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By Earl Scott
USU also lost quarterback Travis Cox to a neck injury to start the third quarter. Set up in a shotgun formation, Cox was unable to control the snap from center that rolled back to him. While reaching for the ball, he was hit at an awkward angle by a Troy State defender and lost feeling on his right side. He ran off the field under his own power, but was taken to the hospital as a precaution. USU Head Coach Mick Dennehy said preliminary results showed no serious injury to Cox, but more tests were still being done. It was not known if he would be able to play next Saturday. "We lost the one guy we obviously couldn't afford to lose," Dennehy said. "The way he competes always gives us a chance to win." The Trojans wasted little time getting on the board, scoring on their second possession. An eight-play, 69-yard drive put them up 7-0 behind the running of DeWhitt Betterson. Betterson would finish the game with 46 rushes for 230 yards. TSU finished with 328-yards in total offense showing how important Betterson was to the Trojan offense. "He's just so big and strong. I thought he made some nice runs when we didn't wrap him up," Dennehy said. "We had him caught for a loss a couple of times and let him go. If you don't keep him wrapped up he's that kind of football player. I thought he played very, very well." TSU scored on its next possession, once again behind the running of Bettereson. The Trojans moved the ball 74 yards in eight plays. Betterson runs accounted for 68 of the yards including a 1-yard plunge up the middle of the Aggie defense for his second touchdown of the day, making the score 14-0. The Aggies answered with a 13-play, 65-yard drive of their own that saw Cox scramble across the goal line on a 9-yard run up the middle of the TSU defense, bringing the score to 14-7. Cox finished his day with four rushes for 19 yards and completing 14 of 20 passes for 140 yards. The Aggie defense continued to stiffen, giving the ball back to the offense. which drove 83 yards in 11-plays to knot the score at 14. Cox dumped the ball off with short passes and David Fiefia spun and squirmed his way through the Trojans' defense, keeping them off balance. At the TSU 9-yard line Cox handed the ball off to wide receiver Brian Majors on a reverse, and he sprinted into the end zone untouched. After the Trojans pinned USU deep in its own end of the field, USU punter Ben Chaet could only get the ball out to the USU 33. TSU moved to the USU 12 when Nate Putnam caught wide receiver Jason Samples running a reverse for a loss to the USU 20, forcing a field goal, to make the score 17-14 at the half. TSU turned the Cox fumble, recovered at the USU 17, into a touchdown that effectively sealed the Aggies' fate. USU turned to inexperienced redshirt freshman quarterback Bryan Black. The Aggies would commit six of their seven turnovers in the second half. USU looked to have several opportunities to score in the second half, driving inside the TSU 25 twice, only to lose the ball on an interception or fumble. "When I first started I was pretty nervous," Black said. "It's not like playing with a 40-point lead. I thought I had to make a play." Black finished 7 for 17 for 56 yards with three interceptions. For the third consecutive game Fiefia rushed for more than 70 yards, piling up 71 on 21 carries. USU finished with 307 yards in total offense. The 9,291 fans saw 14 USU seniors play their final home game and Chris Cooley extend his streak of catching at least two passes in a game to 15. The seven Aggie turnovers were the most since they had eight against Nevada in 1996. USU wraps up its season at 3 p.m. Nov. 22 at Idaho. |
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