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Albuquerque • Utah State's football team couldn't earn a bowl victory for many years. Now, the Aggies (10-4) can't seem to lose in the postseason affairs.
The Aggies, who have 10 bowl appearances as a program, won their fourth bowl game and third in a row by beating the UTEP Miners 21-6 in front of 28,275 fans in the New Mexico Bowl.
Utah State also enjoyed their second 10-plus win season. The first came in 2012 when the Aggies went 11-2.
That the Aggies earned such milestones this year seemed an improbable feat to accomplish when quarterbacks Chuckie Keeton, then Darell Garretson and Craig Harrison all suffered season-ending injuries. Altogether, the Aggies lost nine starters to injuries, forcing changes not only in lineups but schemes as well.
Somehow Utah State kept winning, finishing the regular season on a 5-1 tear.
"To have a program that has been around 100-something years and to be just the second double-digit (win) team ever is unbelievable," Utah State coach Matt Wells. "To have three straight bowl wins, that is something no one can ever take away from this bunch. I'm proud to coach them."
Quarterback Kent Myers, who rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries and was 5-for-12 passing for 68 yards, was named the Offensive Player of the Game while Zach Vigil was named the Defensive Player of the Game after he finished with nine tackles.
"This has been pretty special," Vigil said of his career. "We were resilient all year, like coach said. I'm proud and honored to be a part of this team."
The only game that put a damper on the Aggies' strong finish was the 50-19 loss at Boise State. That loss provided the motivation and focus for Utah State in their bowl game.
After giving up 498 yards of offense to the Broncos, Utah State's defense was determined to redeem itself against the Miners, who like Boise State relied on the run.
But the Miners were no comparison to Boise State, which is representing the Mountain West in the Fiesta Bowl against Arizona.
Utah State held UTEP to 275 offensive yards and only 149 rushing yards.
The Miners, who were averaging 212 rushing yards a game, didn't have the passing game it needed to counter.
"Their defensive line had too much penetration," UTEP quarterback Jameill Showers said. "That was the tale of the game."
Utah State's offense stuck true to its identity and was sufficient enough to win.
Myers had a rough start and temporarily left the game after taking two hard hits, but his 48-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and steady play in the second got the job done.
"They brought me in just to make sure I didn't have any concussions, but I wanted to go back out and battle for my team," Myers said. "We wanted to send the seniors out right and play hard."
Playing hard has been the motto for this team all year, no reason to think the Aggies would play any other way on Saturday.
Twitter: @lyawodraska —
Storylines
P The Aggies win their third straight bowl game to cap one of the most successful seasons in program history.
• Nick Vigil scores on a 3-yard run with 12:12 to go in the third quarter to give the Aggies some breathing room.
• The Miners — averaging 212.7 yards per game — manage just 149 against the Ags. —
Utah St. 21, UTEP 6
Utah St. 7 0 7 7 — 21
UTEP 3 0 0 3 — 6
First Quarter
UTEP • FG Mattox 32, 3:10.
USU • Myers 48 run (Diaz kick), 1:52.
Third Quarter
USU • N.Vigil 3 run (Diaz kick), 12:12.
Fourth Quarter
UTEP • FG Mattox 34, 3:02.
USU • Hill 11 run (Diaz kick), 1:33.
Attendance • 28,725.
USU UTEP
First downs 16 12
Rushes-yards 40-279 46-149
Passing 68 126
Comp-Att-Int 5-12-1 13-24-1
Return Yards 28 10
Punts-Avg. 5-38.2 7-38.6
Fumbles-Lost 3-1 1-0
Penalties-yards 2-10 8-75
Time of Possession 23:26 36:34
Individual Statistics
Rushing • Utah St., Myers 15-70, Butler 2-69, Hill 6-50, Natson 5-40, N.Vigil 8-34, Hunt 4-16. UTEP, Aa.Jones 25-88, Showers 10-24, Jeffery 5-18, Bell 3-13, Banner 1-9, Golden 1-(minus 1), Team 1-(minus 2).
Passing • Utah St., Myers 5-12-1-68. UTEP, Showers 13-24-1-126.
Receiving • Utah St., Sharp 3-21, Natson 2-47. UTEP, Hamilton 4-79, Aa.Jones 3-9, Rogers 1-16, Tomlinson 1-6, D.Laufasa 1-5, Ford 1-4, Shaw 1-4, Bell 1-3.