are also on the Internet at www.UtahStateAggies.com by clicking on "Listen Live"... Legendary radio voice Al "Poi Boi" Lewis will handle the play-by-play duties, while former Aggie SID Craig "I Eat Hawaiian Style" Hislop will be providing analysis (for the listeners, not Al)... Former Aggie QB great John "The Greek Rifle" Pappas is the fill in whenever Lewis or Craig are covering USU men and women's basketball games, respectively.
ON THE INTERNET -- USU home football games are also streamed on the Internet through "Aggies All Access," by clicking on the "Live Aggies Video" link on the home page of www.UtahStateAggies.com... Fans can register and purchase month or season packages to watch.
GAMETRACKER -- Fans can follow all USU Aggie home games through the USU web site at www.UtahStateAggies.com via GameTracker, a free service, which updates play-by-play and statistics throughout the game.
COACHES SHOW ON THE ROAD -- The Gary Andersen radio show will rotate between The Copper Mill and Elements Restaurant on Thursday nights (6:05-7 p.m. on 610 AM KVNU) when the Aggies play on Saturday, with some exceptions, including the BYU and Hawai'i weeks, as well as this week when there will not be a show due to Thanksgiving... The show gives USU fans an opportunity to ask questions and interact with Coach Andersen and players.
Upcoming Coaches Shows: Dec. 1 at Copper Mill
UP NEXT -- USU, bowl eligible for the first time since 1997, awaits to be selected for a bowl game.
UTAH STATE NOTE-ABLES
• Only three of USU's 12 games will be played on natural grass this year: at Auburn, at BYU and at New Mexico State.
• Seven of USU's 12 games are at night.
• Senior LB Bobby Wagner is a candidate for the:
Butkus Award - nation's top linebacker
Rotary Lombardi Award - nation's top college lineman
Bronko Nagurski Award - nation's best defensive player
Lowe's Senior CLASS Award - athletes who excel both on and off the field
• Junior RB Robert Turbin is a candidate for the:
Doak Walker Award - honoring the nation's top college running back
• Junior RB/KR Kerwynn Williams is a candidate for the:
Paul Hornung Award - most versatile player
• Sophomore OC Tyler Larsen is a candidate for the:
Dave Rimington Trophy - nation's most outstanding center in college football
• Senior WR Eric Moats is a candidate for the:
Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team® -
Recognizing the selfless contributions to volunteerism and community service
made by college football student-athletes across the nation.
Wuerffel Trophy
Presented by the All Sports Association of Fort Walton Beach, Florida to the
college football player who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.
ABOUT USU -- Utah State is bowl eligible for the first time since 1997 after the Aggies won their fourth-straight game with a 21-17 win over Nevada on USU's Senior Day Saturday, for USU's first six-win season also since 1997... It was USU's first home win over Nevada since 1950, snapping a seven-game home losing streak to the Wolf Pack... Senior WR Stanley Morrison's TD pass to junior RB Robert Turbin as time expired in the third quarter pushed the Aggies to victory, as they rallied from a 10-0 second-quarter deficit, marking the third game in their last four that USU has come back from down double digits, as well as the third time in four games that the Aggies have rallied from a halftime deficit... USU ended with 373 total offense yards, with 199 rushing and 174 passing, while Nevada accumulated an even 500 yards with 315 passing and 185 rushing, dominated the time of possession to the tune of 34:37-25:23... Junior RB Kerwynn Williams had 71 yards on nine carries with one TD, while Turbin had 18 rushes for 61 yards, including a 4-yard gain on a crucial 4th-and-1 from the USU 44 with 1:41 left in the game... Junior WR Matt Austin had a TD catch, on a 21-yard snag in the back of the endzone... Junior QB Adam Kennedy was 7-of-14 passing for 140 yards with one TD pass... With a game-high 15 tackles, senior LB Bobby Wagner moved up to second on the USU career tackles list with 433... Wagner is also now tied for third with San Jose State's Matt Castelo (2004-07) in career tackles in the WAC... Fellow senior LB Kyle Gallagher added 11 tackles and junior S McKade Brady posted 10 tackles. It was the Aggie defense's second-straight game with three players posting double-digit tackles, which are the only two times this season for that to happen.
On the season, the Aggies average 453.5 ypg total offense, with 267.1 ypg rushing and 186.5 ypg passing... Overall, USU has 4,989 yards, with 2,938 rushing with 35 TD's, while passing for 2,051 yards with 19 TD's and five INT's... The Aggie defense allows just 365.4 ypg, including 126.5 rushing and 238.9 ypg passing... USU averages 35.5 ppg while giving up 28.9 ppg.
Kennedy is now 53-of-76 (.697) for 786 yards on the season with seven TD's and three INT's... Freshman QB Chuckie Keeton is 106-of-174 (.609) for 1,200 yards with 11 TD's and two INT's... Turbin has gained his 1,318 yards off 204 carries (6.5 ypc/119.8 ypg) with 19 rushing TD's... Junior WR Matt Austin leads the team with 29 receptions for 433 yards (39.4 ypg/14.9 ypc) with four TD's... Senior LB Bobby Wagner anchors the USU defense with 134 total tackles (12.2 pg) with 9.5 TFL's... Fellow senior LB Kyle Gallager adds 86 stops (7.8 pg)... Wagner and senior DE/LB Levi Koskan lead USU with 9.5 tackles for loss each while junior LB/DE Bojay Filimoeatu adds 9.0 TFL's... Koskan also has a team-best 5.5 sacks.... Junior RB/KR Kerwynn Williams has a 22.7 kick return average and a 14.0 punt return average, part of his 119.8 ypg all-purpose... Junior P Tyler Bennett has a 44.8 ypp average with 14 of 50+ and a long of 67 yards, as well as 17 punts inside the 20... Sophomore PK Josh Thompson is 5-of-8 on FG's with a long of 43, and has booted a school-record 51 PAT's (51-of-52).
ABOUT NEW MEXICO STATE -- The maroon Aggies are 4-8 overall and 2-4 in WAC action heading into Saturday's season finale... NMSU suffered a 44-0 loss at Louisiana Tech on Saturday afternoon, as LA Tech clinched the WAC title... Junior RB Kenny Turner led the Aggies will 149 yards rushing on 29 carries, for his sixth 100-yard game of the season... Freshman QB Travaughn Colwell threw for 119 yards on 15-of-25 passing, as senior WR Taveon Rogers caught five passes for 56 yards... Senior S Donyae Coleman led the Aggie defense with eight tackles and his sixth interception of the season... LA Tech scored three rushing TD's, one passing, one punt return and one INT return for TD.
NMSU averages 398.2 ypg total offense, with 274.9 ypg passing and 123.2 ypg rushing, scoring an average of 24.8 ppg... The maroon-clad Aggie defense yields 457.8 ypg with 253.4 ypg passing and 204.3 ypg rushing, giving up 38.7 ppg.
Colwell is 39-of-60 passing for 420 yards with two TD's and three INT's... Turner has 1,009 yards on 206 carries (84.1 ypg) with nine TD's rushing... Rogers has 53 catches for 976 yards (18.4 ypg/88.7 ypg) with nine TD receptions... Coleman leads the NMSU defense with 110 tackles (11.0 pg), with six INT's and seven pass break-ups... Senior DE Davin Niumatalolo has a team-best 12.5 TFL's with seven sacks... Rogers leads the WAC with a 26.1 ypr kick return average, part of his conference and nation-best 201.6 ypg all-purpose yards.... Sophomore P Jake Capraro has a 39.4 ypp punting average with a long of 53 yards, one of six punts of 50+, and has 15 inside the 20... Junior PK Tyler Stampler is 7-of-12 on FG's with a long of 39 yards and is 31-of-35 on PAT's.
FBS AND WAC FOOTBALL STATISTICS CONTINUE TO INCLUDE UTAH STATE AMONG LEADERS -- Utah State football continues to be among the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Western Athletic Conference (WAC) statistical leaders, as this week's statistics were released Sunday... USU continues to lead the league in four categories, including rushing offense, as for the eighth week in a row, the Aggies are ranked sixth, with 267.1 yards per game... Utah State also has the top total defense in the WAC statistically, as the Aggies rank 48th in the FBS, allowing just 356.4 ypg... In scoring offense, USU is tops in the league and 19th in the country at 35.5 ppg... The Aggies' fourth conference-leading category is passing efficiency, as USU ranks 22nd in the nation at 152.38... The Aggies are also second in total offense and 24th in the country (453.6 ypg)... Utah State's defense is second in the WAC and 30th in the FBS in rushing defense (126.5 ypg), in addition to ranking second in the league and 56th in the nation in tackles for loss (5.8 pg) and third in the conference and 50th in the country in sacks (2.0 pg). USU is also third in the league and 52nd in the nation in pass efficiency defense (125.95)... The Aggies' special teams unit ranks third in the WAC and 27th in the FBS in kickoff returns (23.7 ypr), as well as third in the league and 21st in the nation in net punting (38.6 ypp)... Individually, junior RB Robert Turbin is second in the WAC and 10th in FBS in rushing (119.8 ypg) while leading the conference and ranking fifth in the country in scoring (12.0 ppg)... Turbin is also sixth in the league and 37th in the nation in all-purpose yards (132.8 ypg)... Junior RB/KR Kerwynn Williams is eighth in the conference and 51st in the country in all-purpose yards (126.4 ypg), including ranking fifth in the league and 73rd in the nation in kick returns (22.7 ypr)... Defensively, senior LB Bobby Wagner is still tops in the WAC and ranks third in FBS in tackles at 12.2 per game. Fellow senior LB Kyle Gallagher is tied for 10th in the conference and tied for 89th in the country in tackles (7.8 pg)... Senior DE/LB Levi Koskan is sixth in the league and tied for 54th in the nation in sacks with .6 pg, while also ranking eighth in the WAC and tied for 98th in the FBS in tackles for loss (1.0 pg)... Junior P Tyler Bennett is third in the WAC and 12th in the FBS in punting at 44.8 ypp... Sophomore PK Josh Thompson is sixth in the league in field goals (.5 pg), while also ranking tied for 10th in the conference in scoring (6.0 ppg)... Thompson has also connected on a league-leading 51 extra points this season.
TD RUSHING -- Utah State scored five rushing TD's in each of its first three games, before being limited to only one in the BYU game, but then scoring four in the Wyoming game, then two each in the next three games (Fresno State, LA Tech and Hawai`i) before scoring three in the SJSU game, then five in the Idaho game and then back to one in the Nevada game, giving the Aggies 35 rushing TD's on the season in 11 games... That ranks tied for fourth in the FBS, and USU's 3.2 rushing TD's per game is fourth in the nation behind Georgia Tech with 3.7pg, Wisconsin with 3.6 pg and Air Force with 3.3... USU is the only team 30+ rushing TD's to only play in 11 games, as the other 20 teams have all played in 12 contests:
TEAM TD's G AVG PG
Georgia Tech 44 12 3.7
Wisconsin 43 12 3.6
Air Force 39 12 3.3
Oregon 35 12 2.9
UTAH STATE 35 11 3.2
Temple 35 12 2.9
Army 33 11 3.0
Alabama 33 12 2.8
Northern Ill. 32 12 2.7
LSU 32 12 2.7
Navy 31 11 2.8
Michigan 31 12 2.6
Toledo 31 12 2.6
Kansas St. 31 11 2.8
Houston 31 12 2.6
Nebraska 30 12 2.5
Oklahoma St. 30 11 2.7
DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK, WE'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE -- USU has made LL Cool J proud in three of the last four Saturday's, as the Aggies rallied from a double-digit deficit for the fifth time in the last two years with three-straight comeback wins over Hawai`i, San Jose State and Nevada... It was not only USU's second game in a row in rallying from down double digits and scoring the game-winning TD in the final minute, but it was also the second year in a row that the Aggies rallied from down double digits and scored in the final minute against San Jose State, as last year at San Jose,
Derrvin Speight scored a 15-yard TD run with 34 seconds left to give USU a 38-34 win over SJSU, rallying from down 10-0... On Nov. 12 of this season at Hawai'i, USU rallied from down 28-7 late in the first half to win, 35-31, and last week against Nevada, the Aggies came back from down 10-0 in the second quarter... Last year, at San Jose State, the Aggies rallied from down 10-0 at San Jose State and winning, 38-34, a week after being down 14-0 to New Mexico State before rallying to win, 27-22... The 28-7 comeback at Hawai`i was the largest against an FBS team since at least 1990 and the second-largest since then, behind the 27-0 rally against Idaho State in 2001, rallying to win, 28-27... Ironically, eight of USU's eight comebacks have been in November, including two on Nov. 2, while New Mexico State and San Jose State have each been the victim twice.
Deficit Winning Score Opponent Date
27-0 28-27 vs. Idaho State Oct. 20, 2001
28-7 35-31 AT HAWAI`I NOV. 5, 2011
14-0 27-22 vs. New Mexico State Nov. 6, 2010
13-0 21-13 vs. North Texas Nov. 2, 1996
33-21 34-33 VS. SAN JOSE STATE NOV. 12, 2011
12-0 34-25 vs. New Mexico State Nov. 20, 2004
10-0 20-19 vs. Fresno State Nov. 2, 1991
10-0 38-34 at San Jose State Nov. 13, 2010
10-0 21-17 VS. NEVADA NOV. 26, 2011
LAST MINUTE GAME-WINNING SCORES -- USU's OT win over Idaho on Nov. 19 was USU's third-straight game-winning score with less then a minute or no time on the clock, as was the case with the double OT win... It was USU's second double-OT win since 1991, and the fourth overall in that time with :00 on the clock... In the Aggies' last-minute win on Nov. 12 over San Jose State, USU scored with 47 seconds left, the Aggies' second in a row after and No. 9 on USU's last-minute game-winning scores list since 1991... The TD at Hawai'i with 14 seconds left ranks No. 5 in USU's last-minute game-winning scores since 1991... Just like its double-digit comebacks, a majority of USU's last minute game-winning scores have come in November, with nine of the 12 in the final minute happening in November.
