This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Logan • Officially, the Utah State offense scored a 75-73 victory over the defense in Saturday's annual Blue-White game.
Except that's not exactly what happened.
In truth, the Aggie defense dominated the 90-minute scrimmage, which was held on a sun-drenched afternoon in front of an estimated 5,000 fans at Maverik Stadium.
The offense, under the direction of five different quarterbacks, managed only one touchdown in the first 18 possessions.
The defense forced 11 three-and-outs, recorded eight sacks and forced three turnovers, including interceptions by cornerback Jalen Davis and safety Devin Centers.
In the final seconds of the game, however, Matt Wells unleashed his power as head coach.
The defense owned a 73-58 lead when Wells ordered the score to be changed to 73-73. Then, the ball was placed at the 2-yard line.
The offense lined up for a winner-take-all two-point conversion, which receiver Kennedy Williams converted. On a reverse, he outmaneuvered a defender at the goal line and dove into the end zone as his teammates rushed the field.
"That was fun," Wells said. "… Kind of a neat way to end the spring."
Asked about wiping out the defense's late lead, Wells laughed.
"You've never seen a 15-point first down?" he said.
Wells was just as happy when discussing the performance of his defense, which "… played well as a unit. We have a chance to be pretty decent on the back end with guys who have played there before and with some new guys. They are very talented."
According to junior linebacker Alex Heurta, the defense was unhappy with its performance in an offense-dominated scrimmage two weeks ago.
"We all got together and said, 'Hey, this isn't Aggie defense,' " he said. "We didn't play like the guys that came before us. It was an awesome moment because that's when we said, 'O.K., this isn't Aggie defense and this is how we're going to do it from now on.' … It was a really good wake-up call."
Among Utah State quarterbacks, junior Damion Hobbs was most effective. He completed 8 of 12 passes for 79 yards, including a 36-yarder to receiver Alex Byers for a touchdown. But he threw an interception.
Freshman Jordan Love completed 7 of 14 passes for 96 yards. He threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to receiver Zach Van Leeuwen.
Twitter: @sluhm —
Highlights
• Utah State's offense defeats the defense, 75-73, in the annual Blue-White spring game on Saturday at Maverik Stadium.
• Senior receiver Kennedy Williams takes a reverse and converts a two-point conversion on the final play of the scrimmage.
• The scoring system used for the game awarded points for everything from touchdowns to turnovers to quarterback sacks.