This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Logan • Coming out of junior college — one year in Minnesota and one in Kansas — defensive back Marwin Evans had a lot of choices.
Power-5 choices.
Wisconsin wanted him, which made sense because Evans graduated from Oak Creek High School just south of Milwaukee. Kansas State and Indiana were also knocking on his door, along with coaches from a handful of non-P5 schools.
When it came time to sign a binding national letter-of-intent, however, Evans decided to move farther west.
He picked Utah State, partly because the Aggies were the first school to offer him a scholarship, which meant a lot to the future sociology major.
"I loved my visit here," he said. "I felt at home. I thought I would do well."
After playing in all 14 games as a backup last year, Evans stepped in and has started all 10 this season. He's been a key component to Utah State's safety rotation that has included junior Devin Centers, redshirt freshman Jontrell Rocquemore and senior Tim Floyd.
With two regular season games and a possible bowl remaining, Evans is Utah State's fifth-leading tackler with 43. No defensive back has more. He's also had 6.5 tackles for loss, forced two fumbles and intercepted one pass.
Evans' pick was one Aggie Nation won't forget.
On Oct. 16, Utah State owned a 38-10 lead over Boise State just before halftime. The Broncos had the ball deep in Aggie territory, however, and a touchdown would have give heavily favored Boise some momentum heading into the second half.
On the final play, however, Evans intercepted a pass over the middle by freshman quarterback Brett Rypien. He weaved his way into the clear along the sideline in front of the Aggie bench and raced 90 yards for a touchdown as time expired.
It was the key moment in Utah State's 52-26 victory.
"People still mention it to me," Evans said. "… I saw the ball — it was tipped — and after I caught it I just tried taking it to the house."
Adding to the experience, Evans' mother and grandmother were at Maverik Stadium, attending their first Utah State football game.
"My grandma was so happy," he recalled. "She said, 'This is a memory I'll never forget.' … She said she'll always remember the fans rushing the field" after the game.
Unfortunately for Utah State, Evans' interception return and the victory over Boise State have been — to this point — the highlight of the season.
Since beating the Broncos, the Aggies have lost three of four games. They are 5-5 overall, 4-3 in the Mountain West Conference and can't win the Mountain Division.
Goals that seemed likely after the win over Boise State have disappeared heading into Saturday's game against Nevada, partly because of a leaky defense.
In last week's 35-28 loss to Air Force, the Falcons piled up 580 yards of total offense. They finished with 27 first downs. Quarterback Karson Roberts completed 11 of 17 passes for 271 yards. Receiver Jalen Robinette caught seven passes for 210 yards — the third-most in school history.
"We definitely can fix it," Evans said. "We just have to tighten up a couple of loose screws, you know what I'm saying? Keep our heads up. Have that tunnel vision. Just be ready to play and get the job done."
It won't be easy against Nevada, which has won three straight and, unlike Utah State, is already bowl-eligible.
"I see a good team — a really good team," Evans said. "They run hard. They have good receivers. It will be fun to play them."
Twitter: @sluhm —
USU defense by the numbers
Utah State's defensive statistics including opponent, rushing yards allowed, passing yards allowed, total yards allowed, turnovers forced and score:
Opp. Rush Pass Total TOs Result
Southern Utah 140 110 250 0 Won, 12-9
at Utah 195 132 327 0 Lost, 24-14
at Washington 74 368 442 3 Lost, 31-17
Colorado State 109 252 361 3 Won, 33-18
at Fresno State 82 112 194 4 Won, 56-14
Boise State 34 299 333 8 Won, 52-26
at San Diego State 336 93 429 0 Lost, 48-14
Wyoming 270 83 353 0 Won, 58-27
at New Mexico 132 104 236 1 Lost, 14-13
at Air Force 309 271 580 0 Lost, 35-28