Time Result Date Play
:00 USU 19, Troy 16 Nov. 16, 2002 36 FG to force OT / 34 FG to win
:00 USU 45, New Mexico 44 OT Oct. 19, 2002 32 TD pass to force OT/8 run to win
:00 USU 29, NMSU 26 2OT Oct. 31, 1998 11 run in 2nd OT
:00 USU 49, IDAHO 42 Nov. 19, 2011 2 TD RUN IN 2ND OT
:05 USU 28, North Texas 27 Nov. 14, 1998 30 FG
:14 USU 35, HAWAI`I 31 NOV. 5, 2011 1 TD RUN
:18 USU 38, Pacific 35 Nov. 21, 1992 40 FG
:28 USU 44, NMSU 37 Nov. 4, 2000 9 TD run
:34 USU 38, SJSU 34 Nov. 13, 2010 15 TD run
:47 USU 34, SJSU 33 Nov. 12, 2011 21 TD pass
:51 USU 20, Fresno State 19 Nov. 2, 1991 45 FG
:55 USU 13, Fresno State 12 Oct. 7, 2006 30 TD pass
1:00 USU 37, Nevada 35 Nov. 20, 1999 1 TD run
LAST MINUTE SCORE IN LOSS
:21 BYU 34, USU 31 Oct. 1, 1999 4 TD pass to force OT/lost on FG
BIG CATCHERS -- Utah State and New Mexico State are two of 21 teams in the country with at least six players with a minimum of five catches and average at least 10.5 yards per catch, and one of four that have eight or more players, ranking tied for third in the country:
Oregon 11
Florida State 10
New Mexico State 8
UTAH STATE 8
Central Michigan 7
Arizona State 7
Oklahoma State 7
West Virginia 7
Louisville 7
BYU 7
Alabama 7
Tennessee 7
RED LEADER, RED LEADER -- That title not only is fitting for the Star Wars call sign of the Commander of Red Squadron, but also for the Utah State offense, which leads the WAC and ranks sixth in the FBS... USU converted on 22-of-22 trips before not scoring twice in the Fresno State game on Oct. 15, and then once in the SJSU game on Nov. 12... The Aggies have now scored on 92 percent of their trips to the red zone (34-of-36).
RED ZONE OFFENSE
Rank Name Gm Drives Scores Points Rush TD Pass TD FG Pct
1 Stanford 12 64 63 388 24 26 13 .98
2 Wisconsin 12 65 62 409 35 21 6 .95
2 Texas A&M 12 58 55 322 22 18 15 .95
4 La.-Lafayette 12 36 34 194 16 8 10 .94
5 LSU 12 58 54 325 28 13 13 .93
6 Toledo 12 52 48 299 24 15 9 .92
6 Pittsburgh 11 39 36 220 20 8 8 .92
6 Kent St. 12 25 23 125 9 6 8 .92
6 UTAH STATE 11 37 34 211 22 9 3 .92
10 Western Mich. 12 55 50 310 15 25 10 .91
BURNING THE BARN -- Utah State has been in eight games that have been decided by one score or less: losing to Auburn, 42-38, on Sept. 3, losing to Colorado State, 35-34, in 2OT, on Sept. 24, losing at BYU, 27-24 on Sept. 30 and losing to Louisiana Tech, 24-17, on Oct. 22, before breaking through with the 35-31 win at Hawai`i on Nov. 5 and following it up with a wild 34-33 win over San Jose State on Nov. 12 and another wild win with a 49-42 double OT victory at Idaho on Nov. 19 before the 21-17 win over Nevada on Nov. 26... Those eight games are tied for the most one-score games in the nation... The 31 point differential is the fewest for anyone with seven or more one score games... Overall, the 31 point differential rank the Aggies 20th for point differential... The Aggies are also one of eight teams with four losses by eight points or less:
GAMES DECIDED BY ONE SCORE - BY PTS
Team Games Total Points
Buffalo 3 (1-2) 5
Rutgers 4 (2-2) 8
Cincinnati 3 (2-1) 9
Colorado 3 (1-2) 10
TCU 3 (1-2) 10
Arizona State 4 (1-3) 11
Western Kentucky 4 (3-1) 11
BYU 4 (2-2) 12
Duke 5 (2-3) 12
Baylor 5 (4-1) 14
Florida 3 (1-2) 14
Auburn 3 (3-0) 14
Mississippi State 3 (1-2) 15
Wyoming 4 (4-0) 15
Minnesota 4 (2-2) 16
Middle Tennessee 4 (1-3) 16
South Carolina 5 (4-1) 16
USC 3 (2-1) 17
Navy 6 (1-5, one OT) 18
Colorado State 5 (2-3, one OT) 18
Hawai`i 5 (1-4) 18
Nevada 5 (2-3) 19
Illinois 5 (3-2) 19
Indiana 4 (0-4) 19
Notre Dame 5 (3-2) 19
Idaho 5 (1-4) 20
Texas A&M 5 (1-4) 20
UConn 4 (1-3) 20
Penn State 5 (4-1) 21
Marshall 5 (5-0) 22
Boston College 5 (1-4) 22
Central Michigan 5 (2-3) 22
New Mexico State 4 (3-1) 23
San Jose State 7 (4-3) 24
Louisiana Tech 6 (3-3, two OT) 26
Wake Forest 6 (3-3) 30
Syracuse 6 (4-2, three in OT) 30
Miami (Ohio) 6 (2-4) 30
UTAH STATE 8 (4-4, TWO OT) 31
Central Florida 6 (0-6) 31
Kansas State 7 (6-1) 32
Ohio State 7 (2-5 one OT) 36
Louisville 7 (2-5) 37
Miami (Fla.) 8 (2-6) 42
GAMES DECIDED BY ONE SCORE - BY # OF GAMES
Team Games Total Points
UTAH STATE 8 (4-4, TWO OT) 31
Kansas State 8 (7-1) 36
Miami (Fla.) 8 (2-6) 42
San Jose State 7 (4-3) 24
Ohio State 7 (2-5 one OT) 36
Louisville 7 (2-5) 37
Navy 6 (1-5, one OT) 18
Louisiana Tech 6 (3-3, two OT) 26
Miami (Ohio) 6 (2-4) 30
Syracuse 6 (4-2, three in OT) 30
Wake Forest 6 (3-3) 30
Central Florida 6 (0-6) 31
Duke 5 (2-3) 12
Baylor 5 (4-1) 14
South Carolina 5 (4-1) 16
Colorado State 5 (2-3, one OT) 18
Hawai`i 5 (1-4) 18
Illinois 5 (3-2) 19
Notre Dame 5 (3-2) 19
Nevada 5 (2-3) 19
Idaho 5 (1-4) 20
Texas A&M 5 (1-4) 20
Penn State 5 (4-1) 21
Marshall 5 (5-0) 22
Central Michigan 5 (2-3) 22
Boston College 5 (1-4) 22
MOST LOSSES BY EIGHT POINTS OR LESS
Rk No Team
1. 6 UCF
6 Miami (Fla.)
3. 5 Navy
5 Louisville
5 Texas A&M
5 Ohio State
5 Indiana
8. 4 UTAH STATE
4 Duke
4 South Florida
4 Idaho
4 Vanderbilt
4 Hawai'i
4 Miami (Ohio)
4 Pittsburgh
BIG BERTHA DRIVING -- Utah State's offense is equipped with a Big Bertha driver in its bag, as the Aggies have five scoring drives of 90+ yards this season, including two of 99-yards, ranking tied for second-most in the nation for 90+ yard drives as well as tied for the most 99-yard scoring drives:
90+ Yard Scoring Drives
7 Georgia Tech (95, 98, 90, 95, 92, 94, 91)
6 Alabama (98, 94, 92, 92, 92, 90)
5 Virginia Tech (97, 96, 90, 95, 96)
5 UTAH STATE (91, 90, 99, 99, 94)
5 Texas Tech (91, 95, 92, 92, 91)
5 Southern Miss (94, 95, 96, 98, 99)
5 Middle Tennessee (95, 95, 94, 98, 96)
5 Louisiana Tech (94, 93, 90, 92, 96)
5 California (92, 91, 91, 91, 96)
5 BYU (99, 97, 96, 91, 90)
2011 RUSHING ATTACK AMONG USU ELITE -- This season's Utah State rushing attack has amassed 2,938 rushing yards, the third-straight season over 2,000 yards after a 34-year hiatus from 1975-2009... With 310 rushing yards at Idaho, this year's rushing attack vaulted from No. 5 to No. 3 in the program's history, and Saturday's 199 vs. Nevada bumped the 2011 attack up to No. 2, needing 182 more to tie the school-record holder 1960 rushing attack... USU's 35 rushing TD's are currently the second-most in school-history, behind 39 rushing TD's in 1961:
Year G No Yds Avg TD
1960 10 553 3120 312.0 29
2011 11 500 2938 267.1 35
1961 10 534 2808 280.8 39
1974 11 681 2701 245.5 15
2010 12 528 2442 168.7 24
1959 11 534 2371 215.5 17
1962 10 538 2364 236.4 28
1973 11 609 2277 207.0 20
2009 12 496 2311 192.6 25
1963 10 428 2101 210.0 32
1967 10 512 2029 202.9 --
1975 11 550 2028 184.4 16
1965 10 474 2025 202.5 --
RUSH, RUSH, RUSH -- Utah State's offense is not rocking out to the hair band, but is doing a lot of rushing, to the tune of 267.1 yards per game... The 267.1ypg average this season is on pace to be the Aggies' highest rushing average since 1961 when USU amassed 280.8 ypg... USU's total offense average of 453.5 ypg is on pace to be the second-best in school history behind 468.5 ypg in 1996... Additionally, the Aggies' 35.5 points per game is the highest scoring average since 1961's 38.7 ppg.
USU's Top Offensive Averages
Rushing Avg. Total Offense Avg. Scoring Avg.
312.0, 1960 468.5, 1996 38.7, 1961
280.8, 1961 453.5, 2011 35.5, 2011
267.1, 2011 449.4, 1997 33.6, 1997
245.5, 1974 442.1, 1993 31.7, 1963
236.4, 1962 439.3, 2009 31.5, 1979
215.5, 1959 434.8, 1972 30.0, 1996
TENACIOUS D -- The Aggies' defense has been much improved this season, as their 365.4 ypg total defense yardage is on pace to be the best since 1998's 319.9 ypg... USU's rushing defense average of 126.4 ypg is on pace to be the lowest since 1998:
Rushing Avg.
50.8, 1961
82.8, 1966
83.9, 1965
84.7, 1960
93.2, 1963
115.0, 1985
115.6, 1997
116.2, 1981
123.4, 1998
126.5, 2011
MORE POSITIVE PUNT RETURNS -- With 114 punt return yards through 10 games, USU has already surpassed last year's season total of 72 total punt return yards... The Aggies also have five punt returns of 10 or more yards compared to three all of last year, equalling last season's total in the Weber State game alone, part of nearly matching 2010's season total with 69 punt returns in that game.
UTAH STATE-NEW MEXICO STATE SERIES -- Utah State leads the all-time series by a 28-7 count, USU's largest advantage against a WAC opponent... USU has a 13-3 advantage in games played at Logan, while logging a 15-3 record at Las Cruces, as well as 0-1 at a neutral site, which came in the first meeting, in the 1960 Sun Bowl, won by NMSU, 20-17... USU ran up 19 consecutive wins from 1968-98 before the southern Aggies posted a 14-6 win at Logan in 1999... Since then USU has won seven of the last 10 meetings, losing only 26-21 at Las Cruces in 2003, 42-20 at home in 2006 and 20-17 in 2009 during that stretch... USU's 2008's large win of 47-2 and the 2007 winning score of 35-17 broke tradition, as 2007's 18-point margin of victory was the same as the combined scoring difference in the previous four match-ups... The two teams met in the 1960 Sun Bowl, with New Mexico State rallying from a 13-7 Utah State halftime lead to win, 20-13, in one of Utah State's six bowl games, and NMSU's last bowl appearance.
USU vs. NMSU
Overall: 28-7-0 / Home: 13-3-0 / Away: 15-3-0 / Neutral: 0-1-0
12-31-60 L 13-20 N
11-16-63 W 7-6 A
9-26-64 W 76-0 H
10-1-66 L 7-23 H
9-30-67 L 9-10 A
9-14-68 W 28-12 H
11-28-70 W 45-21 A
9-18-71 W 34-0 H
9-9-72 W 48-14 A
11-10-73 W 30-12 A
11-23-85 W 40-23 A
10-4-86 W 42-9 H
11-7-87 W 25-6 A
9-24-88 W 32-20 H
11-21-89 W 28-13 A
11-3-90 W 55-10 H
11-23-91 W 46-21 A
9-26-92 W 48-21 H
11-20-93 W 20-17 A
11-19-94 W 47-20 H
10-21-95 W 27-14 A
10-12-96 W 53-21 A
10-18-97 W 38-7 H
10-31-98 W 29-26** A
11-6-99 L 6-14 H
11-4-00 W 44-37 A
11-9-02 W 32-30 H
11-6-03 L 21-26 A
11-20-04 W 34-25 H
11-26-05 W 24-21 A
11-25-06 L 20-42 H
11-17-07 W 35-17 A
11-29-08 W 47-2 H
10-10-09 L 17-20 A
11-6-10 W 27-22 H
* = # of OT's
FAMILIAR CONFERENCE FOES -- Utah State and New Mexico State have been in four different conferences together, switching together when the Pacific Coast Conference became the Big West Conference on July 1, 1988 USU and NMSU both joined the WAC together in 2005.
Conference Yrs. Together Series History
Pacific Coast 1985-1987 USU 3, NMSU 0
Big West 1988-2000 USU 12, NMSU 1
Sun Belt 2003-2004 USU 1, NMSU 1
WAC 2005-Present USU 4, NMSU 2
USU HAS ENCHANTING RECORD VS. STATE OF NEW MEXICO -- Utah State is a combined 36-18 (.667) vs. teams from the "Land of Enchantment" state, with a 28-7 mark vs. New Mexico State and an 8-11 ledger against New Mexico, last playing in 2003... The navy-clad Aggies have an 18-11 mark on New Mexico soil, with a 15-3 record at New Mexico State and 3-8 at New Mexico.
