This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Well hello, Mountain West, we're here and we're coming for you. That was the message Utah State delivered with a resounding 34-16 victory over Air Force Saturday at Romney Stadium.
The Aggies, coming off their emotional win at BYU, seemed to pick up right where they left off with that game as the Aggies (4-2, 1-2) dominated the Falcons (4-2, 1-0) much of the night.
Quarterback Darell Garretson and receiver Hunter Sharp, who sparked USU's win over BYU with a 72-yard touchdown pass, were at it again on Saturday.
The duo hooked up for touchdown plays of 75 and 23 yards in the first quarter to put the Aggies ahead early.
Sharp finished with 12 catches for 164 yards and Garretson was 20-of-29 for 298 yards passing.
If anyone thought that the Aggies' offensive performance at BYU was more about emotion and momentum in that moment, Saturday's outcome seemed to prove otherwise.
Garretson looks more and more confident at the helm of the offense. He didn't panic when the Air Force started to sniff out the Aggies' run game and his passing was spot on.
Not to be outdone, the defense played extremely well too. Zach Vigil finished with 20 tackles, the most a player has had in any FBS game this year and the Aggies recovered two fumbles and an nabbed two interceptions giving them 19 turnovers in the last five games.
The Aggies had two big defensive stands in the fourth quarter, holding the Falcons to a field goal when they blocked a punt and recovered the ball on the Aggies' 14-yard line, and refusing to give up a first down on the Falcons' next possession, which came after a JoJo Natson fumble on the Aggies' 45-yard line.
Just as he was at BYU, Nick Vigil proved to be one of the better utility players of the weekend, scoring on an 8-yard touchdown run, getting the interception on the Falcons' following possession and finishing with seven tackles.
While the fourth quarter had a few tense moments, the Aggies really put the game away before halftime.
Air Force briefly made it a game in the second quarter when kicker Will Conant connected on a 34-yard field goal to cut the Aggies' lead to 14-6. The Aggies went conservative and tried to beat the Falcons with their run game.
It wasn't successful with Utah State going three-and-out on its next two drives. One drive wasted ideal field goal position that came courtesy of a Frankie Sutera interception on Air Force's 27-yard line while another ended in a botched failed field goal attempt.
Instead of attempting a 45-yard field goal, Jake Thompson punted instead but the ball rolled into the end zone giving the Falcons the ball on the 20-yard line.
But just as things tightened up, the Aggies cut loose again, this time for good.
Garretson went 4-of-5 for 69 yards in a drive that culminated with Nick Vigil scoring on an 8-yard run. On Air Force's ensuing drive, Vigil stepped in front of a pass, picked it off and returned the ball 19 yards to the Air Force 28-yard line.
The Aggies added a field goal, then went up 31-6 when Garretson ended a 56-yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown run.
The second half was more of the first, with the Aggies using a nice mix of pass and run plays to keep the Falcons off balance.
Utah State still has difficult road games ahead, starting with Saturday's contest at Colorado State, but USU certainly looks like a team prepared to handle whatever challenges CSU may give it.