Utah State Needs Big Third Quarter To Defeat New Mexico State
Nov 6, 2021, 5:34 PM
Logan Bonner #1 of the Utah State Aggies is chased out of the pocket by Pepe Tanuvasa #45 of the BYU Cougars during their game October 1, 2021 at Maverik Stadium in Logan, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – After struggling in the first half, Utah State had a big third quarter that led to a 35-13 win over New Mexico State on the road.
The win for Utah State concludes the non-conference portion of their scheduling, finishing with a 3-1 record.
Logan Bonner had a nice outing, passing for 359 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Deven Thompkins was fantastic, hauling in nine catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns.
New Mexico State scored 10 points in the first quarter on an 11-yard TD by Juwaun Price and a 45-yard field goal. Early in the second quarter, Utah State responded with a 26-yard TD from Logan Bonner to Deven Thompkins. NMSU was able to get a field goal later in the second and took a 17-7 halftime lead.
Just. Keep. Winning.
That's 4️⃣ WWWWins in a row!#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/pmuo15FGij
— USU Football (@USUFootball) November 6, 2021
Right out of the gates in the third quarter, Bonner connected with Thompkins for a 54-yard score on a 4-play, 87-yard drive that lasted 55 seconds. The Aggies of Utah State had a 14-13 lead. Four and a half minutes later, Bonner threw his third TD, finding Derek Wright for a 4-yard strike and USU took a 21-13 lead.
The Logan Aggies got the ball back once again as the defense didn’t allow a first down in the third quarter. Elelyon Noa found pay dirt from four yards out to put USU ahead 28-13. Blake Anderson’s squad found a offensive rhythm after getting the ball back again and was able to get a one-yard touchdown reception by Justin McGriff on third and goal. Utah State started cruising at that point, holding a 35-13 midway through the fourth quarter.
Utah State improved their record to 7-2 overall. They will return to Mountain West Conference play on Saturday, November 13 when they travel to San Jose State. Kickoff is at 8:30 p.m. MT on FS1 and The Zone Sports Network.