USU IN SEASON FINALES -- The Aggies are 12-8 in their last 20 final games of the year, having a three-game season-finale win streak snapped last year with a 50-14 loss at Boise State... All-time, USU is 45-65-3 in its season finales... Saturday marks the fifth time in the last seven seasons that Utah State has faced New Mexico State in the navy Aggies' season-finale, closing against Idaho in 2007 and 2009, and Boise State last year... Here's a closer look at USU's last 10 season-finales in which the Aggies have gone 5-5, winning five of the last seven:
Dec. 1, 2001 - L, 21-70 at #21 Fresno State
Nov. 30, 2002 - L, 28-45 at Middle Tennessee
Nov. 22, 2003 - L, 13-20 at Idaho
Nov. 20, 2004 - W, 34-25 vs New Mexico State
Nov. 26, 2005 - W, 24-21 at New Mexico State
Nov. 25, 2006 - L, 20-42 vs New Mexico State
Nov. 24, 2007 - W, 24-19 at Idaho
Nov. 29, 2008 - W, 47-2 vs New Mexico State
Nov. 28, 2009 - W, 52-49 at Idaho
Dec. 4, 2010 - L, 14-50 at Boise State
UTAH STATE IN DECEMBER -- Utah State is playing in December for the third time in an originally-scheduled game since 1971, and the second-straight year overall since 2001, as USU's game against Fresno State was played Dec. 1 after originally being scheduled for Sept. 15, but postponed due to the 9/11 tragedy... Overall, USU has played in December a total of 17 times, posting a 5-12 in the 12th month... Saturday is only USU's second time playing a game on Dec. 3, which is USU assistant media relations director Kara Fisher's birthday, with the last contest being a 27-12 loss to Arizona State in 1949... USU is 2-8 on the road in December, as eight of the Aggies' December games have been either bowl games or international contests.
Dec. 9, 1922 - L, 6-7 at Arizona
Dec. 17, 1927 - L, 20-21 at Hawai'i
Dec. 7, 1946 - W, 28-14 at Denver
Dec. 13, 1947 - L, 21-35 vs. Pacific in Grape Bowl at Lodi, Calif.
Dec. 4, 1948 - L, 19-28 at San Diego State
Dec. 3, 1949 - L, 12-27 at Arizona State
Dec. 1, 1951 - L, 13-17 at New Mexico
Dec. 6, 1952 - L, 0-28 at New Mexico
Dec. 11, 1959 - W, 48-6 at Hawai'i
Dec. 31, 1960 - L, 13-20 vs. #17 New Mexico State in Sun Bowl at El Paso, Texas
Dec. 9, 1961 - L, 9-24 vs. Baylor in Gotham Bowl, New York, N.Y.
Dec. 19, 1971 - W, 50-6 vs. All-Japan in Silk Bowl at Tokyo, Japan
Dec. 26, 1971 - W, 46-6 vs. Japanese All-Stars at Osaka, Japan
Dec. 17, 1993 - W, 42-33 vs. Ball State in Las Vegas Bowl at Las Vegas, Nev.
Dec. 29, 1997 - L, 19-35 vs. Cincinnati in Humanitarian Bowl at Boise, Idaho
Dec. 1, 2001 - L, 21-70 at #21 Fresno State
Dec. 4, 2010 - L, 14-50 at #9 Boise State
AGGIE-AGGIE NOTE-ABLE -- USU's 28 victories in the series are tied for its fourth-most against any opponent trailing only the 35 wins vs. Wyoming, 34 over Brigham Young, 30 vs. Colorado State and tying the 28 vs. Utah... USU's 80.0 winning percentage in the series is its best against any Division I opponent it has faced more than two times in history... USU does not have any players on its active roster from the state of New Mexico, the only state in the WAC union besides Louisiana Tech that the Aggies don't have a player from... New Mexico State does not have any Utah natives on its roster... NMSU running backs coach
SHaun Johnson was running backs coach at USU from 2006-08, and is a Utah State alum, graduating in 1995 after playing running back from 1992-94, and he was on the 1993 Aggie team that won the Big West Championship and the Las Vegas Bowl... In 1994 Johnson played in all 11 games, catching 20 passes for 190 yards and two TDs... USU offensive coordinator
Dave Baldwin was head coach at San Jose State in 2000, when NMSU secondary coach R. Todd Littlejohn was defensive backs/special teams coach there... Littlejohn was wide receivers coach at Utah State in 1998-99... Utah State's defensive coordinator/safeties coach
Bill Busch was an assistant at NMSU, coaching the secondary from 1997-2000... Baldwin and USU TE coach
T.J. Woods coached at New Mexico with NMSU offensive line coach Jason Lenzmeier in 2007, as the trio helped the Lobos to the New Mexico Bowl.
NMSU'S WALKER FAMILIAR WITH USU -- New Mexico State head coach DeWayne Walker was an assistant coach at Utah State in 1993, coaching the cornerbacks and helping lead the navy-clad Aggies to the 1993 Las Vegas Bowl, 42-33, win over Ball State, USU's last bowl win... Walker was on the same 1993 USU coaching staff with some recognizable names in football:
1993 USU POSITION - NAME - NOTE
Head Coach - Charlie Weatherbie - left USU after 1994 season to go to Navy, former
head coach at LA-Monroe
Offensive Coordinator - Jim Zorn - former Washington Redskins head coach
Defensive Coordinator - Dick Bumpas - 8th year as TCU defensive coordinator
Offensive Line - Gene McKeehan - Army Associate Head Coach/Offensive Guards & Centers - 3rd season
Inside Linebackers - Brent Guy - former USU head coach (2005-08), current defensive
coordinator and linebacker coach coach at Tulsa - 1st season
Cornerbacks - DeWAYNE WALKER - current head coach at New Mexico State - 3rd season
Tight Ends/Offensive Line - Scott Wachenheim - current offensive line/tight ends coach at Virginia - 2nd season
Secondary - Gary Patterson - current head coach at TCU - 11th season
Running Backs - Tommie Robinson - current RB coach for Arizona Cardinals - 2nd season
Graduate Assistant - Nate Kaczor - current asst. special teams coach for
Jacksonville Jaguars - 4th season
BUSCH IS AGGIE BATTLE VETERAN -- This will be USU defensive coordinator/safeties coach
Bill Busch's seventh battle of the Aggies of his career but just the third time wearing the navy and white colors of Utah State... Busch was NMSU's secondary coach from 1997-2000, being on the winning side once while losing three meetings:
AT NMSU:
1997 - USU 38, NMSU 7 Logan
1998 - USU 29, NMSU 26 (2OT) Las Cruces
1999 - NMSU 14, USU 6 Logan
2000 - USU 44, NMSU 37 Las Cruces
WELLS' CAREER-DAY VS. NEW MEXICO STATE -- Current USU quarterbacks coach
Matt Wells was a Utah State player from 1993-96, and posted a banner day against New Mexico State as a sophomore in 1994, throwing for a career-high 247 yards on 20-of-39 passing with three TD's, in leading USU to a 47-20 rout of NMSU at Logan in the season-finale... The 247 yards helped Wells set the No. 2 mark for a USU sophomore with 1,812 yards passing, now the No. 4 mark.
CURRENT AGGIE COACHES VS. NMSU -- In addition to Coach Busch and Coach Wells' familiarity with NMSU, a total seven members of Utah State's coaching staff have faced New Mexico State, either as a coach or a player in their previous positions, or both as is the case for Wells, who coached against NMSU during two different stints at New Mexico and as a USU player... Overall, those seven members were a combined 19-3 vs. NMSU in their previous roles.
Name Utah State Position Other Position Years
Dave Baldwin Offensive Coord./WR's New Mexico Off. Coord. 2008-W, 35-24
(4-0 vs. NMSU) 2007-W, 34-33
CS Northridge Head Coach 1996-W, 33-0
San Jose St. Receivers 1984-W-14-0
Frank Maile Defensive Line USU Player-DL 2007-W, 35-17
(4-0 vs. NMSU) 2006-L, 20-42
2005-W, 24-21
2004-W, 35-24
Matt Wells Quarterbacks New Mexico Wide Recivers 2010-L, 14-16
(6-1 vs. NMSU) New Mexico Tight Ends 2008-W, 35-24
2007-W, 34-33
Utah State Player-QB 1996-W, 53-21
1995-W, 27-14
1994-W, 47-20
1993-W, 20-17
T.J. Woods Tight Ends New Mexico Tight Ends 2008-W, 35-24
(2-0 vs. NMSU) 2007-W, 34-33
Hunter Teafatiller Offensive Admin. Asst. Nebraska Player-TE 2008-W, 38-7
(1-0 vs. NMSU)
Jeff Fischer Offensive Admin. Asst. USU Player-QB 2010-W, 27-22
(1-1 vs. NMSU) 2009-L, 17-20
Daniel Gurrola Defensive Admin. Asst. USU Player-DL 2010-W, 27-22
(1-1 vs. NMSU) 2009-L, 17-20
WHITE'S NCAA RECORD BREAKING DAY CAME VS. NMSU - On Nov. 4, 2000, Utah State running back
Emmett White produced one of the greatest single-game performances in NCAA history... The then Aggie junior not only broke the NCAA single-game all-purpose yardage record, he demolished it... The national record of 435 yards held by Brian Pruitt of Central Michigan vs. Toledo in 1994, was broken by an astonishing 143 yards as White accumulated 578 yards against New Mexico State... White rushed 34 times for a school-record 322 yards, added 134 yards on seven receptions (only player in USU history to have 100 yards rushing and receiving in one game), had one punt return for two yards and four kickoff returns for 120 yards... That added up to 578 yards on 46 touches of the football that November night in Las Cruces... Not only did White amass all of those yards, he scored four touchdowns, including the game-winner, a nine-yard run, with just :28 left in the game as USU won the contest 44-37.
OTHER USU BESTS VS. NEW MEXICO STATE -- Here is a look at some of the other top USU statistical individual performances against the southern Aggies besides White's NCAA performance, over the years: Roger Grant has 205 yards rushing in 1991 for the 21st-best rushing performance, while Demario Brown has the No. 22 spot with 204 yards against NMSU in 1998 and Abu Wilson is tied for 23rd with 203 yards in the 1994 meeting with NMSU... Kevin Alexander has the 14th-best receiving total with 205 yards in 1995... Glen Crawford has the 13th-longest rushing play in school history with a 78-yarder in 1985... As a team, USU had its seventh and eighth-best total offense outings with 619 and 605 yards against NMSU in 2000 and 1996, respectively, as well as tied for the 20th-best outing with 544 in 1964... The navy-clad Aggies had the 13th-best passing offense day against their maroon counterparts in 1997 with 393 yards, just getting bumped down to No. 13 after USU's 399 passing yards last Saturday at Nevada... In 1991, USU had its 19th-best rushing total with 332 yards... Defensively, USU had its eighth-best total defense total in the 1964 meeting with NMSU with 100 yards... That same year USU only allowed 18 passing yards to NMSU, the seventh-best total... In 1985, the maroon Aggies had one yard rushing, good for No. 11 on the navy Aggies' best rushing defense performances... The 1964 USU win over NMSU, a 76-0 rout, is the fifth-biggest winning margin in school history... In 2008, Rob Myers had four catches for 117 yards with two TD's, earning national tight end of the week award.
EACH OTHER'S LAST TIME LIST -- On Utah State's "Last Time" list, New Mexico State is only referenced once, but would have been twice except last Saturday's TD toss by Stanley Morrison was the first non-QB TD pass since Morrison did it against NMSU in 2009:
-- USU's last opponent to record a safety against USU was New Mexico State in 2010, as the navy Aggies took a safety to run out the clock and preserve the win, 27-22.
USU is on New Mexico State's "Last Time" list four times:
-- The last NMSU placekicker with four FG's was Nick Cecava vs. USU in 1998.
-- The last time NMSU blocked a punt was B.J. Adolpho against USU in 2009.
-- NMSU's last game without committing a turnover was at Utah State in 2010.
-- The maroon Aggies' last safety was the aforementioned two-pointer last year.
UTAH STATE-NEW MEXICO STATE BY THE NUMB3R5 -- A closer look at note-ables about Saturday's battle of the Aggies:
0 Players from the state of New Mexico on USU's roster.
0 Players from the state of Utah on NMSU's roster.
1 Person with a name pronounced "Shawn" Johnson on each roster: USU
freshman WR Shaan Johnson and NMSU running backs coach SHaun Johnson
1 USU coach with ties to NMSU (Def. coord./safeties coach Bill Busch was
secondary coach at NMSU from 1997-2000).
3 NMSU coaches with USU ties (head coach DeWayne Walker was cornerbacks
coach at USU in 1993; secondary coach R. Todd Littlejohn was wide
receivers coach at USU in 1998-99; running backs coach SHaun Johnson was
in the same position at USU from 2006-08, and is a Utah State alum, graduating
in 1995 after playing running back from 1992-94).
3 Saturday is only USU's third game played on natural grass this season, joining
season-opener at Auburn on Sept. 3 and at BYU on Sept. 30.
5 Saturday marks the fith time in the last seven seasons that Utah State has
faced New Mexico State in the navy Aggies' season-finale.
7 USU's losses to NMSU in the all-time series.
10 Consecutive seasons that USU and NMSU have faced each other counting
Saturday's game.
11 Years ago that Emmett White set an NCAA all-purpose record with 578 yards
against New Mexico State on Nov. 4, 2000.
18 Number of times that USU has played in December counting Saturday, which
will be the Aggies' second-straight year after not playing in the 12th month
since 2001.
28 Victories by USU in the series, tied for the fourth-most against any opponent,
and the most against any WAC foe.
80.0 USU's winning percentage in the series vs. NMSU, Utah State's best against
any Division I opponent it has faced more than two times in history.
182 Yards rushing that USU's offense needs to tie the school record for single-season
rushing yards, as the navy Aggies' rushing attack has amassed 2,938 rushing
yards, as the 1960 offense ran for 3,120 yards.
