This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Logan
Practically before anyone discovered that Utah State quarterback Darell Garretson no longer was standing on the sideline and signaling plays, a Wake Forest player was returning an interception of Garretson's pass.
Whoa. What just happened here?
The tone of USU's season changed during halftime of an eventual 36-24 win Saturday night at Romney Stadium. Of course, this is standard stuff for the Aggies in the Matt Wells era. Stop me if you've heard this story.
USU quarterback Chuckie Keeton spent the second half using crutches, standing on the sideline after missing much of last season with a knee injury. He's scheduled for further evaluation of that same left knee.
The Aggies already lost their best defensive player, linebacker Kyler Fackrell, and top receiver Brandon Swindall to season-ending injuries in the first two games of 2014. And now Keeton's senior year may be altered.
Such developments, following last season's flurry of injuries, would suggest Wells is cursed — even if the Aggies' healthy response to such troubles earned him the Mountain West's Coach of the Year award in 2013.
Or maybe it just means Garretson is destined to have the strangest career in school history.
"That kid's got a lot of moxie," Wells said. "Our kids will rally around him, if he's the guy going forward."
Well, they're used to this stuff. "A lot of these guys have dealt with adversity in a positive manner," said USU linebacker Zach Vigil.
In the latest episode, Garretson came off the bench with the Aggies leading 29-7 to begin the third quarter. He looked very much like a guy who never expected to play this season. If anything, he somehow seemed to spark Wake Forest's inept offense, with the interception leading to a touchdown and the Demon Deacons then scoring again to make it 29-21.
But then Garretson found himself on his third drive of the night, resembling the QB who helped salvage USU's 9-5 season in 2013. He tossed a 42-yard bomb to Ronald Butler, then lofted a 5-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Wyatt Houston on a throwback play.
Garretson finished with decent passing numbers (11 of 16, 121 yards), although he led the offense to only those seven points.
Garretson traded the No. 6 of his freshman year for jersey No. 10 this season. That adds up to Keeton's No. 16. Maybe some weird numerology is at work here, who knows?
Wells initially used Craig Harrison in relief last October when Keeton injured his knee against BYU. Harrison started the next week against Boise State, but was replaced at halftime by Garretson, who led USU to six wins in his seven starts after coming out of redshirt status. The updated plan was for him to preserve eligibility by not playing this season, as long as Keeton stayed healthy.
Garretson's sudden activation was only part of a bizarre night. Thanks to the work of the Vigil brothers - Zach's interception and Nick's forced fumble — the Aggies scored two defensive touchdowns in a game for the first time ever. Wake Forest's first TD came on an interception thrown by Keeton. So USU's defense was accountable for only 10 points allowed via sustained drives, while holding Wake Forest to minus-25 rushing yards and 232 total yards, with three sacks by B.J. Larsen.
The most satisfying offensive development for USU is the emergence of receiver Hunter Sharp, a junior college transfer who caught 12 passes. But USU's only semblance of a running game came via receiver JoJo Natson taking handoffs on sweeps.
If he's the QB, Garretson will be relying a lot on Sharp and Natson — and his defense.
Twitter: @tribkurt