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Show Statesman Sports Page 10 Monday, Nov. 1, 2010 Borers huge night isn't enough to tame Wolf Pack By ADAM NETTINA sports editor A late game offensive explosion and second half defensive adjustments were not enough for the Aggies Saturday night, as a disastrous first half ultimately proved to be the difference in Nevada's 56-42 win in Reno. Wolf Pack quarterback Colin Kaepernick totaled 292 yards on the ground and through the air to lead Nevada (7-1, 2-1 WAC) past Utah State (2-6, 0-4 WAC) in a game that was not as close as the final score indicated. Behind Kaepernick's dual threat ability, Nevada's offense marched up and down the field on Utah State during the first half, taking a 35-0 lead into the break. "We played a horrendous first half," said Utah State head coach Gary Andersen. "The second half, the kids came out and fought. I'm proud of them for that, but at the end of the day we lost." From the opening kickoff, it seemed as though nothing could go right for Utah State. Kaepernick bounced back from a disappointing outing in the team's loss to Hawaii two weeks ago, beginning the game by leading the Wolf Pack offense on a 12-play, 77-yard drive capped off by an 8-yard touchdown pass to running back Mike Ball. The offensive explosion was only just beginning for Nevada, however, as the Wolf Pack offense scored on a nine-play, 70-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown run by backup quarterback Tyler Lantrip later in the first quarter. The ensuing Utah State possession saw the Aggies fail to move the ball down the field, and on their third drive of the game, the Navada offense struck again, this time when running back Landford Mark took a five yard run to the endzone to put the Wolf Pack up 21-0. Utah State didn't go without chances to stop the Nevada offense during the first half of the game. Nevada was a perfect twofor-two on third down conversations during the game's initial drive, while two Aggie Part Time Snowsports Instructors Wanted! Hiring Clinic Wednesday November 3rd 7-9PM HPER Room 118 Positions are available for Alpine and Telemark Skiing and Snowboarding. beaver mountain Call 753-0921 for information. pass-interference calls on Nevada's second scoring drive allowed the Wolf Pack offense to stay in business. "That was a very good football team we played, without question," Andersen said. "They took advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves." While Nevada's offense was clicking on all cylinders in the first half, Utah State's offense found itself struggling to move the ball or sustain any momentum. The Aggies went three and out on the first drive of the game, and punted on their first five possessions of the night. The offense's most promising drive of the first half ended after six plays, when Aggie running back Derrvin Speight fumbled at the Nevada 46-yard line. Utah State managed just 14 rushing yards by halftime, compared to 206 Nevada rushing yards. "I just feel like at the beginning of the game we didn't start off fast," said USU quarterback Diondre Borel. "Offensively we didn't start off fast and put the defense in bad situations by keeping them on the field. Nevada was taking advantage of that." That the Wolf Pack were able to capitalize offensively without the services of the team's leading rusher — starting running back Vai Taua — makes the performance all the more impressive. Taua had come into the game with 928 yards and 11 touchdowns on the year, but a sprained ankle forced Nevada coach Chris Ault to use a combination of running backs in his place. Courtney Randall, Mike Ball and Mark Lanford didn't miss a beat for Nevada, combining for four rushing touchdowns to help lead the Wolf Pack offense to a 596yard offensive night. To Utah State's credit, the Aggie players never quit. On the opening possession of the second half, Borel led USU on a 11-play, 84-yard drive that ended with an 18yard Kellen Bartlett touchdown reception. Bartlett, QUARTERBACK DIONDRE BOREL eludes a tackler during Utah State's win over BYU earlier this season. Borel threw for 399 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 20 yards an another touchdown on the ground to lead Utah State to 42 second-half points Saturday. TODD JONES photo who has had an increased presence in the offense since over the past several weeks, had a career night for USU, finishing the game with 121 yards on just five catches. Along with fellow tight end Tarren Lloyd, Bartlett proved to be the catalyst for the Aggies' second half comeback attempt. "They stepped up," Borel said. "They both had great games blocking and catching." With the Aggies finally on the board, the shootout was underway. Nevada answered USU's opening salvo with a four-play, 60-yard drive which saw running back Mike Ball take a 35-yard run to the house. Not to be outdone, Utah State answered on the very next drive, when a 63 yard, Borel-to-Bartlett hookup set up a one-yard Borel touchdown plunge. The two teams would trade scores again to finish out the third quarter with Nevada in front, 49-21. "It's a tough group of kids," Andersen said. "They're going to battle day in and day out, week in and week out. They'll fight to the end." "If they came out that way in the first half we might have won," he said. Nevada head coach Chris Ault, who watched his defense play so tough in the first half, had a different explanation for USU' second half comeback, blaming himself and his players for the mental lapse which allowed the Aggies to compile 490 