247 Yards passing by current USU QB coach and former USU QB Matt Wells, a
new career-high on 20-of-39 passing with three TD's, in leading USU to a 47-20
rout of NMSU at Logan in the season-finale.
578 All-purpose yards by USU's Emmett White in 2000, setting the NCAA record
at the time.
711 Miles from USU's Romney Stadium to NMSU's Aggie Memorial Stadium.
1960 First year USU and NMSU played football.
UTAH STATE-NMSU LAST TIME: 2010
UTAH STATE 27, NEW MEXICO STATE 22
November 6, 2010 • Logan, Utah • Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium
LOGAN, Utah - A collection of career-best performances sparked Utah State's rally from a 17-10 halftime deficit and USU won the all-Aggie battle with New Mexico State, 27-22, on Nov. 6 at Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium. Utah State overcame a 14-0 deficit, its largest since 2001, and USU rallied for its first second-half comeback for a win since 2007, when Utah State rallied from a 10-7 halftime deficit at New Mexico State. Senior QB Diondre Borel became USU's No. 2 career passer, while a career-best 230 all-purpose yards by sophomore KR/RB Kerwynn Williams set up Utah State's TD's, one of which was scored by senior RB Derrvin Speight as part of his career-high 114 yards. Borel became the No. 2 career passer in Utah State history, moving past Tony Adams (1970-72) who had 6,226 yards from 1970-72. With 110 yards passing Saturday, Borel now has 6,295 passing yards for his career. Junior LB Bobby Wagner tied a career-high with 17 tackles, giving him 105 tackles on the season, marking his second-straight season with at least 100 stops after 115 last season. Speight becomes USU's first 100-yard rusher of the season and the first since Robert Turbin last season at Idaho. The senior logged his first 100-yard outing of the season, topping his previous career-high of 99 yards from his freshman season of 2007. Williams' 230 all-purpose yards topped his career-best for the second-straight week, bettering his 228 yards last week at Nevada. While he didn't have a kick return for a TD like he did at Nevada, Williams did have returns of 84 and 68 yards, both of which set of USU TD's, the later of which put the home Aggies ahead for the first time and gave them the lead for good at 24-20 midway through the third quarter. NMSU opened a 14-0 lead on a 9-yard run by Matt Christian and a 32-yard pass from Christian to Todd Lee, that second with 52 seconds left in the first frame. Williams returned the ensuing kickoff 84-yards to the NMSU 10 and two plays later, Speight bulled through a huge hole created by the USU offensive line into the endzone in the final play of the quarter for a 14-7 score. The southern Aggies opened the second half scoring with a Tyler Stampler 46-yard field goal, before the northern Aggies countered with a 44-yard upright split by senior PK/P Peter Caldwell for a 17-10 score. That score would remain on the scoreboard until Borel scored on the 3-yard scamper and Caldwell's PAT knotted it at 17-all with 2:50 to go in the third stanza. Stampler's field goal from 48-yards gave NMSU a 20-17 lead, but Williams returned the ensuing kick 63 yards to the NMSU 25 and a facemask penalty on the play set USU up at the 12. On the next play, Borel ran the option for two yards before pitching to Moats, who dove over the goal line and got the ball inside the pylon for the TD. Caldwell's extra point put USU ahead, 24-20, with 9:07 to play. The USU defense held NMSU to a three-and-out and the home team marched down the field and capped the drive with a 24-yard Caldwell field goal with 2:44 to play. New Mexico State drove to the USU 27, but Christian's fourth-down pass play was broken up by sophomore CB Quinton Byrd, giving the navy Aggies the ball back with 52 seconds left. Borel took a knee on three plays, while NMSU used its timeouts and then Borel took a safety in the endzone to run out the clock for the final margin and to seal Utah State's victory. Utah State ended with 296 yards of total offense, as Williams' returns set up USU in short-field drives, as Borel was 11-of-22 for 110 yards while the navy Aggies had 186 rushing yards. New Mexico State totalled 346 total offense yards, with 155 on the ground and 191 through the air, as Christian was 17-of-34 with one TD. Besides Wagner, senior S Rajric Coleman logged a season-high 12 tackles while junior DE Quinn Garner registered a career-best 11 tackles, including one sack as part of his 1.5 tackles for loss. Fellow junior DE Levi Koskan also had two TFL's, including one sack, as part of his seven stops, while junior LB Kyle Gallagher added nine tackles.
Score By Quarters
Utah State 7 3 7 10 - 27
New Mexico State 14 3 0 5 - 22
Scoring Summary
1st 09:33 NMSU- Christian, Matt 9 yd run (Stampler, Tyler kick)
00:52 NMSU- Lee, Todd 32 yd pass from Christian, Matt (Stampler, Tyler kick)
00:00 USU- Speight, Derrvin 2 yd run (Caldwell, Peter kick)
2nd 10:00 NMSU- Stampler, Tyler 46 yd field goal
07:41 USU- Caldwell, Peter 44 yd field goal
3rd 02:50 USU- Borel, Diondre 3 yd run (Caldwell, Peter kick)
4th 09:29 NMSU- Stampler, Tyler 48 yd field goal
09:07 USU- Moats, Eric 10 yd run (Caldwell, Peter kick)
02:44 USU- Caldwell, Peter 24 yd field goal
00:00 NMSU- Team Safety
Attn: 14, 524
Team Statistics USU NMSU
First Downs 17 22
Rushing 186 155
Passing 110 191
Total Offense 286 346
Fumbles: Number-Lost 1-0 1-0
Penalties: Number-Yards 8-76 5-62
Punts-Yards/Avg. 6-265/44.2 7-272/38.9
Punt returns: No-Yds-TD/Avg. 1-0-0/0.0 2-0-0/0.0
Kickoff Returns: No-Yds-TD/Avg. 5-201-0/40.2 6-102-0/17.0
Interceptions: No-Yds-TD 0-0-0 1-0-0
Fumble Returns: No-Yds-TD 0-0-0 0-0-0
Possession Time 25:47 34:13
Third-Down Conversions 3 of 13 6 of 17
Individual Rushing
NMSU: Turner 17-68
USU: Speight 19-114, Borel 11-30, Williams 4-29, Watkins 1-14
Individual Passing (C-A-I, Yds, TD)
NMSU: Christian 17-34-0, 191, 1
USU: Borel 11-22-1, 110, 0
Individual Receiving
NMSU: Turner 7-64
USU: Moats 3-27, Van Leeuwen 3-23, Speight 2-16, Alder 1-31, Bartlett 1-7
USU Punt Returns: Moats 1-0-0
USU KO Returns: Williams 5-201-0
USU Tackle Leaders: Wagner 17, Coleman 12, Garner 11, Gallagher 9, Koskan 7
AGGIES-AGGIES LAST TIME AT LAS CRUCES: 2009
NEW MEXICO STATE 20, UTAH STATE 17
Oct. 10, 2009 • Las Cruces, N.M. • Aggie Memorial Stadium
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - New Mexico State's Kyle Hughes' 28-yard field goal as time expired gave NMSU a 20-17 win over Utah State on Oct. 10 in USU's Western Athletic Conference opener. Utah State is 1-4 overall with the loss and 0-1 in WAC action while NMSU improves to 3-3 overall, 1-1 in conference action. The loss snapped USU's two-game win streak in the series and the navy Aggies now lead the all-time series 27-7, as well as 15-3 in Las Cruces. The loss offset a milestone night for sophomore running back Robert Turbin with a career-best 184 yards, the most for a USU running back since Emmett White's 233 yards vs. Weber State in 2001. Turbin also went over the 1,000 career rushing yards milestone, becoming the first since White (1998-2001). Utah State amassed 429 yards of total offense with 258 rushing and 171 passing, but had 12 penalties for 128 yards. New Mexico State posted 230 total offense yards, on 149 rushing and just 81 passing, the lowest for a USU defense since 72 at North Texas in 2000. Turbin posted his 184 yards on 24 carries, while junior quarterback Diondre Borel was 15-of-25 passing for 156 yards with one TD, a 21-yard pass to senior wide receiver Xavier Bowman. Sophomore wide receiver Stanley Morrison also had a TD pass, a 15-yard end around pass to senior wide receiver Omar Sawyer. Sophomore linebacker Bobby Wagner, the WAC's leading tackler, made 11 stops while three other navy Aggies made eight each. USU almost opened the scoring, after a long pass from Borel to Sawyer that Sawyer staggered and stumbled before regaining his balance on the way to the endzone. The play was reviewed and ruled that Turbin's knee touched the ground at the 10-yard line. An unsportsmanlike penalty put the ball back at the 25 and USU's drive stalled with a missed field goal. NMSU scored on a 1-yard run by Trevor Walls with 3:48 left in the first quarter and went up 10-0 at the 9:35 mark on a 31-yard field goal by Hughes. USU got on the board with a 34-yard field goal from senior PK Chris Ulinski with 7:09 to play. The navy Aggies tied the score at 10-all with 48 seconds left in the half on a 15-yard end around pass from Morrison to Sawyer. It was Morrison's second TD toss this season, after a TD toss to Turbin in the Southern Utah game. Saturday was the first time that USU was tied at the half and just the second time in the last four seasons. Utah State took the second half kickoff and marched down the field, getting a 55-yard run from Turbin before Borel later hit senior WR Xavier Bowman with a 21-yard TD pass. NMSU tied it at 17's with 7:48 left in the third on a 1-yard Smith scamper, but neither team scored again until Hughes' game-winning kick. Utah State had several threats thwarted by penalties.
Score By Quarters
Utah State 0 10 7 0 - 17
New Mexico State 7 3 7 3 - 20
Scoring Summary
1st 03:48 NMSU - Walls, Trevor 1 yd run (Hughes, Kyle kick)
2nd 09:35 NMSU - Hughes 31 yd field goal
07:09 USU - Chris Ulinski 34 yd field goal
00:48 USU - Omar Sawyer 15 yd pass from Stanley Morrison (Ulinski kick)
3rd 13:44 USU - Xavier Bowman 21 yd pass from Diondre Borel (Ulinski kick)
07:48 NMSU - Smith, Seth 1 yd run (Hughes kick)
4th 00:00 NMSU - Hughes 28 yd field goal
Attn: 15,283
Team Statistics USU NMSU
First Downs 18 10
Rushing 258 149
Passing 171 81
Total Offense 429 230
Fumbles: Number-Lost 1-1 0-0
Penalties: Number-Yards 12-128 4-35
Punts-Yards/Avg. 10-415/41.5 10-455/45.5
Kickoff Returns: No-Yds-TD/Avg. 3-71-0/23.7 2-39-0/19.5
Interceptions: No-Yds-TD 1-0-0 0-0-0
Fumble Returns: No-Yds-TD 0-0-0 0-0-0
Possession Time 29:14 30:46
Third-Down Conversions 5-of-17 8-of-20
Individual Rushing
USU: Turbin 24-184, Speight 5-27, Borel 10-26, Smith 6-21
NMSU: Smith 26-98 TD
Individual Passing (A-C-I, Yds, TD)
USU: Borel 15-25-0, 156, 1; Morrison 1-1-0, 15, 1
NMSU: Walls 8-25-1, 81, 0
Individual Receiving
USU: Moats 4-42, Sawyer 3-48 TD, Smith 3-19, Morrison 2-23, Mitchell 2-15,
Bowman 1-21 TD, Gwacham 1-3
NMSU: Allen 5-58
USU Punt Returns: Murphy 3-18, Flores 2-13
USU KO Returns: Smith 2-44, K.Williams 1-27
USU Interception Returns: Marsh 1-0
USU Tackle Leaders: Wagner 11, Garner 8, Coleman 8, Brindley 8 Moats 2-15,
Speight 1-18
NEV: Wimberly 2-73 TD
USU Punt Returns: Murphy 1-2
USU KO Returns: K.Williams 6-95
USU Interception Returns: Brindley 1-0
USU Tackle Leaders: Brindley 9, Gallagher 8, Wagner 8, Enesi 6
TURBIN NEW USU TOTAL TD RECORD HOLDER --
Junior RB
Robert Turbin became Utah State's total touchdowns record holder with a TD in the LA Tech game, giving him 42 career TD's, passing Abu Wilson's 41 career total scores from 1992, 1994-96... Turbin is now just building on the record... Turbin has also broken into the WAC's Top 10 Total TD's list.
USU Career Touchdowns
No. Name Years No.
1. Robert Turbin 2007-pres. 50
2. Abu Wilson 1992, 94-96 41
3. Tom Larscheid 1959-61 40
4. Demario Brown 1996-99 37
5. Emmett White 1998-01 32
6. Kevin Robinson 2004-07 29
7. Kendal Smith 1985-88 28
8. Rick Parros 1976-79 27
9. Tracy Jenkins 1988-91 22
10. Aaron Jones 1997-2000 21
Louie Giammona 1973-75 21
Roy Shivers 1964-65 21
WAC Career Touchdowns
1. 62 Marshall Faulk, SDSU, 1991-93
2. 60 Colin Kaepernick, NEV, 2007-10
3. 59 Ian Johnson, BSU, 2005-08
4. 54 LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU, 1997-00
5. 53 Vai Taua, NEV, 2007-10
6. 51 John Harvey, UTEP, 1985-88
7. 50 Robert Turbin USU, 2007-pres.
8. 49 Steve Bartalo, CSU, 1983-86
9. 48 Brock Forsey, BSU, 2001-02
10. 42 Ryan Yarborough, UW, 1990-93
42 Beau Morgan, AFA, 1994-96
TURBIN IS NEW USU CAREER POINTS SCORED RECORD HOLDER -- With 18 points scored in the Idaho game, Turbin broke former placekicker
Brad Bohn's school record of 284 career points from 1997-2000, and is now also just building on his records... He became just the 16th player in WAC history to reach 300 points.
USU Career Points Scored
No.Name Years Pts.
