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Aggies stick with Ducks until turnovers end rally By
Doug Layne A week ago Utah State was plagued by penalties and personal fouls. Saturday, quarterback Jose Fuentes, and the Aggies were haunted with turnovers as Fuentes threw four interceptions into the hands of players from the University of Oregon. The turnovers proved costly as the No. 6 Ducks -- the highest-ranked team ever to play in Logan -- won, 38-21. "Oregon is a class outfit. They played relatively error free and we did not," USU coach Mick Dennehy said. "That is the difference in the game." The biggest and the most costly of turnovers came just moments after Steve Smith ran it from 4 yards out to put the Ducks up 31-21. The Aggies had possession of the ball and were driving the down the field. When Fuentes dropped back, he found his pass going off the shoulder pads of Kevin Curtis and into the hands of Oregon linebacker Garret Graham. That pretty much let the air out of the Aggies. "I was pleased that our defense played hard, and buckled their backs when it counted. We got some turnovers in the second half that made a difference for us," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said. Three plays the Graham pick, Maurice Morris -- who finished for 175 yards -- broke free and as he ran in from 69 yards out. That was the last score of the night with just over eight minutes left.. "The Ducks were talented, no doubt, but I still think we had a great match-up with them" the Aggies' Tony Newson said. Emmett White was held to only 83 rushing yards, which was the first time he had 20 or more carries yet rushed for less then 100 yards. Despite the loss, Utah State was impressive as Fuentes finished the game with 356 of the team's 455 yards. Curtis finished the game with 166 receiving yards. Curtis in his career as an Aggie has finished all four games with more than 100 yards. "I thought we did a great job on offense. Our guys played their guts out," Dennehy said. "They play just as well as every one else in the country." The defense did well, too. The Aggies' D held Ducks quarterback Joey Harrington, who is a candidate for the Heisman, to only 261 yards. Despite holding off the passing attack of the Ducks, USU gave up 289 rushing yards. "Offensively, I was pleased that we ran the football and controlled the line of scrimmage" Bellotti said. Utah State drops to 0-4 on the season and will travel south Friday to face in-state rival No. 18 Brigham Young University and first-year coach Gary Crowton.
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