This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated.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 • Thanks to some last minute illnesses and injuries, the Utah State Aggies had to shuffle their lineups for Saturday's bowl game against UTEP.
But then, why expect anything else from the Aggies this year?
Safety Devin Centers (illness), tight end Jefferson Court (ankle) and corner Jalen Davis (turf toe) were among those sidelined for the game from the start.
Their absences led to junior corner Deshane Hines and sophomore tight end Landon Horne making their first starts.
During the game, the Aggies lost linebacker Torrey Green to a lower leg injury. Receiver Ronald Butler made a brief appearance at quarterback while Kent Myers was being checked for a concussion.
Afterward all coach Matt Wells could do was laugh at the situation and credit the team's resilience for winning the game.
"Those are the kinds of things you can't coach," he said. "My hat is off to our players. They earned this win."
Utah State lost nine starters to season-ending injuries.
Bowl experience
UTEP cited Utah State's fourth straight bowl appearance as an advantage for the Aggies. Of the eight four-year letter winners on the Aggies' roster, only safety Frankie Sutera has played in all four bowl games, which is a school record.
Players who participated in their third straight bowl were P/K Jaron Bentrude, tight end Jefferson Court, kicker Nick Diaz, nose guard Elvis Kamana-Matagi, defensive end B.J. Larsen, corner Rashard Stewart, safety Brian Suite, linebacker Zach Vigil, offensive lineman Kevin Whimpey, safety Kelvin Lee, receiver JoJo Natson, defensive end Jordan Nielsen and nose guard Travis Seefeldt.
This and that
Utah State's captains were offensive lineman Kevin Whimpey, linebacker Zach Vigil, safety Brian Suite and safety Frankie Sutera. … Kent Myers' 48-yard touchdown run was the longest by a quarterback in New Mexico bowl history. ... The Aggies are 6-14 in games played in December and 14-15 against current members of Conference USA.
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