1. Robert Turbin 2007-pres 302
2. Brad Bohn 1997-2000 284
3. Tom Larscheid 1959-61 248
4. Abu Wilson 1992, 94-96 246
5. Demario Brown 1996-99 234
6. Steve Steinke 1977-80 204
7. Micah Knorr 1993-96 197
8. Emmett White 1998-01 194
9. Kevin Robinson 2004-07 182
10. Willie Beecher 1981-84 172
11. Rick Parros 1976-79 170
WAC Career Points Scored
1. 439 Kyle Brotzman, BSU, 2007-10
---
6. 369 Kevin Goessling, FS, 2008-pres.
7. 356 Ian Johnson, BSU, 2005-08
8. 338 Andy Trakas, SDSU, 1989-92
9. 335 Dan Kelly, UH, 2005-08
10. 324 LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU, 1997-00
11. 320 Vai Taua, NEV, 2007-10
12. 319 Sean Fleming, UW, 1988-91
13. 306 John Harvey, UTEP, 1985-88
14. 302 Peter Holt, SDSU, 1993-96
302 Robert Turbin, USU, 2007-pres.
16. 301 Cory Wedel, UW, 1994-97
TURBIN IS EIGHTH AGGIE TO 2,000 FOR CAREER / FIFTH TO 3K -- Junior RB
Robert Turbin became the 20th player in Utah State history to reach the 1,000 career rushing yards milestone in 2009, and only the eighth player in Aggie history to reach the 2,000 mark... Turbin hit the 2K mark as part of his 180-yard performance against Weber State on Sept. 10, 2011... Turbin became just the fifth Aggie running back with 3,000 career yards, reaching the 3K plateau in the Idaho game on Nov. 19, 2011... He is the first to 3,000 since Demario Brown (1996-99), who is the school-record holder with 4,053 rushing yards.
USU Career Rushing
No. Name Years Yds.
1. Demario Brown 1996-1999 4,053
2. Abu Wilson 1992, 94-96 3,933
3. Rick Parros 1976-79 3,537
4. Louie Giammona 1973-75 3,499
5. Robert Turbin 2007-pres. 3,116
6. Emmett White 1998-01 2,791
7. Roger Grant 1990-91 2,387
8. Tom Larscheid 1959-61 2,206
9. Altie Taylor 1966-68 1,959
10. Jay Van Noy 1946-49 1,923
WAC Career Rushing
11. 3,563 John Harvey, UTEP, 1985-88
12. 3,515 Deonce Whitaker, SJSU, 1998-01
13. 3,466 Howard Jackson, UTEP, 2001-04
14. 3,431 Damon Washington, CSU, 1995-98
15. 3,379 Beau Morgan, AFA, 1994-96
16. 3,352 Daniel Porter, LTU, 2006-09
17. 3,335 Ron Harris, CSU, 1974-77
18. 3,332 Winslow Oliver, UNM, 1992-95
19. 3,313 Freddie Williams, ASU, 1973-76
20. 3,280 Ryan Mathews, FS, 2007-09
21. 3,218 Eddie Johnson, UU, 1984-86, 88
22. 3,116 Robert Turbin, USU, 2007-pres.
23. 3,112 Ryan Moats, LTU, 2002-04
23. 3,040 Jamal Willis, BYU, 1991-94
24. 3,038 Keylon Kincade, SMU, 2000-03
25. 3,014 Luke Lippincott, NEV, 2004, 2006-09
TURBO-ING TO 1,000 YARDS RUSHING AND BEYOND --
Turbin is also climbing up several USU single-season marks, including the single-season 1,000-yard mark, a milestone he reached against San Jose State on Nov. 12 - Turbin also hit the 1,000-yard mark in 2009 against SJSU... He now has 1,318 for the season, marking the 15th time that an Aggie running back has reached the 1,000-yard mark, and passing his career-best mark of 1,296 from 2009... Turbin is the 10th different USU running back to reach the four-digit yardage mark... Turbin becomes just the fifth Aggie back to reach 1,000 yards in two seasons, joining Louie Giammona (1974, 1975),
Emmett White (2000, 2001), Rick Parros (1977, 1979) and Roger Grant (1990, 1991).
USU Single-Season Rushing Yardage
No. Yds. Year Name, Class No. Avg. TD
1. 1,536 1999 Demario Brown, Sr. 279 5.5 14
2. 1,534 1974 Louie Giammona, Jr. 329 4.7 8
3. 1,476 1995 Abu Wilson, Jr. 275 5.4 15
4. 1,454 1975 Louie Giammona, Sr. 303 4.8 11
5. 1,370 1990 Roger Grant, Jr. 266 5.2 8
6. 1,361 2001 Emmett White, Sr. 250 5.4 13
7. 1,322 2000 Emmett White, Jr. 242 5.5 13
8. 1,318 2011 Robert Turbin, JR. 186 6.8 19
9. 1,296 2009 Robert Turbin, So. 207 6.3 13
10. 1,236 1979 Rick Parros, Sr. 259 4.8 15
11. 1,150 1973 Archie Gibson, Sr. 216 5.3 3
12. 1,138 1965 Roy Shivers, Jr. 189 6.0 14
13. 1,135 1977 Rick Parros, So. 261 4.3 4
14. 1,044 1960 Tom Larscheid, Jr. 124 8.4 13
15. 1,017 1991 Roger Grant, Sr. 218 4.7 4
16. 971 1997 Demario Brown, So. 184 5.3 10
17. 967 2003 David Fiefia, Sr. 206 4.7 7
18. 966 1978 Rick Parros, Jr. 221 4.3 7
19. 947 1993 Profail Greer, So. 190 5.0 10
20. 929 1968 Altie Taylor, Sr. 203 4.6 8
21. 920 1956 Jack Hill, Sr. 140 6.6 14
USU Single-Season Rushing Touchdowns
No. Name, Class Year TD
1. Robert Turbin, JR. 2011 19
2. Abu Wilson, Sr. 1996 16
3. Abu Wilson, Jr. 1995 15
Rick Parros, Sr. 1979 15
5. Demario Brown, Sr. 1999 14
Jack Hill, Sr. 1956 14
Roy Shivers, Jr. 1965 14
8. Robert Turbin, So. 2009 13
Emmett White, Sr. 2001 13
Emmett White, Jr. 2000 13
Tom Larscheid, Jr. 1960 13
USU Single-Season Total Touchdowns
No. Name, Class Year TD
1. Robert Turbin, JR. 2011 22
2. Robert Turbin, So. 2009 18
3. Emmett White, Sr. 2001 16
Abu Wilson, Sr. 1996 16
Roy Shivers, Jr. 1965 16
5. Emmett White, Jr. 2000 15
Demario Brown, Sr. 1999 15
Abu Wilson, Jr. 1995 15
Jack Hill 1956 15
Tom Larscheid, Jr. 1960 15
Tom Larscheid, Sr. 1961 15
Rick Parros, Sr. 1979 15
USU Single-Season Scoring
No. Name, Class Year Pts.
1. Robert Turbin, JR. 2011 132
2. Robert Turbin, So. 2009 110
3. Jack Hill, Sr. 1956 105
4. Emmett White, Sr. 2001 98
Abu Wilson, Sr. 1996 96
Tom Larscheid, Sr. 1961 96
Roy Shivers, Jr. 1965 96
8. Tom Larscheid, Jr. 1960 92
9. Emmett White, Jr. 2000 90
Demario Brown, Sr. 1999 90
Abu Wilson, Jr. 1995 90
Nathan Morreale, Fr. 1993 90
Rick Parros, Sr. 1979 90
WAC Single-Season Scoring
1. 192 Brock Forsey, BSU, 2002
2. 152 Ian Johnson, BSU, 2006
3. 144 Paul Hewitt, SDSU, 1987
144 Marshall Faulk, SDSU, 1993
5. 141 Tyler Jones, BSU, 2004
6. 140 Marshall Faulk, SDSU, 1991
7. 136 George Jones, SDSU, 1995
8. 132 Calvin Branch, CSU, 1996
132 LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU, 2000
132 Tyler Jones, BSU, 2003
132 Chad Owens, UH, 2004
132 Vai Taua, NEV, 2010
132 Robert Turbin, USU, 2011
TOUCHDOWN TIME FOR TURBIN -- Turbin is also climbing USU's career rushing TD list, as he now has 40 career TD's after his rushing score in the BYU game broke a tie with Tom Larscheid (1959-61) with 29 career TD's for sole possession of the No. 3 spot... Turbin is now tied for the No. 1 spot of 40, tying Abu Wilson (1992-94-96).
Career Rushing TD's
No.Name Years TD
1. Abu Wilson 1992, 94-96 40
Robert Turbin 2007-pres 40
3. Demario Brown 1996-99 37
4. Tom Larscheid 1959-61 29
5. Emmett White 1998-01 27
6. Rick Parros 1976-79 26
7. Louie Giammona 1973-75 21
8. Roy Shivers 1964-65 18
Diondre Borel 2007-10 18
9. Jack Hill 1956 14
10. Jerry Cox 1973-74 13
Jerry Hughes 1971-72 13
Altie Taylor 1966-68 13
WAC Career Rushing TD's
1. 59 Colin Kaerpenick, NEV, 2007-10
2. 58 Ian Johnson, BSU, 2005-08
3. 57 Marshall Faulk, SDSU, 1991-93
4. 54 LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU, 1997-00
5. 46 Steve Bartalo, CSU, 1983-86
6. 45 Vai Taua, NEV, 2007-10
7. 43 John Harvey, UTEP, 1985-88
8. 42 Beau Morgan, AFA, 1994-96
9. 41 Dee Dowis, AFA, 1986-89
10. 40 Robert Turbin, USU, 2007-pres.
11. 39 Michael Carter, UH, 1991-93
39 Brock Forsey, BSU, 2001-02
39 Ryan Mathews, FS, 2007-09
OTHER TURBIN MARKS IN TOP 10 CAREER LIST -- Turbin is also moving up USU's career rushing attempts and career rushing average lists:
Career Rushing Attempts
No.Name Years Pts.
1. Demario Brown 1996-99 792
Abu Wilson 1992, 94-96 792
3. Rick Parros 1976-79 782
4. Louie Giammona 1973-75 756
5. Robert Turbin 2007-pres. 520
6. Emmett White 1998-01 517
7. Roger Grant 1990-91 484
8. Altie Taylor 1966-68 415
9. Maurice Turner 1979-82 404
10. John Strycula 1969-71 401
11. Demetrius Brown 1986-89 383
Career Rushing Average
No.Name Years Avg.
(Minimum 150 Attempts)
1. Tom Larscheid 1959-61 7.0
2. MacArthur Lane 1965-67 6.9
3. Roy Shivers 1964-65 6.8
4. Buddy Allen 1958-59 6.4
5. Robert Turbin 2007-pres. 6.0
6. Emmett White 1998-01 5.4
7. Archie Gibson 1972-73 5.2
8. Demario Brown 1996-99 5.1
9. Melvin Blue 1995-97 4.9
Abu Wilson 1992, 94-96 4.9
Richard Gwynn 1984-85 4.9
Roger Grant 1990-91 4.9
Altie Taylor 1966-68 4.9
TURBIN AMONG OTHER BACKS IN THE NATION --
Turbin has 15 career 100-yard rushing games, and had a streak of five in a row snapped in the LA Tech game, which was his longest streak of his career... Turbin's 15 career 100-yard games ranks among that nation's best active running backs:
Career 100-Yard Rushing Games
(active players through Nov. 26):
1. LaMichael James, Jr., Oregon 24
T2. *Montel Harris, Sr., Boston College 22
T2. Bobby Rainey, Sr., Western Kentucky 22
T4. Lance Dunbar, Sr., North Texas 20
T4. Chris Polk, Jr., Washington 20
6. Bernard Pierce, Jr., Temple 17
T7. Rodney Stewart, Sr., Colorado 16
T7. Zach Line, Jr., SMU 16
T7. Alfred Morris, Sr, FAU 16
T10. Cyrus Gray, Sr., Texas A&M 15
T10. Robert Turbin, JR., UTAH STATE 15
T10. Doug Martin, Sr., Boise State 15
T13. Denard Robinson, Jr., Michigan 14
T13. Ronnie Hillman, Soph., San Diego State 14
T15. David Wilson, Jr., Virginia Tech 13
T15. Trent Richardson, Jr., Alabama 13
T17. Stepfan Taylor, Jr., Stanford 12
T17. Robbie Rouse, Jr., Fresno State 12
T19. Rex Burkhead, Jr., Nebraska 11
T19. Asher Clark, Jr., Air Force 11
Four with 10
(*--Harris has a knee injury and is seeking a medical redshirt for the year).
WAGNER WAC PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF YEAR, MULTI-PRESEASON WATCH LIST MEMBER -- The media of the Western Athletic Conference voted on preseason players of the year, selecting USU senior linebacker
Bobby Wagner as the Defensive Player of the Year, while Hawai`i senior quarterback Bryant Moniz was voted the Offensive Player of the Year.
Wagner is the first USU player to earn a preseason WAC honor since the Aggies joined the league in 2005. It is Utah State's first conference preseason honor since 2004 when Ronald Tupea and Robert Watts were named to the Sun Belt preseason first-team all-conference team. The WAC does not have a preseason all-conference team.
Wagner is also on several preseason all-WAC teams as well as several award watch lists, including:
Butkus Award - nation's top linebacker
Rotary Lombardi Award - nation's top college lineman
Bronko Nagurski Award - nation's best defensive player
Wagner, a native of Ontario, Calif. (Colony HS) is a two-time first-team all-WAC honoree... Last season, he led the WAC and ranked tied for seventh in FBS with 11.1 tackles per game, ranking second in the WAC with 133 total tackles in 2010 season... In 2010, Wagner also tallied a WAC-best four 15+ tackle outings, including two 17-stop games, a 16-tackle game and a 15-tackle outing... On the season, he logged a total of seven double-digit tackle games, and had at least six stops in all 12 games... Additionally, Wagner added eight tackles for loss with half a sack, as well as four pass breakups and one forced fumble.
