Week 13 Three by Three: Utah State Football and the MWC

It was the home finale for Utah State football, plus the senior send-off, so the Aggie football players made sure both went out with a bang. USU defeated San Jose State 62-24, extending its winning streak to nine games.

Here are some things from the past, things for the future, and things about the Mountain West with two weeks remaining.

Three things from the past: seniors and history

1. Senior secondary

Sticking with the senior send-off theme, shout-outs for the win over San Jose State will be given to some seniors. Jontrell Rocquemore, a personal favorite, made his mark on the game multiple times Saturday afternoon. He had a quarterback sack/fumble that was called back but then he tipped the following third-down play to force a punt. One play later, the Aggie offense scored on its first possession. The Rock had five tackles, one tackle for loss, and one QB hurry, too. He was everywhere. Another senior in the secondary, Deante Fortenberry, had an athletic breakup-turned-interception late in the game to secure a senior gift for himself.

2. Senior Nelson

DJ Nelson, the do-everything athlete from Logan High, caught a ball early in the game, then weaved 40 yards for a near TD. The Aggies ended on the 1-yard line thanks to his huge reception and punched the ball in the play after his catch. Nelson has played quarterback, placeholder, receiver, returner and basically everything else while in the blue and gray. He’s a glue-guy in the locker room, a hard worker, the ultimate teammate and a genuinely good guy to be around. Props to Nelson for his Aggie career.

3. More history

The Aggies finished with 804 yards, tied for the 15th most in an FBS game since 2000. Two weeks ago, the Aggies grabbed 704 yards to break their school year. It was a short-lived record.
USU broke its season record for points in a season, as the previous record was 454 from 2012. In addition, the Aggies have set the record for the most TDs in a season. The record was 60 and the number is currently at 66. Remember, the Aggies have two regular season games remaining.
One such touchdown was a screen pass to running back Darwin Thompson who raced 88 yards to the house for a score. It was the sixth-longest pass play in program history and the longest since 1990.
My favorite stat: 22 scoring possessions now under a minute.
The Aggies average 51.3 points per game, now best in the nation. Oklahoma is second with 49 and Alabama third with 48.6. But, hey, look at the other side, too. The Ags give up 21.9 points per game, good for 31st best in the FBS while leading the country with 26 forced turnovers and eight non-offensive touchdowns.

PS:

Sophomore Jordan Love is a top-20 quarterback IN THE NATION when it comes to total passing yards, touchdowns, completion percentage and QB rating. He also hasn’t played 12 quarters this season due to blowouts. That’s essentially three games he has missed, which is a lot of stats left on the table. Just saying.