Nov. 15, 2008
Box Score
RUSTON -- Louisiana Tech head coach Derek Dooley preached all week to his team and the local media that the Utah State Aggies -- despite their 2-8 record -- were a dangerous football team and would give his Bulldogs a test.
The Bulldogs, the media and the 15,320 fans in attendance are believers after LA Tech gutted out a 45-38 win Saturday at Joe Aillet Stadium.
The victory -- Tech's sixth of the year making the Bulldogs bowl eligible -- wasn't secure until senior cornerback Weldon Brown intercepted a Diondre Borel pass in the final two minutes of the game.
"They're all tough," Dooley said. "I always say that. I mean it. I was really proud of the team. Utah State scored (early in the fourth quarter) to go ahead -- it was a gut check."
Midway through the third quarter, it appeared that the Bulldogs were going to make the game a laugher after Patrick Jackson's 1-yard touchdown run made the score 35-17 with 7:04 to play.
However, the Aggies responded by scoring 21 straight points thanks in large part to the elusiveness of USU quarterback Diondre Borel and running back Robert Turbin.
Borel's 13-yard run with 11:30 to play in the fourth quarter gave the Aggies a 38-35 lead.
"I give Utah State a lot of credit," Dooley said. "We knew their quarterback was good. He's very elusive. We got tested a lot. Every time we pulled away, they'd answer the bell. We fought till the end."
After Borel gave USU the lead, Tech marched 60 yards in six plays and retook the lead when Daniel Porter made a highlight reel run of 22 yards -- the final five yards back-pedaling into the endzone.
"I thought I was out of bounds," Porter said. "I just started back pedaling and they said touchdown and I said `Ok.'"
Porter recorded his third straight 100-yard game with 114 yards and one score on 24 carries. His backfield teammate Jackson added 65 yards on 12 carries with one touchdown on the ground and a 30-yard TD reception in the second quarter.
After Tech took the lead, the Bulldog defense stood tall, forcing a three and out with the big play being D'Anthony Smith's second sack of the day. Smith ended with a career-high nine tackles and two sacks.
Tech special Alex Anderson then blocked the Utah State punt, giving the Bulldogs the football on the Utah State 48-yard line. Ten straight rushing plays by Tech put the Bulldogs inside the Aggies five-yard line as Brad Oestriecher kicked a 22-yard field goal to extend the lead to 45-38.
On the first play from scrimmage following the ensuing kickoff, Brown stepped in front of Borel's pass and recorded his team-leading fourth interception of the year, sealing the win.
"We just kept saying we had each other's back," Brown said. "That's what we say on the field. It's great team chemistry."
Brown's interception was just one of three on the day for Tech as defensive end Matt Broha picked off a pass on the first offensive play of the day by the Aggies and raced 40-yards to paydirt, giving the Bulldogs an early 7-0 lead.
"It was a little unusual for me (to have the ball in my hands) but a great way to start the game," Broha said. "The first thing I did was secure it and make sure I didn't fumble it. Then I just tried to get as many yards as I could."
Utah State then scored 10 straight points to take a 10-7 lead before Tech quarterback Ross Jenkins hit Jackson on a 30-yard touchdown pass for a 14-10 lead. On Utah State's next possession, Borel made another mistake as he forced a pass on his way down to the ground and Tech linebacker Dominique Faust batted it into the air and picked it off for a 60-yard interception return for a score.
"I was just suppose to cover the back, but I saw the quarterback scrambling and didn't want to let him run," Faust said. "I got there and tipped it and then intercepted it."
The win was Tech's third straight, the first three-game winning streak since 2005 when the Bulldogs reeled off four consecutive victories.
With the victory, Tech becomes bowl eligible with two games remaining -- a road contest at New Mexico State Saturday and a home game against Nevada Nov. 29.