WAGNER WRANGLING WAY UP USU AND WAC TACKLE LIST -- Senior LB Bobby Wagner has 407 career tackles, becoming the 14th player in USU history to top the 300 stops mark and the first since former teammate Jake Hutton (328 career tackles, 2005-08)... He recently passed Hutton and now holds the No. 2 spot on the USU list and tied for No. 3 on the WAC list, to become the third Aggie and the fourth WAC player since 1979 to reach the 400 tackle milestone:
USU Career Tackles
Tackles Years No.
(Since 1979)
1. Del Lyles 1988-91 446
2. Bobby Wagner 2008-pres. (134) 433
3. David Gill 1993-96 425
4. Jesse Busta 1999-2002 392
5. Brent Passey 1997-2000 386
6. Kevin Bouwmann 1987-1990 372
7. Pat McKenna 1979-82 359
8. Johndale Carty 1995-98 347
9. Jermaine Younger 1990-93 337
10. Jake Hutton 2005-08 328
WAC Career Tackles
Tackles Years No.
(Since 1979)
1. Robert Rodriguez, UTEP 2001-04 443
2. Solomon Elimimian, UH 2005-07 434
3. Matt Castelo, SJSU 2004-07 433
Bobby Wagner 2008-pres. (134) 433
5. Korey Hall, BSU 2003-06 394
6. Ben Jacobs, FS 2007-10 387
7. Shiloh Keo, UI 2006-10 358
8. Andy Avalos, BSU 2001-04 355
9. Antonio Baker, LTU 2006-09 352
10. Jake Hutton, USU 2005-08 328
(Number in parenthesis = `11 stats)
WILLIAMS NEW USU AND WAC KICK RETURN RECORD HOLDER -- Kick returner/running back
Kerwynn Williams became the USU and WAC single-season kick return total yardage record holder, finishing the 2010 season with 1,444 yards, breaking the week-old WAC record of 1,410 by New Mexico State's Taveon Rogers... The previous record was 1,214 yards by Deonce Whitaker of San Jose State in 1998 before both Rogers and Williams broke it.
Williams also broke the WAC's Career Kick Return Yards record in the BYU game on Sept. 30, passing Cedric Johnson of UTEP's record of 2,782 yards from 1993-96.
Williams had 53 kick returns last season, also breaking the WAC and NCAA (FBS) records also set by Rogers last season of 51.
Now with 3,349 career kick return yards, Williams established a new conference record in career kick return yards, passing Cedric Johnson of UTEP's record of 2,782 yards from 1993-96.
Williams is currently USU's career record holder for kick return average, as well as moving up on USU's single-game kick return average list and the career all-purpose yardage list... Williams joined Kevin Robinson as the only Aggie kick returners to surpass the 1,000-kick return yardage milestone and Williams has now topped the 1k mark twice.
USU Single Season Kick Return Yards
Year No. Yds.
1. Kerwynn Williams, So. 2010 53 1,444
2. Kevin Robinson, Sr. 2007 43 1,260
3. Kerwynn Williams, Fr. 2009 45 1,131
USU Single Season Kick Return Average
Name Year Ret.
1. Overton Curtis, Jr. 1957 30.2
2. Kevin Robinson, Sr. 2007 29.3
Tony Pennyman, Jr. 2005 29.3
4. Jerome Dennis, So. 2002 27.7
5. Kerwynn Williams, So. 2010 27.2
6. Floyd Foreman, Sr. 1991 27.0
7. Brett Payne, So. 1987 26.0
8. Louie Giammona, So. 1973 25.8
9. Dexter Pointer, Jr. 1990 25.6
10. Tony Walker, Fr. 1998 25.3
11. Kerwynn Williams, Fr. 2009 25.1
Kevin Robinson, Fr. 2004 25.1
WILLIAMS NINTH-BEST SINGLE-SEASON ALL-PURPOSE MARK IN WAC -- With 2,042 all-purpose yards last season (1,444 kick return, 451 rush, 110 receiving, 37 punt return), Kerwynn Williams holds the No. 9 spot on the WAC's Single-Season All-Purpose list, the most in the WAC since USU's Kevin Robinson amassed 2,317 all-purpose yards in 2007.
WAC Single-Season All-Purpose
No. Yards Name, School, Years
1. 16,916 Timmy Chang, UH, 2000-04
1. 2,591 Bernard Berrian, FS, 2001
2. 2,317 Kevin Robinson, USU, 2007
3. 2,198 LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU, 2000
4. 2,174 Marshall Faulk, SDSU, 1993
5. 2,146 Howard Jackson, UTEP, 2003
6. 2,138 Terance Mathis, UNM, 1989
7. 2,127 Brock Forsey, BSU, 2002
8. 2,086 Charles Pauley, SJSU, 2002
9. 2,042 Kerwynn Williams, USU, 2010
10. 2,036 Carl Monroe, UU, 1982
USU Career Kick Return Average
Years Avg.
1. Dexter Pointer 1990 25.6
2. Kerwynn Williams 2009-pres. 25.3
3. Kevin Robinson 2004-07 25.2
4. Jerome Dennis 2001-04 24.9
5. Floyd Foreman 1990-91 24.1
USU Career All-Purpose Yardage
All-Purpose Yards Years Yds.
1. Kevin Robinson 2004-07 6,479
2. Emmett White 1998-01 5,872
3. Kendal Smith 1985-88 5,266
--- Kerwynn Williams 2009-pres. 4,573
WAC Career All-Purpose Yardage
Name, School Years Yds.
1. Terance Mathis, UNM 1985-87, 89 6,691
2. LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU 1997-00 6,337
3. Howard Jackson, UTEP 2001-04 6,153
4. Steve Bartalo, CSU 1983-86 5,982
5. Phillip Livas, LTU 2007-10 5,738
6. Deonce Whitaker, SJSU 1998-01 5,596
7. Marshall Faulk, SDSU 1991-93 5,562
8. Chad Owens, UH 2001-04 5,461
9. Bernard Berrian, FS 1999-03 5,429
10. Winslow Oliver, UNM 1992-95 5,375
11. Kevin Robinson, USU 2005-07 5,169
Patrick Jackson, LTU 2005-08 5,169
Vai Taua, NEV 2007-10 5,169
14. Chris Williams, NMSU 2005-08 4,985
15. Ian Johnson, BSU 2005-08 4,952
16. Titus Young, BSU 2007-10 4,938
17. Marcus Harris, UW 1993-96 4,734
18. Darnay Scott, SDSU 1991-93 4,658
19. Kerwynn Williams, USU 2009-pres. 4,573
20. Jamal Willis, BYU 1991-94 4,435
WAC Career Kick Return Yards
Name, School Year Ret.
1. Kerwynn Williams, USU 2009-pres. 3,392
2. Cedric Johnson, UTEP 1993-96 2,782
NCAA (FBS) Single Season Kick Return Yards
Name, School Year Ret.
1. Kerwynn Williams, USU 2010 1,444
2. Taveon Rogers, NMSU 2010 1,410
3. Damaris Johnson, Tulsa 2008 1,382
THOMPSON KICKING TO SINGLE-SEASON PAT RECORD -- Sophomore PK
Josh Thompson set a new USU single-season PAT record with his record-tying and record-setting PAT's coming in the San Jose State game and he continues to build on his record:
USU Single Season Extra Points Made
No. Name, Class Year No.
1. Josh Thompson, So. 2011 51
2. Brad Bohn, Fr. 1997 39
Steve Steinke, Jr. 1979 37
4. Micah Knorr, Sr. 1996 36
5. Dane Kidman, Jr. 2001 35
Doug Beach, So. 1990 35
7. Dane Kidman, Sr. 2002 33
Michael Doyle, Sr. 1972 33
Nathan Morreale, Fr. 1993 33
10. James Turner, Jr. 1961 30
11. Peter Caldwell, Sr. 2010 28
Brad Bohn, Sr. 2000 28
Sean Jones, Sr. 1992 28
Chris Pella, Sr. 1964 28
USU Single Season Extra Points Attempted
No. Name, Class Year Att.
1. Josh Thompson, So. 2011 52
2. Brad Bohn, Fr. 1997 43
3. Dane Kidman, Jr. 2001 39
Steve Steinke, Jr. 1979 39
5. Micah Knorr, Sr. 1996 37
Michael Doyle, Sr. 1972 37
7. James Turner, Jr. 1961 36
8. Dane Kidman, Sr. 2002 35
Doug Beach, So. 1990 35
10. MacArthur Lane, So. 1965 34
Nathan Morreale, Fr. 1993 34
Chris Pella, Sr. 1964 34
USU Single Season Extra Point Percentage
(Minimum 20 made)
No. Name, Class Year Pct.
(Minimum 20 Made)
1. Peter Caldwell, Sr. 2010 1.000
Peter Caldwell, Fr. 2007 1.000
Doug Beach, So. 1990 1.000
Willie Beecher, So. 1982 1.000
Tom Mayes, Jr. 1975 1.000
Steve Steinke, So. 1978 1.000
5. Josh Thompson, So. 2011 .981
6. Micah Knorr, Sr. 1996 .973
7. Nathan Morreale, Fr. 1993 .971
8. Justin Hamblin, Fr. 2003 .952
9. Steve Steinke, Jr. 1979 .949
10. Dane Kidman, Sr. 2002 .943
11. Sean Jones, Sr. 1992 .933
AGGIE FOOTBALL'S WAGNER GARNERS WAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF WEEK ACCOLADE -- Utah State football player
Bobby Wagner has been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in USU's win over Nevada Saturday, the Aggies' fourth-straight win and making USU bowl eligible for the first time since 1997 with the Aggies' sixth win of the season, their first six-win ledger since 1997. The senior linebacker was also selected as the America First Credit Union Utah State Student-Athlete of the Week for the period ending Sunday, Nov. 27, an award that is voted on by a state-wide media panel.
Wagner, a native of Ontario, Calif. (Colony HS), posted a game-high 15 tackles, including half a tackle for loss, and recovered a fumble. Wagner's fumble recovery came on a 4th-and-1 play from the USU 12 with just over five minutes left, as Nevada was driving for the go-ahead score. Wolf Pack QB Tyler Lantrip ran an option play, and had the first down, but was stripped of the football and Wagner recovered the thwart the threat.
With 15 tackles Saturday, Wagner moved up to second on the USU career tackles list with 433. Wagner is also now tied for third with San Jose State's Matt Castelo (2004-07) in career tackles in the WAC. Wagner now has nine double-digit tackle outings this season and 23 for his career.
On Sunday, Wagner was recognized by College Sports Madness as its WAC Defensive Player of the Week.
Wagner, who leads the WAC and ranks third in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), collects his first WAC Defensive Player of the Week honors this season. It is his second weekly WAC honor of his career, earning it last season on Nov. 8, 2010.
It is Utah State's four weekly WAC honor this season, as junior running back Robert Turbin collected the offensive accolade last week while freshman quarterback Chuckie Keeton earned the honor on Oct. 10 and junior wide receiver Stanley Morrison earned the conference Special Teams Player of the Week on Nov. 7.
Wagner's honor is Utah State's 13th WAC weekly award in the Aggies' seven seasons in the league. It is also the fifth defensive award collected, joining Calderwood's Oct. 9, 2006 and Dec. 1, 2008 honors as well as Paul Igboeli's Nov. 3, 2008 honors and Wagner's award last year on Nov. 8, 2010.
This is also Wagner's first USU weekly honor of the season and the sixth this season for an Aggie football player to earn the weekly honor. Turbin has collected the award three times (Sept. 12, Oct. 3 and Nov. 21) while Keeton was the recipient on Sept. 5 and Oct. 10.
USU FOOTBALL'S WAGNER NAMED COLLEGE SPORTS MADNESS WAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK -- Utah State football player Bobby Wagner has been recognized by College Sports Madness as its Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week for his exceptional performance in Saturday's Aggie win over Nevada, making USU bowl eligible for the first time since 1997 with the Aggies' sixth win of the season, their first six-win ledger since 1997.
Wagner posted a game-high 15 tackles, including half a tackle for loss, and recovered a fumble. Wagner's fumble recovery came on a 4th-and-1 play from the USU 12 with just over five minutes left, as Nevada was driving for the go-ahead score. Wolf Pack QB Tyler Lantrip ran an option play, and had the first down, but was stripped of the football and Wagner recovered the thwart the threat.
With 15 tackles Saturday, Wagner moved up to second on the USU career tackles list with 433. Wagner is also now tied for third with San Jose State's Matt Castelo (2004-07) in career tackles in the WAC. Wagner now has nine double-digit tackle outings this season and 23 for his career.
TURBIN EARNS SEVERAL NATIONAL AWARDS FOR SATURDAY'S PERFORMANCE -- Utah State football player Robert Turbin's performance in USU's wild 49-42 double overtime win over Idaho Saturday garnered several national honors for the junior running back. Turbin was named the National Running Back of the Week by collegefootballperformance.com, the Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week by College Sports Madness and was nominated for the Running Back Performance of the Year by Intersport.
Turbin, a native of Fremont, Calif. (Irvington HS), rushed for a career-high 208 yards with three TD's, including two in OT, with the second being the game-winner in USU's wild 49-42 double OT win at Idaho Saturday. The 208 is the second-most in the most in the WAC this season, one yard behind the top spot, and Turbin now has two of the top five rushing outings on the year. Turbin scored his first TD on an 80-yard scamper on USU's fourth possession of the game, giving the Aggies a 21-7 lead. After Idaho forced OT and scored first, Turbin scored his second TD of the day on a 1-yard plunge on fourth-and-goal to force the second OT. USU got the ball first in the second extra session and Turbin hit the endzone from 3-yards out and USU's defense intercepted Idaho's fourth-and-goal play to seal the win.
Turbin went over 3,000 yards for his career and broke USU's single-season rushing TD, single-season total TD, single-season scoring and the Aggies' career scoring records. The 208 rushing yards made Turbin the Aggies' first 200-yard rusher since Emmett White had 233 vs. Weber State in 2001.
TURBIN TABBED WAC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK -- Utah State football player Robert Turbin was named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in USU's wild 49-42 double overtime win over Idaho Saturday, an honor selected and announced by the conference office Monday. The junior running back was also selected as the America First Credit Union Utah State Student-Athlete of the Week for the period ending Sunday, Nov. 20, an award that is voted on by a state-wide media panel.
