University of Oregon
Utah State
No. 6 Oregon Overpowers Utah State, 38-21
09/30/01 | Football
By TIM KORTE
AP Sports Writer
LOGAN, Utah (AP) - Joey Harrington didn't leave a lasting impression on Utah State linebacker Tony Newson. The Oregon quarterback was just another gunslinger who came to town and beat the Aggies.
Maurice Morris ran for 175 yards and Harrington threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns as No. 6 Oregon survived a scare through three quarters to beat Utah State 38-21 on Saturday night.
"Utah State is a great team. They played their hearts out and gave us a good run," Harrington said. "We ran the ball well in the second half, and that really helped us out."
The Ducks (4-0), venturing on the road after three home games, needed two fourth-quarter scores after the Aggies (0-4) pulled to 24-21 on an 8-yard TD pass from Jose Fuentes to Gary Coleman late in the third quarter.
"I've never been as confident for a game as I was tonight," Utah State receiver Kevin Curtis said. "I thought we were going to be tearing down the goal posts."
Harrington answered by directing a six-play, 80-yard drive, capped by Onterrio Smith's 4-yard run early in the fourth. Morris put it out of reach when he broke free on a 69-yard scamper for a 38-21 lead with 8:19 remaining.
Smith had 98 rushing yards as the Ducks finished with 289 on the ground.
"The O-line did a great job. The holes were huge," Harrington said. "This is a good confidence builder that we can run the ball now."
Harrington was 17-of-24 with no interceptions and scored on a 1-yard sneak in the second quarter. His strong arm was on target most of the night, but Newson was expecting more from a Heisman Trophy contender.
"Heisman-boy, I think he did OK," Newson said. "He was poised in the pocket and made some big plays. But he wasn't all he was made out to be."
The Ducks sustained two noteworthy injuries, a possible concussion to receiver Jason Willis and a separated wrist to punt returner Keenan Howry. It wasn't immediately known if either will miss next week's game at Arizona.
"I'm very pleased with the depth of our receivers, though I don't want to be tested like that every week," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said.
Fuentes nearly outperformed Harrington, going 26-of-46 for 356 yards and two scores. But three of his four interceptions came in the fourth quarter, ending Utah State scoring threats.
"We hung with them and Oregon is a class outfit," said Utah State coach Mick Dennehy. "They played relatively error-free and we did not. That was the difference."
Garrett Graham and Kevin Mitchell made the late pick-offs inside the 20 for Oregon, while Steve Smith caught another in the end zone. The Ducks held Utah State standout runner Emmett White to 83 yards rushing.
For three quarters, it was a shootout. The undersized Aggies, giving up more than 40 pounds on their defensive front to an Oregon line that averaged 295 pounds, made up the difference with a swarming defense.
Utah State came in ranked 108th among 117 Division I-A schools in total defense. But the Aggies, who fell to 1-33 against ranked opponents, held the quicker Ducks in check much of the night.
"The only difference between us and the so-called bigger schools is they have a little more depth and a little more speed," Newson said.
It was no surprise to Bellotti, who warned his team about another No. 6 team that was unbeaten in three games and going on the road against a winless opponent. But North Carolina beat Florida State 41-9 last week.
"We were surprised at the beginning but everyone settled down," Bellotti said.
The Aggies confused Oregon's defense with overloaded receiver sets and throwing slants to move the ball. A few times, Fuentes burned standout cornerbacks Rashad Bauman and Steve Smith by completing deep passes.
"They came out with a lot of funky stuff," Bauman said. "That was a good offense."
Dennehy even showed some razzle-dazzle, letting Curtis take a third-quarter lateral from Fuentes to throw a 21-yard strike to White at Oregon's 3.
White ran into the end zone on the next play, drawing the Aggies to 17-14 four minutes into the second half. But Harrington came back with an 86-yard drive, topped by a 27-yard TD pass to tight end Justin Peelle for a 24-14 lead.
Fuentes found Coleman on the TD strike to cut Oregon's lead to 24-21 with 3:47 to play in the third, but that was as close as Utah State got.
"We didn't get too frustrated that we couldn't stop them," Graham said.
The Aggies were driving again when Fuentes threw to tight end J.R. Suguturaga but the ball bounced off his shoulder and into Graham's hands at the 10-yard line. Mitchell's late pick sent a near-sellout crowd of 28,243 for the exits.
Oregon was the highest-ranked team ever to play in Logan, and the Ducks brought a legion of fans who flew green and yellow flags atop their recreational vehicles, a line that stretched 200 yards outside Romney Stadium.
The matchup was hatched by Utah State athletic director Rance Pugmire and his counterpart at Oregon, Bill Moos. They're longtime buddies from their days in the Big Sky Conference.
