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Show StatesmanSports Page 10 Friday, Sept. 4, 2009 Opportunity: USU lets Utes off the hook in game one -continued from page 8 quarter. Driving to the Utah 20-yard line, Borel attempted a pass to running back Michael Smith off of play action. The pass was batted down short of the endzone however, giving Utah the ball and effectively closing the door on any Aggie comeback attempt. Among the many factors which undid the Aggies included multiple failed third-down conversions and missed opportunities off of Utah turnovers. Utah State’s offense finished the game without making a third down conversion (going 0-12), while Utah was able to convert four critical third downs. The Aggies also failed to convert two Utah turnovers into points, and committed five penalties for 40 yards. Coach Andersen said of his team’s mistakes, “They made plays when they had to and we didn’t, and that was the difference. At the end of the day that was the differ- FREE WI-FI ence. We shot ourselves in the foot, but they made some plays and that’s the sign of a good football team.” Utah State also struggled on special teams, surrendering an average of 23.2 yards per punt return to Utah, while also allowing a second half punt block by Utah special teamer Matt Martinez that led to a safety. Senior safety Brindley led the Utah State defense with 14 tackles and an interception, while sophomore defensive end Bobby Wagner chipped in with 12 total stops, including one for a loss. He was also credited with forcing the fumble in the first quarter. Utah State will be off next week before traveling to College Station, Texas to play the Texas A&M Aggies on September 19. Utah State and Utah will take a two year hiatus in their rivalry, but will resume play in Logan during the 2011 season. -adam.nettina@aggiemail.usu.edu JUNIOR RUNNING BACK MICHAEL SMITH congratulates junior quarterback Diondre Borel after a big play in the first half of Thursday night’s game. Borel finished the game 10-26 passing for 121 yards and also carried the ball 14 times for 48 yards and a touchdown. TYLER LARSON photo Results: Andersen era officially kicks off with loss to Utes alty or bobbled snap and stuff like that just killed us so we’ve got to work on those things and execute better across the board.” Utah State has a lot of improvement to make before its next game at Texas A&M, luckily for the Aggies they have a lot of time with a bye week next week. And, now they know what they need to work on. Andersen said he saw flashes of where USU can be: Turbin’s school record-setting 96-yard touchdown run, and James Brindley’s interception return being a couple examples. After being gouged for the second year in a row by Matt Asiata – 36 rushes, 156 yards and two touchdowns – the Aggies must improve their run defense and execute in critical situations, especially on third down. “You can’t go 0-12 on third down and really have a chance to win a game,” Andersen said. He, Brindley and Turbin all said they must learn everything they can from this game, and improve for the Aggies to be competitive in their next game. “We will watch the film, we will learn a lot from it and we will evaluate it as much as possible,” Turbin said. “We’ll learn from it, get better and focus our minds on Texas A&M.” Tim Olsen is a senior majoring in print journalism. Comments can be sent to him at t.olsen@ aggiemail.usu.edu or at aggietownsquare.com ‘Believe:’ Georgia teen stuns no. 4 seeded Dementieva UNIVERSITY OF UTAH DEFENSIVE BACK JUSTIN JONES gets the best of USU wide receiver Nnamdi Gwacham and intercepts a Diondre Borel pass. TYLER LARSON photo Come play Northern Utah’s Best-Kept Secret. THE $4.00 COMBO MEAL 18 Championship Holes Driving Range Practice Putting & Chipping Greens Includes any two super value sandwiches plus small french fries and a small soft drink. Present this coupon at any of the above northern Utah Wendy’s® Restaurants and receive our $4.00 COMBO MEAL (Limit 1 order per coupon) AVAILABLE AT THESE NORTHERN UTAH LOCATIONS: 1305 N. Main Logan, UT 84321 891 So. State HWY 89-91 Logan, UT 84321 810 S. Main Smithfield, UT 84331 2280 W. Main Tremonton, UT 84337 ©2009 Oldemark, LLC. The Wendy’s name, design and logo and It’s waaaay better at Wendy’s are trademarks of Oldemark, LLC and are licensed to Wendy’s International Inc. Expires 10/30/09 G o l f C o u r s e 550 East 100 North Smithfield, Utah 435-563-6825 Fall USU Student Special: 9 Holes of Golf, Sunday-Friday $10, must show current USU ID. NEW YORK (AP) — It’s not quite the case that 17-year-old Melanie Oudin and her family knew for sure she would get this far, this fast. Not when Melanie was 7, hitting buckets of tennis balls with Grandma Mimi back home in Marietta, Ga. Not a couple of years later, when Melanie and her twin sister began taking lessons together. And certainly not when Melanie lost her first two Grand Slam matches. Still, there was Oudin at the U.S. Open on Thursday, ranked all of 70th, dealing with a painful leg and an overwhelming occasion on a supersized stage — and stunning No. 4-seeded Elena Dementieva 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 to set up a third-round match against 2006 champion Maria Sharapova. All the while, Oudin sported this word stamped near the heel of her pink-and-yellow sneakers: “BELIEVE.” The idea for that bit of inspiration came from her boyfriend, Austin Smith, a 15-yearold who helped Melanie prepare for her Arthur Ashe Stadium debut by practicing together in the 23,763-seat arena at 9:30 a.m. Thursday. “During the match, I had confidence, and, I mean, I was right there with her the entire time,” Oudin said. “She wasn’t blowing me off the court. She wasn’t hitting winners left and right on me.” Don’t, though, get the mistaken idea that Dementieva played poorly or showed the sort of nerves she has in the past. Dementieva played rather well — displaying the stinging groundstrokes that carried her to two Grand Slam finals and an Olympic gold medal — and graciously gave credit to Oudin, who now will face the scrutiny that comes with being the “Next Great American Hope.” After the Williams sisters at No. 2 and 3, you have to scan all the way down to Oudin to find the next U.S. woman in the WTA rankings. “It’s just the beginning,” Dementieva cautioned, “but it looks like she has a good future.” Truth is, Oudin — pronounced “oo-DAN,” owing to her father’s French ancestry — has a pretty good present, too. This was not, after all, her first such upset at a major tournament: Oudin reached the fourth round at Wimbledon by beating former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic. “She knows,” said Brian de Villiers, Oudin’s coach, “that she can play with these girls now.” Next comes what figures to be a stern test against three-time major champion Sharapova, who eliminated another 17-year-old American, Christina McHale of Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 6-2, 6-1 at night. The 381st-ranked McHale was a wild-card entry who didn’t really challenge Sharapova. Looking ahead to facing Oudin, Sharapova said: “I mean, I’ve got a tough round ahead of me. Also somebody that I’ve never played against before, someone that has nothing to lose.” |