This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Albuquerque, N.M.• For anyone just tuning in Saturday, Utah State's showing in the New Mexico Bowl served as a snapshot of this team and its season, leaving coach Matt Wells wishing only that he could provide a fresh description.
Resilient? "We've kind of worn it out a little bit," Wells said.
Well, it sure fits the Aggies, among other labels. They're tough. They're resourceful. They're winners.
USU's 21-6 victory over Texas-El Paso at University Stadium was standard stuff for the Aggies. The defense continually responded in critical moments. The offense somehow did its best work while merely trying to run out the clock.
The Aggies used a linebacker as a running back and a receiver as a quarterback, with Ronald Butler becoming the fifth player to take meaningful snaps at the position in 2014. They overcame illness and injuries that sidelined some players and they kept UTEP out of the end zone all day.
"We just rise up," Wells marveled, shaking his head.
What other way could this season end?
The defense that stood as the team's stabilizing force all year, other than the regular-season finale at Boise State, was at its best in the bowl game. UTEP posted only 275 total yards, converting 5 of 20 third-down chances.
"They had too much penetration up front; that was pretty much the tale of the game," said UTEP quarterback Jameill Showers.
Seven different Aggies made tackles for loss, and linebacker Zach Vigil - voted the game's outstanding defensive player - was not one of them. So label this a lifetime achievement award for Vigil, the acknowledged leader of a program that has delivered three consecutive bowl victories with three starting quarterbacks. And give credit to a bunch of other defensive players, such as safety Brian Suite, lineman Jordan Nielsen and linebacker Nick Vigil, who also ran for a touchdown.
Kent Myers was surprised to hear his name called as the outstanding offensive player, considering he passed for only 68 yards and lost turnovers on consecutive second-quarter possessions. Yet he deserved some reward for going 5-1 as a former No. 4 QB, originally ticketed for a redshirt season. Myers ran for a 48-yard touchdown and set up another score with a pass that JoJo Natson turned into a 46-yard gain.
Maybe his numbers were nothing like those posted by BYU freshman Jake Heaps in the 2010 New Mexico Bowl against UTEP, and who knows what's ahead for Myers - considering how Heaps' career crumbled after he left Albuquerque with a similar trophy. Bowl-winning quarterbacks Chuckie Keeton and Darell Garretson remain in USU's program, so Myers' next start may not come for a while.
No matter what happens, Myers will be remembered for his fill-in role in 2014, and how he symbolized this team. So did Butler, who replaced Myers and produced a remarkable, last-minute drive before halftime, only to have it end with a missed field goal.
Myers returned to the game after being evaluated for a possible concussion, having absorbed a blindside hit. "I just wanted to go out there and battle for my team," Myers said.
That may be a freshman's cliche, but it's what these guys do. That's how they've won 30 games in three seasons, overcoming nearly 30 years as a downtrodden program.
Just to thank the defense for its work, the offense covered 65 yards with four running plays for a clinching touchdown by Joe Hill. USU ran mostly behind left tackle Kevin Whimpey, another member of a senior class that Wells will remember for "leading by production."
They delivered a proper ending to this season. The Aggies finished 10-4, in the style that characterized this particular team and added to the growth of a program that's deserving of any words of endorsement. And there's nothing wrong with resilient, actually.
Twitter: @tribkurt