yards of total offense by game's end. "Defensively speaking I can't think of another time in my career here that I've seen a group play a worse half of football than our defense did in the second half," Ault said. "When you look at the first half, when you look at how good we played defensively, that's inexcusable." Despite the final score, the game was out of reach for USU heading into the fourth quarter. USU scored twice in the game's final three minutes after trailing 49-28, including on a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Kerwynn Williams with just under a minute left to play. USU's players and coaches aren't taking much solace in the team's second half comeback. Aggie safety McKade Brady, who finished the game with six tackles, may have said it best: "A loss is a loss." With undefeated Boise State still looming, the loss puts Utah State's bowl hopes virtually out of reach for the season. And while the once promising start to 2010 has since faded, Andersen remains defiant approaching the four remaining game's on the Aggie schedule. "In my mind right now, it's a four game season and we have the opportunity to do some things that haven't been done here in a long time." — adam.nettina@aggiemail. usu. edu Volleyball wins two in California You've heard of the 4 C's of diamond quality ... 1. Carat 2. Color 3. Clarity 4. Cut S.E. Needham Jewelers introduces the "all important" 5th C of diamonds 5. Confidence in your jeweler When you come into S.E. Needhams you will be served by educated and helpful sales consultants who will guide you through a comfortable diamond buying experience. You can have confidence in the exactness of our diamond grading; we grade our diamonds with the highest standard of ethics. We invite you to come experience what it feels like to shop at a store where you can have "confidence in your jeweler". !*) rroopDk9 D Store Hours: Monday - Saturday 10:00 - 7:00 Where Utah Get's Engaged! 141 North Main • 752-7149 www.seneedham.com Middle of the block at the sign of the clock. By MARK ISRAELSEN staff writer Home, sweet home? More like road, sweet road for the Utah State University Volleyball team. After dropping two straight matches at home, the Aggies went on the road and scored back to back impressive wins. The Aggies stomped San Jose State on Oct. 28 in three sets, and then followed it up with a gutsy five-set win over Fresno State on Oct. 30. "We competed well in spots," head coach Grayson DuBose said of the last few home games. "We just need to compete well for as long as we can." The Aggies came out against San Jose State and definitely did that. Despite letting San Jose jump out to early leads in the first two sets, USU stayed tough and competitive, and eventually went on to win the match in straight sets. Liz McArthur and Josselyn White led Utah State in the win, as they combined for 23 kills and 11 digs. "We were real dialed-in right from the beginning," DuBose said. "We kind of got after it and put those guys on their heels and then just kept rolling." The Aggies' game against Fresno State was somewhat of a different story. Utah State came out and absolutely dominated the first two sets, winning 25-13 and 25-12 thanks to the play of McArthur as well as senior setter Chelsea Fowles. "We started out real well and then Fresno got better," DuBose said. "They're a good volleyball team and they compete real hard." Fresno State, true to the coach's words, wasn't about to roll over and die. The Bulldogs rallied back and won the next two sets to tie the match at 2-2. The game went to a deciding fifth set where the Aggies were able to pull it off, winning the set 15-12. "Our big focus has always been taking care of our side of the net," DuBose said. "While our passing wasn't as accurate as it has been in the past, our blocking was really good; we were able to make up for that one deficit by being better in another area." McArthur and Fowles have been essential to the Aggies' success this season, and their dominance was apparent during their most recent road trip. Fowles registered a career-high 17 digs against Fresno State and McArthur led the team in kills in both matches. "Chelsea's just Chelsea," DuBose said of his superstar setter. "She's always been good, but she's really been focused this year and played with a sense of urgency." Fowles, who this year became the all-time assists leader in USU history, has found herself going to McArthur more and more throughout the year as McArthur's game has continued to progress. "Liz is really starting to figure it out," DuBose said. "She's always been a power hitter, but now she's starting to learn some other subtleties of the game. She's made big strides." Following their impressive road play, USU returns home for a three game home-stand, starting with Boise State on Nov. 4. In order to keep up their winning streak, DuBose is looking for effort from his squad. "We want to just compete," he said. "We want to make sure that we're doing those things that we can control. We can control our effort and we can control how hard we work and those for us are real big keys." This next stretch also marks the final three home games for the Aggies before they head to the WAC tournament, and DuBose said he knows how important and effective home court advantage can be in these pivotal games. "It'd be great if a bunch of people came out these next three matches," DuBose said. "These will be our last three matches at home; it'd be fun to have a bunch of people come and cheer us on. — mark.israelsen@aggiemail.usu.edu |