With the return of many starting players from last years team, including running back Robert Turbin and Wester Athletic Conference player of the year Bobby Wagner, players and fans of the Utah State football team expected a great season.
But after a slew of fourth-quarter losses, the Aggies limped into the last half of the season with a losing record of 2-7.
USU needed a win in last Saturday’s game against Hawaii in order to salvage their season and possibly become eligible for their first bowl game since 1997.
But the game started out terrible for the Aggies.
After being shut down in the first half, a win against the Warriors looked grim. Things got worse when freshman quarterback Chuckie Keeton took a hard hit to his head with only seconds to go before half time. He laid motionless on the turf and was later put on a stretcher and carted off the field.
The Aggies would have to overcome a 21 point deficit in the second half without Keeton.
But 21 points wasn’t enough to keep the Aggies from their victory.
Backup quarterback Adam Kennedy stepped in and led the Aggies to a comeback win, outscoring the Warriors 28-3 in the second half. Kennedy threw for 163 yards and had two touchdowns in just two quarters of play.
“I would have been nervous if it hadn't been for my teammates," Kennedy said in an interview with the Utah Statesman. "They constantly came up to me telling me that they believed in me and that they were behind me. That gave me a lot of confidence. I expected the nerves to come, but they never came.”
The Aggies finally overcame their difficulties in the fourth quarter, scoring twice and maintaining a strong defense.
"In the fourth quarter, if you look at our games, we always give up, we slack," USU linebacker Bojay Filimoeatu said in an interview with the Utah Statesman. "At the beginning of this week, Coach Andersen said, ‘Enough is enough.' He lined us up and made us run sprints at the end of practice, and then Mike Smith took charge and huddled us up together, and he spoke from the heart and we threw fours up. I say we were perfect in the fourth quarter."
Not only did Kennedy’s stellar performance help save the game, but also the respect of the fans.
“I think this win gave the season new life,” USU student Jared Neimer said. “It shows that they haven’t just given up on the season.”
(j.ballard)
Brandon Fonda is a student at Utah State University studying Journalism and Communications.
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