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By Earl Scott The USU defense held MTSU's (2-7, 2-2) normally potent offense, averaging 375 yards a game, to only 289 yards. The Blue Raiders did not cross the Aggie 20-yard line until there were about eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. USU Head Coach Mick Dennehy was not happy with everything he saw during the game, as his team picked up 17 penalties for 130 yards. "Obviously we've got a little work to do in terms of discipline," Dennehy said. "I'm disappointed in the number of penalties. I felt like our defense played well enough for three-and-a-half quarters to shut them out, then we start acting like a bunch of clowns and give them a touchdown." For the third straight game, the Aggie defense scored a touchdown. With the ball at the MTSU 20-yard line, quarterback Andrico Hines let a shotgun snap go through his hands. Aggie defensive tackle Michael Gates corralled the bouncing football at the 3 and sprinted into the end zone, giving the Aggies a 7-0 led with 2:47 left in the first quarter. USU exploded for 495 yards in total offense, with Travis Cox completing 22 of 34 passes for 301 yards in three quarters of play, and David Fiefia rushing for 104 yards on 23 attempts. Early in the second quarter Travis Cox completed a 49-yard pass to Raymond Hicks that appeared as if it was going to be picked off. Tony Sutton had a hand on the ball but it rolled down his arm into the waiting hands of Hicks, who juggled the ball before cradling it in at the 16-yard line. Seven plays later Fiefia plunged over from the 3, making the score 14-0. "Hicks stayed with the tipped pass and kind of got us going a little bit," Dennehy said. "Had he not stayed with the play, the pass would have been incomplete and we would have had to punt the football. Instead it led us to our first score." Before the end of the half, USU would take a 21-0 lead on a five-play, 87-yard drive. Cox finished the drive with a 59-yard bomb up the sidelines to Barry Tolli, who outraced the Blue Raider defenders into the end zone. Cox ended the day with three touchdown passes and, for the second straight game had no interceptions. Most of the 7,000 or so fans who braved the elements and stuck around for the second half saw the Aggie offense pick up where it left off. Cox moved USU 65- yards in three plays on its first possession of the second half. He completed a 26-yard pass to Chris Cooley, then Fiefia sprinted for 15 yards up the middle of the Blue Raider defense. Cox then found Chris Stallworth for a 24-yard pass in the end zone, taking a 28-0 lead. With 12 minutes left in the game, freshman safety Terrance Washington had his fifth interception of the year; stifling the first real scoring threat MTSU could muster. Washington said he isn't doing anything special to get interceptions -- the ball is finding its way into his hands. Success is a team thing; they're playing with more emotion, he said. "We lost some games early in the year because we were flat," Washington said. "Two weeks ago we figured we needed to come out with more emotion . . . play well and have fun." Travis Davis had the longest touchdown play of the year for USU when he split the Blue Raider defense for a 69-yard run with 6:55 left in the game. It was the longest play since James Samuel's 73-yard touchdown run against Brigham Young last year. The Blue Raiders scored three meaningless touchdowns in the final seven minutes against the backup defense. Cooley extended his streak of at least two receptions in a game to 14, catching caught four balls for 56-yards. Chris Sallworth caught his 100th pass as an Aggie, with a 12-yard reception in the second quarter. He finished the day with six catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. USU travels to future WAC foe New Mexico State (2-7 overall, 1-4 in the Big West) for a 6 p.m. contest Thursday. NMSU lost 28-24 Saturday to Arkansas State, which USU shut out 49-0. The game will be televised by KJZZ-TV, Channel 14, in Salt Lake City.
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