Logan , UT – What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas! Well not this time. The Aggies are more than excited to tell the world about their victory, 31 – 21, over a Mountain West Conference team. Sure, UNLV is at the bottom of the Mountain West Conference standings – but a win is a win and Utah State hadn't won on the road since beating Troy 19-16 in overtime on November 16, 2002 . Gone is a nine-game road losing streak. The 10-point victory was the largest road victory margin since the Aggies beat North Texas 34 – 7 in 1999.
Utah State almost matched the combined point total, 37 points, for the season in this one game (31 points vs. UNLV). Recording no turnovers also helped. The Aggies had recorded 10 turnovers in the first three games combined. The defense forced five UNLV turnovers in the game. Robert Watts and Antonio Taylor each recorded two interceptions with Watts going 90 yards for a touchdown on one and Taylor forcing a fumble in addition to his interceptions. Based on the fact that Utah State was only penalized four times for 51 yards compared to UNLV's 11 penalties for 105, along with the turnovers, one can see how the Aggies overcame 550 total yards of offense by the Rebels.
Utah State 's offense had their moments. A second quarter five-yard run by Travis Cox was the Aggies first rushing touchdown of the season by the Aggies. Sharing the ball on running plays didn't seem to be a problem on Saturday. Eight different players recorded rushes during the game, the most in 13 years. The passing department saw seven Aggies with receptions, but none greater than a 79-yard touchdown reception by Tony Pennyman. Pennyman ended the game with 119 total yards receiving and did run the ball three times for seven yards.
Where did Antonio Taylor come from? Number 24 is a red-shirt freshman from Pomona , California . Not only did he record the two interceptions (71 yards total between the two) and forced one fumble, he managed to add a career and game-high 12 tackles, including one tackle for a loss against the Rebels. Antonio is just one of many freshmen (18 freshmen have played including eight true freshmen) making a solid impact on this football team. Four freshmen have started on offense with Kevin Robinson ranked third in the nation for reception yards (60.5 per game) and fourth in total receptions (4.5 per game).
Freshmen impact through four games (starters marked with an *): Offense – TE Jimmy Bohm, OT Casey Crookston, TE Will Fausel, *TB Chris Forbes, QB Leon Jackson III, OL Steve Jacson, *OG Pace Jorgensen, *OT E.J. Reid, *WR Kevin Robinson, WR Brandon Schneider. Defense – LB Josh Anderson, S Tyler Ashton, LB Spencer Bailey, DT Scott Barrett, DT Frank Maile, FS Vaughn Mansfield, CB Toriano Taulougo, SS Antonio Taylor.
Additional Result. UNLV football coach John Robinson announced Sunday that he will retire at the end of the season. Robinson is the most successful bowl-game coach in college football history with a winning percentage of .889 (8-1) and sits as the 18 th winningest coach in Division 1-A at .641. UNLV's unexpected 0-4 start to the season and family health issues led to his decision.
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