Post-Game Notes | Post-Game Quotes | Final Stats (PDF)

LOGAN, Utah – If opposing teams continue to kick to him, Utah State kick returner/wide receiver Savon Scarver is going to make them pay.
 
Such was the case Saturday night as the junior from Las Vegas, Nev., returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, helping the Aggies roll to a 36-10 victory over Nevada on Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium.
 
It was Scarver's fifth-career kickoff return for touchdown, including second this season, which set the all-time school record. The old mark of four was previously set by Kevin Robinson (2004-07).
 
"He has unbelievable natural instincts," fifth-year Utah State head coach Gary Andersen said of Scarver. "He has 10 other guys that believe in him out on that field and know that if they get their block, there's a really good chance that some good things are going to happen. It becomes contagious. He has such a natural skill set to see the field as it's setting up in front of him. He has tremendous speed and unbelievable athletic, God-given ability."
 
"He's special at kickoff returns. Every time he can catch it, you better watch out. The other guys deserve some credit also for making it so important for them to be at work every day in practice and knowing they have a big hitter behind them. It's awesome to watch him; it's like he's two gears ahead of everyone else on the field."
 
Senior running back Gerold Bright eclipsed the 100-yard plateau for the seventh time in his career, racking up 126 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries to help the Aggies (4-2, 3-0 Mountain West) pull into a first-place tie atop the Mountain Division standings.
 
Bright scored on touchdown runs of 67 and 9 yards, respectively, in the fourth quarter. Utah State finished with 244 yards on the ground as part of its 418 total yards. Junior running back Jaylen Warren churned out 73 yards rushing on 12 carries.
 
"I didn't think the offense played well," admitted Bright. "We played well enough to win, but if we were playing for a Mountain West championship today, I don't think that would have cut it. We have to get back to the basics and fundamentals, and grind and fix everything."
 
Nevada (4-3, 1-2 MW) had no answer for Utah State's defense. The Aggies forced an eye-popping 10 three-and-outs and the Wolf Pack only had four drives that were more than three plays the entire game.
 
Utah State junior linebacker David Woodward was the lone player to record double-digit tackles on the night with 11, marking the 14th time in his career he has accomplished that feat.
 
Sophomore cornerback Andre Grayson had a career night for the Aggies as he nine tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles. As a team, Utah State tallied a season-high nine PBUs.
 
"Our defense played comfortable," Grayson said. "Comfortable is probably the best way to describe it when I look at it. Everybody trusted each other. The coaches trusted us, and we trusted them. We just executed when we needed to, and we had fun with it."
 
After Nevada opened the game's scoring with a 23-yard field goal by Brandon Talton, Utah State proceeded to score the next 36 points. Scarver ignited the onslaught with his kickoff return for touchdown.
 
Redshirt junior defensive end Justus Te'i made it 9-3 for the Aggies late in the first quarter when he recorded Utah State's first safety since 2015 against Fresno State.
 
Sandwiched in between a pair of field goals (29 and 32 yards, respectively) by senior placekicker Dominik Eberle was a 13-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Jordan Love to grad transfer tight end Caleb Repp, helping USU open a 22-3 lead at the break.
 
Love was 13-of-31 for 169 yards on the night, while his Nevada counterpart, Malik Henry, was 17-of-38 for 213 yards and two interceptions – one by junior safety Shaq Bond and the other by junior linebacker Kevin Meitzenheimer.
 
Bright's fourth-quarter touchdown runs sealed the deal for the Aggies, who won their 10th straight at home, tying the 1923-27 teams for the fourth-longest home winning streak in school history.
 
UP NEXT
 
Utah State will head on the road to take on Mountain Division-foe Air Force on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Falcon Stadium. The game, which will be televised nationally on ESPN2, will kick off at 8:15 p.m.
 
For Aggie football ticket information, fans can contact the USU Athletics Ticket Office over the phone by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or 435-797-0305 during regular hours of operation. Fans can also buy their tickets in person at the USU Ticket Office inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum or online by clicking on the "Buy Tickets" tab at www.UtahStateAggies.com.

Fans can follow the Aggie football program at twitter.com/USUFootball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.
 
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