Wreck'Em Red
Fansided

Texas Tech football: Five worst losses of Matt Wells’ time at Utah State

By Matthew Conner

BOISE, ID - NOVEMBER 24: Head Coach Matt Wells of the Utah State Aggies walks off the field at the conclusion of second half action against the Boise State Broncos on November 24, 2018 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won the game 33-24. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID - NOVEMBER 24: Head Coach Matt Wells of the Utah State Aggies walks off the field at the conclusion of second half action against the Boise State Broncos on November 24, 2018 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won the game 33-24. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
(Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images)
(Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images) /

Failing to compete against Tennessee in 2014

No one expects Utah State to ever beat Tennessee in football.  That’s almost like expecting the bug to beat the windshield.

But more often than not, USU was more than just a bug when taking on Power 5 programs.  Often, Wells’ teams were more like a rock that may not have destroyed the windshield of Power 5 teams but cracked them enough to expose flaws and be a nuisance as the reminder of the struggle that it took to beat little ole’ Utah State hung around in a team’s sightline like a chip in a windshield.

Unfortunately for Wells, his second-best team in Logan put up no fight in the 2014 season-opening loss to Tennessee.  That day, the Volunteers held the Aggies scoreless until the 4th quarter in a 38-7 glorified scrimmage in Knoxville.

What made this loss so terrible for the Utah State faithful is that many likely thought this would be an opportunity for a program-defining upset.  Coming off a 9-win season and welcoming back star QB Chuckie Keeton who missed the final two months of the previous season with a torn knee ligament, USU went to Neyland Stadium looking to stun a Tennessee program that had suffered through four-straight losing campaigns.

But apparently returning in front of 102,000 rabid Volunteer fans is not as easy as we might think.  Keeton struggled to the tune of 18-35 passing for 144 yards, two picks, and only one touchdown.  The mobile QB also languished on the ground gaining just 12 yards on eight carries.

With eight players making their first career start, USU found itself down 14-0 just six minutes into the game.  The Volunteers scored on an 8-yard touchdown run and then recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff which led to another TD run on the next play and the rout was on.

This turned out to be a pretty mediocre Tennessee team as the Vols went just 7-6 with three of those wins coming against Utah State, Arkansas State, and FCS member Chatanooga.  On the other hand, USU finished 10-4 and tied with Boise St. for first in their division in the MWC.  If the teams would have played again at the end of the season, it would have likely been a much closer game as Keeton eventually found his rhythm but in the season-opener, Wells saw his team lay a huge egg in a game that presented a golden opportunity to gain national notoriety.

Home/Texas Tech Football