On Sunday, Turbin garnered several national honors for his performance. Turbin was named the National Running Back of the Week by collegefootballperformance.com, the Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week by College Sports Madness and was nominated for the Running Back Performance of the Year by Intersport.
Turbin, a native of Fremont, Calif. (Irvington HS), rushed for a career-high 208 yards with three TD's, including two in OT, with the second being the game-winner in USU's wild 49-42 double OT win at Idaho Saturday. The 208 is the second-most in the most in the WAC this season, one yard behind the top spot, and Turbin now has two of the top five rushing outings on the year. Turbin scored his first TD on an 80-yard scamper on USU's four possession of the game, giving the Aggies a 21-7 lead. After Idaho forced OT and scored first, Turbin scored his second TD of the day on a 1-yard plunge on fourth-and-goal to force the second OT. USU got the ball first in the second extra session and Turbin hit the endzone from 3-yards out and USU's defense intercepted Idaho's fourth-and-goal play to seal the win.
Turbin went over 3,000 yards for his career and broke USU's single-season rushing TD, single-season total TD, single-season scoring and the Aggies' career scoring records. The 208 rushing yards made Turbin the Aggies' first 200-yard rusher since Emmett White had 233 vs. Weber State in 2001. Turbin's 208 yards is tied for No. 18 on USU's top rushing outings, matching Rick Parros who had 208 yards against Weber State on Nov. 17, 1979.
This is Turbin's second career WAC Offensive Player of the Week honor, earning the accolade on Nov. 30, 2009, also after a record performance at Idaho, as he scored five TD's in USU's 52-49 shootout win over Idaho, snapping the Aggies' 12-game road losing streak. The five TD's tied a USU record, last done by Jack Hill with five rushing TD's vs. Drake in 1956.
FILIMOEATU NAMED HONORABLE MENTION COLLEGEFOOTBALLPERFORMANCE.COM DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK --
Utah State football's Bojay Filimoeatu was named an honorable mention national Defensive Lineman of the Week by collegefootballperformance.com for his performance in USU's wild 49-42 double OT win over Idaho on Nov. 19.
Filimoeatu, a native of West Valley City, Utah (Granger HS/Mt. San Antonio JC) had a forced fumble and recovered the ball, registering his first forced and recovered fumble of his USU career.
KOSKAN GARNERS NATIONAL RECOGNITION FROM COLLEGEFOOTBALLPERFORMANCE.COM --
Utah State football player Levi Koskan was named an honorable mention national Defensive Lineman of the Week by collegefootballperformance.com for his performance in USU's 34-33 comeback win over San Jose State on Nov. 12.
Koskan, a senior from Smithfield, Utah (Sky View HS), recorded a defensive trifecta, with a sack, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble all on the same play, on San Jose State quarterback Matt Faulkner, giving USU the ball at its own 11. The Aggies punched it in to pull within 20-14 with 9:45 left in the third quarter as USU rallied from down 33-21 to win 34-33. It was USU's second win in as many weeks in rallying from down double digits and scoring the game-winner in the final minute of the game.
MORRISON NAMED WAC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK -- Utah State football player Stanley Morrison was named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in USU's comeback win at Hawai`i, on Nov. 5, as selected and announced Nov. 7 by the conference office... Morrison's honor is Utah State's first conference special teams award since kick returner Kevin Robinson on Sept. 24, 2007... Overall, it is the Aggies' fifth WAC special teams honor, including getting three in 2005, as kick and punt returner Tony Pennyman earned the award twice, on Sept. 26 and Nov. 21 of 2005, sandwiched around Robinson collecting the accolade on Oct. 10, 2005... Morrison, a senior wide receiver from Denison, Texas (Denison HS), successfully executed not one, but two fake punts to keep drives alive for USU, one of which resulted in a TD as part of the Aggies' 28 second-half points to overcome a 28-7 first half deficit for a wild 35-31 win over the Warriors of Hawai`i for USU's first win at Honolulu since 1966... On a 4th-and-4 play in the second quarter, Morrison had an eight-yard gain to keep USU's drive alive, but it later stalled... However, in the third quarter, Morrison again was the key cog in a fake punt, passing to Joe Hill for a 23-yard gain on 4th-and-5, on a tipped pass by teammate Bobby Wagner that Hill corralled for the first down... Three plays later, USU scored a TD to pull within 31-21 with 2:16 left in the third frame... Morrison also had his first 100-yard receiving outing of the season with two catches for 105 yards, including a 71-yard TD catch in which he made a spectacular catch between two UH defenders, and then dashed to the endzone... It was Morrison's second career 100-yard outing. Morrison's 105 yards receiving was his first 100-yard receiving outing of the season, becoming USU's first 100-yard receiver this season and the Aggies' first since TE Kellen Bartlett had five catches for 121 yards last year at Nevada... It was Morrison's second career 100-yard game, joining his career-best 126-yard receiving outing at Texas A&M in 2009... The 71-yard TD catch was the second-longest of Morrison's career, behind a 75-yarder at Idaho in 2009... The 71-yard TD catch was his second scoring catch of the season and fifth of his career... Morrison now has at least one catch in 32-straight games, which leads the WAC... This is Morrison's first WAC Player of the Week award of his career, and is the Aggies' second this season, as freshman quarterback Chuckie Keeton garnered the Offensive Player of the Week honor on Oct. 10.
USU FOOTBALL'S WAGNER AND HAUETER EARN NATIONAL RECOGNITION FROM COLLEGEFOOTBALLPERFORMANCE.COM -- Utah State football players Bobby Wagner and Jacob Haueter were both recognized by collegefootballperformance.com for their performance in the Aggies' 24-17 loss to Louisiana Tech on Oct. 22. Wagner was named an honorable mention national Linebacker of the Week, while Haueter was tabbed an honorable mention Kickoff Specialist of the Week.
Both Wagner and Haeuter's hometowns are Ontario, with Wagner being from Ontario, Calif., while Haueter hails from Ontario, Ore.
Wagner, a senior linebacker from Ontario, Calif. (Colony HS), posted a career-high 20 tackles, which included two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss. Wagner also had two quarterback hurries in the game. It was Wagner's sixth double-digit tackle outing in the Aggies' seven games and he now has 20 career games with double-figure stops. Wagner's 20 stops gives him 388 for his career, moving up to No. 4 on USU's Career Tackles list and No. 5 on the WAC's Career Tackles list. On the season, Wagner is tops in the WAC and third in FBS in tackles at 12.7 per game.
Haueter, a freshman placekicker from Ontario, Ore. (Ontario HS/Boise State), booted four kickoffs for a 69.5 ypko average, with two touchbacks.
USU'S BRADY NAMED HONORABLE MENTION DEFENSIVE BACK OF THE WEEK -- Utah State football player McKade Brady has been recognized by collegefootballperformance.com as an honorable mention national Defensive Back of the Week, for his performance in USU's 31-21 loss at Fresno State on Oct. 15.
Brady, a junior safety from Cove, Utah (Sky View HS/BYU), had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on two different plays, to go with four tackles, including half a tackle for loss. Brady registered his first career fumble recovery by recovering a FS fumble in the first quarter and his forced fumble in the second quarter was the second of his career.
AGGIES' KEETON NAMED WAC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK, NATIONAL RECOGNITION -- Utah State football quarterback Chuckie Keeton was named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 10 for his school-record tying performance in USU's 63-19 win over Wyoming on Oct. 8.
Keeton has been recognized with a pair of national honors. Keeton was acknowledged by collegefootballperformance.com as an honorable mention national Quarterback of the Week, while also being named by College Sports Madness as the Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his school-record tying performance in USU's 63-19 win over Wyoming.
In addition to the WAC award, Keeton was also named the Utah State America First Credit Union Student-Athlete of the Week for the period ending Sunday, Oct. 9, an award that is voted on by a state-wide media panel.
Keeton, a freshman from Houston, Texas (Cypress Creek HS), completed 16-of-21 passes for 228 yards and a school-record tying five touchdowns in Utah State's 63-19 win against Wyoming. He also added 44 rushing yards on four carries. All five touchdown passes came in the first half as Utah State scored on its first eight possessions of the game.
With the five TD's, Keeton becomes the fourth different Aggie QB to hit the school record, and the sixth time, as Keeton is the first since Anthony Calvillo threw for five scores against BYU in 1993. Calvillo (1993 and 1992) and Tony Adams (1972) had accomplished the feat twice each while Brent Snyder reached it once (1987).
Keeton's five TD's in the game more than doubled his season-total of four entering the game. Behind Keeton, the Aggie offense scored on its first eight possessions of the game, on the way to 42 first-half points, the most in an opening half since at least 1991, as part of the 63 total points. The 63 points scored are its most since winning at Idaho, 63-17, on Oct. 25, 1997, while its 44-point margin of victory is its largest since defeating New Mexico State at home, 47-2, on Nov. 29, 2008.
WILLIAMS COLLECTS PAUL HORNUNG AWARD WEEKLY HONOR ROLL ACCOLADE -- Utah State junior football player Kerwynn Williams is one of three players named to the Paul Hornung Award Weekly Honor Roll on Oct. 10. The weekly recognition honors versatile, single-game performances around the nation by FBS student-athletes, and Williams is joined by Eric Page of Toledo and David Wilson of Virginia Tech.
The Paul Hornung Award, presented by Texas Roadhouse, is awarded annually to the most versatile player in major college football. Fans can now vote online at www.votepaulhornung.com for the finalist for the 2011 award.
All three weekly honorees are members of the Paul Hornung Award Watch List. Page is being honored for the fourth time this season while Williams and Wilson each earned their first Hornung weekly recognition of the year.
Williams, a native of Las Vegas, Nev. (Valley HS), had a season-high 232 all-purpose yards in Utah State's 63-19 win over Wyoming on Saturday, totalling 125 kick return yards, including a season-best 54-yard return that set up USU's first TD of the night. Williams also had a 22-yard punt return to set up the Aggies' sixth TD of the first half, as well as adding 55 rushing yards and 30 receiving yards.
USU'S TURBIN TABBED HONORABLE MENTION NATIONAL RUNNING BACK OF WEEK BY COLLEGEFOOTBALLPERFORMANCE.COM -- Utah State football player Robert Turbin was recognized by collegefootballperformance.com as honorable mention Running Back of the Week on Oct. 2.
Turbin, a junior from Fremont, Calif. (Irvington HS), rushed for 123 yards including an 80-yard touchdown burst on the first offensive play of the game, in USU's 27-24 loss at BYU on Friday night. He added two catches for 22-yards on the night, including a 24-yard TD reception. Turbin now has at least two TD's in all four of USU's games this season, and has at least one rushing TD in last nine games played. Friday was Turbin's third-straight 100-yard game and 11th of his career, one of 14 active players in FBS with at least 10 career 100-yard games.
Turbin's 80-yard first-quarter TD was his fourth-career TD run over 50+ yards and the second-longest of his career behind the 96-yarder at Utah in 2009. Turbin now has 30 career rushing TD's, taking over sole possession of the No. 3 spot on USU's Career Rushing list, breaking a tie with Tom Larscheid (1959-61) and are the most by an Aggie since Demario Brown (1996-99) had 37. Turbin also passed Lascheid's 2,206 career rushing yards, and now has 2,285 with his 123 yards Friday.
This is the third national honorable mention award by collegefootballperformance.com for Turbin this season, also earning it after the Weber State and Colorado State games.
AGGIES' TURBIN AND KOSKAN RECOGNIZED BY COLLEGEFOOTBALLPERFORMANCE.COM -- Utah State football players Robert Turbin and Levi Koskan were recognized by collegefootballperformance.com with honorable mention awards for their respective positions for their performances in USU's heartbreaking, 36-35 double overtime Homecoming loss to Colorado State on Sept. 24. Turbin was tabbed to the honorable mention Running Back of the Week list while Koskan collected honorable mention Defensive End of the Week accolades.
Turbin, a junior from Fremont, Calif. (Irvington HS), rushed for a career-high four TD's as part of his 115 yard rushing outing. Turbin scored on a 3-yard scamper in the third-quarter, then a 1-yard plunge in the fourth-quarter with 4:56 left in regulation to give USU a 21-13 lead. After CSU forced overtime, Turbin scored on the Aggies' possession in the first frame on a 9-yard scamper. The Rams scored to force a second extra sessions and opened the scoring in the second frame with a TD and PAT. Turbin darted in from 25-yards out on USU's second possession, but was stopped on the two-point conversion, denying USU the win.
It was Turbin's 10th career 100-yard rushing outing, as he is one of 13 active players in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) with double-digit career 100-yard games.
Koskan a senior from Smithfield, Utah (Sky View HS), posted three tackles for loss including two sacks Saturday night, finishing night with five total tackles. His three TFL's were for 29 yards, with 14 of those coming on his two sacks.
USU'S BENNETT AND TURBIN HONORED BY COLLEGEFOOTBALLPERFORMANCE.COM -- Utah State football players Tyler Bennett and Robert Turbin were honored by collegefootballperformance.com with weekly awards for their performances in USU's 54-17 romp of Weber State on Sept. 10. Bennett was named the Co-National Punter of the Week while Turbin was tabbed to the honorable mention Running Back of the Week list.
Bennett, a junior from Phoenix, Ariz. (North Canyon HS/Phoenix CC), punted three times for a 54.3 yards per punt with all three punts pinning Weber State inside its own 20-yard line, including two inside the Wildcats' 10 in the first quarter. Bennett's first punt was a 62-yarder that was downed at the WSU 4-yard line, while his second punt was a 52-yarder that went out of bounds at the Wildcats' 7. In the fourth quarter, Bennett hit a 49-yarder that went out of bounds at WSU's 12-yard line.
