This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Two years ago, Utah State traveled to Texas A&M and played tough, losing by eight points and showing signs that Gary Andersen's program was headed in the right direction.
Last season, the Aggies went to Oklahoma and gave the Sooners all they could handle before losing by a touchdown.
On Saturday morning, USU came as close to beating a ranked opponent on the road as possible without actually succeeding.
The Aggies found themselves up by 10 points against Auburn, the defending national champion, with less than three minutes remaining, before losing a heartbreaker 42-38 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
It would have been the biggest win in school history for Utah State. It would have been the first win for the Aggies against a ranked opponent on the road. It would have been USU's first win over a Southeastern Conference foe in 41 years.
Instead, it became a gut-wrenching defeat for Utah State.
"Obviously, this was a disappointing loss," Andersen said. "The players fought hard and worked hard, but in the defining moments Auburn executed and we didn't."
When Robert Turbin plunged in for a 1-yard touchdown, the Aggies had a 38-28 lead and the world of Twitter was going crazy over the chance of an upset being real.
The Tigers drove the field in two minutes, scoring a quick touchdown. Then came the game-changing play — an onside kick that Auburn recovered. The Tigers took full advantage, driving down the field again and using a Michael Dyer 1-yard touchdown run to take the lead.
"Obviously, we had the game won, up 10 with just a few minutes remaining," USU running back Turbin said. "It was an obvious onside kick situation, and we didn't execute. I have to lead better. I'm on the hands team. You can't put it on the coaches. We've been over it countless times. We just have to do a better job and be better prepared."
Had they recovered the kick, the Aggies likely would have won the game. Auburn had just one timeout remaining, and a first down would have allowed the Aggies to run out the clock.
As it was, USU has to settle for knowing that it dominated the game in large stretches with a running attack that consistently churned out yardage and a true freshman quarterback in Chuckie Keeton, who played exceptionally well in his first career start.
Keeton went 21-30 through the air for 213 yards and scored two touchdowns on the ground. Turbin, playing in his first game in almost two years, had two touchdowns, 70 yards rushing and caught a pass.
Kerwynn Williams had 69 yards on 10 carries, as well as a 43-yard touchdown that put Utah State up 7-0 in the first quarter. Matt Austin was big in the passing game, with 67 yards through the air on six catches.
More importantly, the Aggies controlled the line of scrimmage with their offensive line. Keeton was sacked only once, and all five USU touchdowns came on the ground. Still, it was a disappointing end for Utah State. The Aggies had a program-defining win in their grasp. And they didn't pull it off.
"We did our job," Keeton said. "We came out hard and scored on our second possession. It doesn't matter, though. We didn't win. The only objective is to win. It doesn't matter how many yards we racked up or points we scored if we didn't win."
Storylines
Auburn 42, USU 38
R Utah State scores five rushing touchdowns.
• The Aggies lose a 10-point lead late in the game.
• Chuckie Keeton has two rushing touchdowns in his first start at quarterback.