Sept. 24, 2005
Final Stats
LOGAN, Utah - Kevin Robinson scored the game's final two touchdowns to lead Utah State to a come from behind 31-24 victory against UNLV here Saturday night. With the win USU improved to 1-1, while UNLV fell to 1-3.
The Aggies trailed the visiting Rebels 24-16 with 4:13 remaining in the third quarter before Robinson scored on a 19-yard reverse with :52 left in the quarter. Quarterback Leon Jackson III then rushed into the endzone with the two-point conversion to tie the game.
A nine-play 63-yard drive was capped with a 15-yard pass from Jackson to Robinson to give the Aggies a 31-24 lead with 9:31 left. After that, USU held off two UNLV rallies as the Rebels drove down to the Aggies' 24-yard line before two incompletions stopped a drive with 2:12 remaining. The Rebels then had one last chance after holding USU and taking over at the Aggie 48-yard line with :30 left in the game.
Two plays into the drive UNLV had the ball at Utah State's 29-yard line, but three straight incompletions ended the game.
Jackson led the USU offense by completing 19 of 25 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Tony Pennyman, who missed the opener at Utah due to a suspension, caught 10 passes for 97 yards and a score. He also ignited the game by returning a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown on USU's first possession.
Utah State controlled the clock in the game, holding possession of the football for 32:36. However USU gained just 283 yards while the Rebels accumulated 387 yards, including 265 passing.
Utah State will return to action playing its first ever Western Athletic Conference game at Idaho on Saturday, Oct. 1.
POSTGAME NOTES
O - USU recorded its 100th win in Romney Stadium history. Romney Stadium opened in 1968 and USU is now 100-73 here in its 38th season.
O - Two of USU's last three wins have come against UNLV as the Aggies defeated the Rebels 31-21 at UNLV on Sept. 25 las year and won 34-25 vs. New Mexico State on Nov. 20 last season.
O - UNLV's touchdown just 53 seconds into the game was the quickest score in an Aggie game since USU scored just 18 seconds into a 2002 game against Idaho State. Jose Fuentes threw an 80-yard pass to Kevin Curtis for the game's first score.
O - Tony Pennyman's 92 yard kickoff return for a touchdown was the first for USU since Kevin Robinson returned one 94 yards for a score against Louisiana-Monroe in the ninth game last year.
O - For the second straight game USU's rushing leader was not a running back as WR Kevin Robinson led the Aggies tonight and QB Leon Jackson led against Utah with 87 yards.
O - WR Tony Pennyman had a career high reception total (eight against North Texas last year).
O - Utah State scored in every quarter in a game for the first time since scoring in every period at UNLV in the fourth game of last year.
o - USU's win against UNLV marks the first time the Aggies defeated the same opponent in consecutive seasons since beating Idaho State in both 2001 and 2002.
O - USU's win gives Brent Guy his first Aggie victory in just his second game as coach. That feat has been accomplished just one other time among the last eight USU head coaches (Mick Dennehy won his second game in 2000).
UTAH STATE POSTGAME QUOTES
UTAH STATE HEAD COACH Brent Guy "Pennyman made a difference; he can be a game breaker as he was tonight. He was the one that gave us the shot in the arm offensively every time we needed it...We did a great job on third downs much better than we did in the first game...We won the fourth quarter tonight, got the lead and didn't give it up that is what you have to do win...I am real proud of them for doing what we talked about in practice. It was really exciting to win; it's just a shame that we had so many penalties. The penalties were killing us..."
UNLV HEAD COACH MIKE SANFORD
"It was a devastating loss, very difficult to swallow. We didn't make the critical plays you have to make at the critical times, that's he bottom line. We didn't make the critical plays in any phase at the right time. We have got to get better in special teams, I was disappointed in our special teams tonight. You can cite the kickoff return, you can cite the blocked field goal, you can site the long returns but we have to be better than that, that's not good enough. We have a lot of football left to play and we are going to be back, we will do everything we can to fight back...We played better tonight than we did last week, that's the one plus. We also have to be able to handle success. When we have something good happen we were not able to sustain that, we have to follow our success with success."
