This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Provo • Costly penalties and turnovers have hurt Utah State throughout its 2016 season.
The trend continued in the finale on Saturday night against BYU, when the mistake-prone Aggies ended a disappointing year with a 28-10 loss to the Cougars.
In the first half, BYU returned a Utah State fumble for one touchdown and used two pass interference penalties to set up another score.
On the fumble, backup quarterback Damion Hobbs appeared to convert on fourth-and-1 at the 50-yard line. He was stopped and being pushed back when the ball was pulled loose. BYU sophomore defensive back Michael Shelton picked it up and scored.
After the extra point, Utah State coach Matt Wells appeared to be arguing with the officials, presumably that the play was dead by the time Hobbs fumbled. But the play, which was not reviewed, stood as called.
Trailing 14-10 in the third quarter, the Aggies drove from their own one to the BYU 48. On a second-down play, however, quarterback Kent Myers fumbled a snap from center. Utah State recovered, but the 9-yard loss stalled the potential go-ahead touchdown drive.
After the Aggies punted, it looked their defense stopped BYU on fourth-and-4 from the USU 24. But Jalen Davis was called for pass interference, the Cougars retained possession and eventually scored on a 10-yard pass from Taysom Hill to Mitchell Juergens. That made it 21-10 with 2:19 left in the third quarter.
On the next possession, Myers threw an interception. BYU took over the at Aggie 38 and scored again on Tanner Magnum's 5-yard touchdown pass to Colby Pearson, making it 28-10 with 12:55 remaining and icing the victory.
Utah State finished the season with a 3-9 record — its worst since 2008. The Aggies have lost nine straight road games, going back to last season at Fresno State. It's the Aggies' longest road losing streak since 2007-08, when they dropped 12 in a row.
Utah State's record under Wells, who just completed his fourth season as head coach, dropped to 13-10.
For 25 Aggie seniors, the game was the last one of their college careers.
"It's not the season that any of us dreamed or anticipated, but the one thing that these players have learned to do is persevere," Wells said. "It hasn't been fun and it hasn't been easy. … But, for them to continue to come back to work and invest and put it all out there is very commendable and respectable."
- Steve Luhm