Turbin, a junior from Fremont, Calif. (Irvington HS), rushed for 180 yards on 18 carries (10.0 ypr), with two TD's Saturday night, and surpassed the 2,000 career yard mark along the way, becoming just the eighth USU running back to reach the 2,000-yard plateau. Turbin scored on a 14-yard run with 53 seconds left in the second quarter to pull USU to 17-17 at the half, the first of the Aggies' 44 unanswered points as the rallied from being down 17-10. At the 8:04 mark of the third quarter, Turbin tiptoed down the sideline and dove inside the pylon to the endzone to cap off a 31-yard scamper that put USU ahead, 30-17.
USU'S KEETON NAMED RIVALS.COM NATIONAL FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK -- Utah State football player Chuckie Keeton has been named the Rivals.com National Freshman of the Week for his performance in the season-opener at Auburn on Sept. 3.
Keeton, a native of Houston, Texas (Cypress Creek HS), was 21-of-30 passing for 213 yards and added two rushing TD's as part of 33 rushing yards in his Aggie debut in USU's hard-fought 42-38 loss at defending national champion No. 23/19 Auburn Saturday. Keeton is believed to be the first Aggie freshman to start a USU season-opener in at least the modern era. Keeton is also the first Aggie freshman to start a game at QB since Riley Nelson in 2006.
"Chuckie is a special player," USU head coach Gary Andersen said in his post-game interview. "I promise you no one is hurt more, even though he has been with us for a short period of time. We are in very good hands at the quarterback position. ... I love Chuckie Keeton. I have loved Chuckie Keeton since I walked into his living room."
AGGIE NOTES FROM LAST GAME
vs. NEVADA - Nov. 26 --
-- With the victory, Utah State becomes bowl eligible for the first time since the 1997 season, when the Aggies went to the Humanitarian Bowl.
-- If selected to a bowl, it would be USU's seventh bowl, as the Aggies have played in six bowl games: the 1946 Raisin Bowl, the 1947 Grape Bowl, the 1960 Sun Bowl, the 1961 Gotham Bowl, the 1993 Las Vegas Bowl and the 1997 Humanitarian Bowl.
-- Saturday's win was USU's fourth-straight win, and is the Aggies' first four-game win streak since 2001, when USU also won four in a row.
-- Utah State has won four WAC games for the first time in the Aggies' seven years in the league and was USU's first four-game conference winning streak since 2000 in the Big West Conference.
-- USU's four WAC wins are its most conference wins since a 4-1 Big West mark in 2000, and is just USU's 15th four-conference win season since 1978 and is just its 32nd overall in the 113 seasons of USU football.
-- The win over the Wolf Pack was also the first for the Aggies since 1950, snapping a seven-game home losing streak to Nevada.
-- Saturday was USU's eighth game this season decided by one score. The eight games is now tied with Kansas State for the most in the country, while the Aggies' 31 total point differential is the fewest in the nation, as K-State has had a total of 36 point differential in its eight games.
-- Saturday's captains for Saturday were all seniors on Senior Day: #9 LB Bobby Wagner, #20 RB Michael Smith, #37 Quinn Garner and #82 WR Eric Moats.
-- Senior LB Bobby Wagner made his 38th-consecutive start and made his 43rd start overall, leading USU in both departments.
-- Junior RB Robert Turbin started for the 34th time of his career, but 11th since the 2009 season-finale after missing the entire 2010 season with an injury.
-- Senior OL Philip Gapelu had his streak of 33-straight starts snapped due to injury... Gapelu has 38 total starts.
-- Saturday was the fourth time this season that the opponent had scored first, and USU is now 3-1 when doing so.
-- Saturday was only the second time this season that USU did not score in the first quarter, also doing so in the Colorado State game (L, 35-34 2OT).
-- USU is now 3-4 on the season when leading after three quarters.
-- The Aggies did not score in the fourth quarter for the third time this season, but Saturday was the first win with
-- Senior WR Eric Moats also now has at least one catch in 10 of last 11 games and 32 of 35 games played in career.
-- Moats' 53-yard reception in the second quarter was not only a season-long but a career-long as well.
-- Junior RB Kerwynn Williams' 10-yard TD run was his third this season and fifth of his career.
-- USU now has at least one rushing TD in its last 12 games dating back to last season.
-- After not trailing at halftime in its first seven games of the season, USU has now trailed at the break in three of its last four, and is now 3-0 when doing so.
-- Saturday was only the second time that the opponent had more total offense yards that USU, as BYU was the only other one (451-406), and USU is now 1-1 when having fewer yards than the opponent.
-- USU's offense now has 2,938 rushing yards this season, moving up to No. 2 in school history, behind the 3,120 yards in 1960
-- With 15 tackles Saturday, senior LB Bobby Wagner moved up to second on the USU career tackles list with 433. Wagner is also now tied for third with San Jose State's Matt Castelo (2004-07) in career tackles in the WAC.
-- Wagner now has nine double-digit tackle outings this season and 23 for his career.
-- Junior RB Robert Turbin now has 50 career total TD's, extending his USU record... He also takes over sole possession of No. 7 on the WAC's Career Total TD list.
-- Turbin now has 302 career points scored, also extending his USU record... He also moves into a tie for No. 14 on the WAC's Career Points Scored list, tying Peter Holt (1993-96) of San Diego State.
-- Now with 1,318 yards on the season, Turbin passes his previous single-season best rushing output of 1,296 yards in 2009, and closing within four yards of Emmett White's total of 1,322 in 2000.
-- Turbin now has 3,116 career rushing yards, maintaining his No. 5 spot on USU's Career Rushing list, closing on the No. 4 spot held by Louie Giammona (1973-75) with 3,499.
-- The 3,116 yards moves Turbin up to No. 22 on the WAC's Career Rushing list, passing Ryan Moats (2002-04) of Louisiana Tech with 3,116... Eddie Johnson (1984-86, 88) has the No. 21 spot with 3,218 yards.
-- After only one TD catch in first seven games, junior WR Matt Austin now has three TD catches in last four games.
-- The 34-yard TD pass from senior WR Stanley Morrison to junior RB Robert Turbin was Morrison's first TD pass this season and was his second of his career, and is the first non-QB to throw a TD pass since he did it at New Mexico State in 2009.
-- Morrison, a QB in high school, is now 3-of-3 passing on the season and 7-of-9 for his career with three TD tosses.
-- Morrison logged a reception for the 35th-straight game in his career, which leads the WAC.
-- The win over the Wolf Pack was also the first for the Aggies since 1950, snapping a seven-game home losing streak to Nevada, and USU is now 3-9 overall vs. Nevada at home.
-- USU snapped a six-game losing skein to Nevada overall, last winning 37-35 in 1999, and Saturday's was the Aggies' first-ever win over the Wolf Pack as WAC foes.
-- USU is now:
---- 6-5 overall and 4-2 in the WAC
---- 5-17 all-time against Nevada, including 3-9 vs. Nevada at home
---- 3-12 vs. Nevada in November
---- 13-14 in November in seven years in WAC, winning 12 of last 18 games in the month
---- 5-6 on November 26, as Saturday's was USU's first home game on the date
WHIPPER-SNAPPER -- Nate Needham is one of 19 long snappers in the country who is a freshman, including one of eight who are redshirt-freshmen.
Player School True/Redshirt
John Broussard Louisiana True
Marius Burgsmueller Idaho True
Joe Cardona Navy True
Allan D'Appollonio Arkansas True
Will Denny Ole Miss Redshirt
Matt Dooley Indiana True
Grant Donovan Louisville Redshirt
Andrew East Vanderbilt Redshirt
Josh Elias Arizona True
Zach Ewan Wyoming True
Logan Feimster Wake Forest Redshirt
Matt Fortin Virginia Redshirt
Matt Giampapa Michigan State True
Reed Gordon Mississippi State Redshirt
Mike Molinari West Virginia Redshirt
Nate Needham UTAH STATE REDSHIRT
Ben Risenhoover Louisiana-Monroe True
Sam Rodgers Syracuse True
Scott Thompson NC State True
RETURNING FROM INJURY -- Seven players return to action after missing most or all of the 2010 season with injury: junior WR
Matt Austin, senior TE
Kellen Bartlett, senior OL
Robert Hill, senior WR
Stanley Morrison, junior CB
Jamaine Olson, senior RB
Michael Smith, junior RB
Robert Turbin and senior LB
Reuben Willis.
NEW D SCHEME -- Utah State's defense is changing from a 4-3 alignment to a 3-4 alignment.
WHISTLE SHUFFLE -- USU head coach Gary Andersen shuffled his coaching staff around and had some changes on his staff... Andersen will handle defensive coordinator duties, while Bill Busch will be the associate head coach/special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach... Offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin will shift to tight ends this season after coaching quarterbacks last year... Former Aggie player Matt Wells joined the USU staff in January and will be the quarterbacks coach... T.J. Woods is shifting from tight ends coach to offensive line coach, replacing Alex Gerke, who left the staff... Former Aggie player Frank Maile will be the defensive line coach, moving up from defensive graduate assistant to replace Chad Kauha'aha'a, who joined the Utah staff... Kendrick Shaver joined the USU staff in February and will be the Aggies' cornerbacks coach, replacing Corey Raymond who left for Indiana and later Nebraska... A pair of former University of Utah players Robert Conley and Spencer Toone were added to the staff as graduate assistants... Conley, a four-year starting offensive lineman, will be the offensive graduate assistant while Toone, a two-time all-Mountain West Conference selection and a two-year NFL player, will be the defensive graduate assistant.
BIOS NOT IN 2011 FOOTBALL GUIDE --
50 Jefferson Court
LB, 6-2, 220, FR, RS, Alta, Utah
(Alta HS/BYU)
A three-time all-state selection at Alta HS, helping the Hawks to a 13-1 record and the Utah Class 5A state title his senior season... Posted 106 tackles with seven sacks his senior season... Also a two-year starter on the AHS baseball team, driving in 40 RBI as a senior, and a one-year starter in basketball, earning all-state honors his senior season, combining for five total letters in the two sports... A Utah Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete honoree as a senior... Also an academic all-state honoree in baseball and basketball... Son of Daniel and Pamela Court... Has four sisters and one brother... Served LDS Church Mission to Anaheim, Calif. from May 2009-11... Chose USU because of football program... Intends on majoring in exercise science with future aspirations of being a doctor.
13 Tanner Curtis
QB, 6-0, 182, FR, HS, Salt Lake City, Utah
(East HS)
Earned first-team Utah Class 4A all-state honors at East HS as a quarterback by both the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune, as well as first-team all-region... The dual-threat signal-caller rushed for 1,320 yards and 16 touchdowns while tossing for 1,113 yards with 13 scores and only two INT's as a senior, in helping the Leopards finish with an 8-3 overall record and a 4-2 record in Region 6, losing in the 4A quarterfinals... Was also named the Utah Blaze Ironman of the Year... Also a four-year letterwinner and starter for the EHS baseball team playing outfield and pitcher, earning second-team all-state honors by both the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune, helping the Leopards to the state semi-finals his senior season... Also a two-year letterwinner and one-year starter on the basketball team... Son of Kyle and Barbara Curtis... Has three brothers... Chose USU because of academic success and the football program.
44 Jacob Haueter
PK, 5-11, 210, FR, TR, Ontario, Oregon
(Ontario HS/Boise State)
Participated in spring drills at Boise State before transferring to Utah State... A first-team all-Greater Oregon League placekicker and second-team punter in senior season at Ontario HS... Also a first-team all-Argus selection as a kicker by the Argus Observer... Was 6-of-12 on field goals with a long of 40 yards, and made 67 PAT's as a senior, and also booted 92 kickoffs with 29 touchbacks... Also punted 12 times with a 38.0 yards per punt average with a long of 62 yards and with two inside the 20... A three-year letterwinner in basketball, earning all-state honors as well as first-team all-league and the league MVP honors, netting 18.0 points and 3.2 assists per game as a senior, helping OHS to the state tournament... Son of Mark and Cori Haueter... Has two brothers and one sister... Served LDS Church Mission to San Antonio, Texas from 2009-11... Intends on majoring in business or pre-med with future plans to own his own company or be a dentist... Chose USU because of campus and community environment, which will allow him to become his best.
14 Taylor Hughes
QB, 6-1, 174, SR, TR, Corona Del Mar, Calif.
(Corona del Mar HS/Orange Coast CC)
Named to the SCFA all-conference team at Orange Coast CC after throwing for 1,992 yards with 17 TD's in nine games played, while also rushing for five scores... Also received Orange Coast CC's Captain Award... Earned all-CIF and Pacific League Offensive Player of the Year honors at Corona del Mar HS after throwing for 2,289 yards on 141 completions with 22 TD's... Set several school records, including most completions in a game (25), most passing yards (2,289), highest completion percentage (59.5) and most total offense yards (2,452)... Son of Joseph and Staci Hughes... Has one sister... Majoring in communication studies at Utah State... Chose USU because of football program.
80 Chuck Jacobs
WR, 6-0, 170, JR, TR, Richmond, Calif.
(Kennedy HS/Laney JC)
Led Laney JC with 27 catches for 238 yards with two TD's... Also had six punt returns for 54 yards (9.0 ypr) as well as 13 kick returns for 386 yards (29.7 ypr), leading the Eagles in both kick returns and kick return yardage... Played football at Kennedy HS... Also lettered on the Kennedy basketball team, helping the Eagles to a 27-6 record in senior season... Also lettered in track & field at KHS... Son of Jesse and JoAnn Jacobs... Has seven sisters and five brothers... Chose USU because of coaching staff and the football program.
64 Josh Larmay
OL, 6-6, 320, SO, TR, De Pere, Wisc.
(West De Pere HS/Minnesota State-Moorhead)
Played one season at Minnesota State-Moorhead, starting in one game for the Dragons in 2010... Was a two-year starter and four-year letterwinner at West DePere HS, earning first-team all-Bay Conference honors as a senior and second-team all-Area honors... Played both offensive and defensive line, posting 13 sacks in senior season... Helped lead the Phantoms to three Bay Conference titles... Was team captain in senior season... Also a one-year letterwinner in track & field... Son of Andy and Dyan Larmay... Has three younger brothers... Majoring in criminal justice at Utah State with future plans of being a police officer once his football career is over... Chose USU because of football program and felt was best opportunity for him to reach his goals.
-USU-
