Justin McGriff Gives Utah State First Quarter Lead With TD Grab
Oct 15, 2022, 5:42 PM | Updated: 5:43 pm
PROVO, UT- SEPTEMBER 29: Ethan Slade #26 of the Brigham Young Cougars breaks up a pass intended for Justin McGriff #10 of the Utah State Aggies during the second half of their game September 29, 2022 at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah.
LOGAN, Utah – A roughing the passer penalty extended the drive for Utah State, and Cooper Legas eventually found Justin McGriff, giving USU a 7-3 lead.
Utah State faced the Colorado State Rams at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins, CO on Saturday, October 15.
On first and 10, the Aggie offensive line gave Legas a clean pocket, allowing him space to step into a beautiful deep ball that dropped softly into the hands of McGriff in the end zone.
LEGAS ✈️ MCGRIFF for 6️⃣‼️
🎯 @cooperlegas #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/occhmENdcw
— USU Football (@USUFootball) October 15, 2022
McGriff now has two catches on the day for 38 yards and his third touchdown of the season. Legas is 9-of-12 passing for 85 yards, including the 32-yard scoring play to McGriff.
Brian Cobbs and Terrell Vaughn each have three first quarter catches. Calvin Tyler Jr. ha gained 30 yards on three rushing attempts.
Utah State leads Colorado State 7-3 with just over one minute remaining in the opening quarter.
Utah State Aggies (2-4, 1-1) vs. Colorado State Rams (1-4, 1-0)
Coming off of their best team performance of the season, Utah State can continue to climb the conference standings against a Colorado State teams that has endured their own ups and downs this year.
GAMEDAY in Fort Collins ‼️
🆚 Colorado State
⌚️ 5:00 PM
📺 @CBSSportsNet
📊 https://t.co/Hz4336X4W7
🔊 https://t.co/vioCVQHXMYProgram ➡️ https://t.co/HVIOknxxzC#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/szOXJt7EaJ
— USU Football (@USUFootball) October 15, 2022
For USU, a second straight win revolves around controlling the trenches on both sides of the ball.
The Rams have a Mountain West worst 361 rushing yards this season. They have yet to score a touchdown on the ground.
While the Aggie rush defense hasn’t been stellar this season, they have shown progress in recent weeks. Statistically, the Aggie defense is third worst in the Mountain West and should welcome the challenge of a team like Colorado State that struggle mightily to move the chains on the ground.
With seven sacks, the Aggies have the third fewest sacks in the Mountain West, ahead of only Hawaii and Air Force.
While USU has struggled to collapse the pocket, Colorado State has allowed a league worst 26 sacks through five games. That’s an average of more than five sacks allowed per game.
Cooper Legas has been sacked three times since taking over at quarterback for Logan Bonner just two games ago.
If the offensive line can consistently provide protection for Legas, wide receivers Brian Cobbs, Justin McGriff and Terrell Vaughn should have time to find open space in the Rams secondary.
𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝟕 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 🏈
▫️Terrell Vaughn
▫️Alfred Edwards
▫️Connor Cole’s
▫️Hale Motu’apuaka
▫️Hunter Reynolds#BeatCSU | #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/w9mGdcx5Jr— USU Football (@USUFootball) October 15, 2022
The Aggies named five captains for their game against Colorado State. Junior wide receiver Terrell Vaughn; senior defensive tackle Hale Motu’apuaka; graduate senior safety Hunter Reynolds; graduate senior kicker Connor Coles; and graduate senior offensive tackle Alfred Edwards.
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Every Utah State football game can be heard on the KSL Sports Zone with Scott Garrard and former Aggie quarterback Kevin White on the call. This game can be seen on CBS Sports Network.
