Akron jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first half against Utah State in the Potato Bowl in Boise, and nearly lost the momentum as the Aggies battled back. With Utah State driving, Utah State fumbled away the football in the final seconds of the half and Rodney Coe returned the ball 54 yards to the Utah State 12-yard line. That gave Akron four seconds to kick one last field goal to extend the lead in the first half to 13-7.
Akron dug into the bag of tricks to put the first points on the board. Junior wide receiver Tyrell Goodman tossed a nice 14-yard pass to quarterback Thomas Woodson for a first quarter touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Akron tacked on three more points later in the first half for a 10-0 lead, but Utah State managed to score a touchdown before halftime. Kent Myers hit Brandon Swindall for a nine-yard touchdown late in the first half to trim Akron’s lead to three points.
Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton has completed six of 11 passes for 56 yards and he has been picked off by Akron’s defense once. Akron’s Woodson has also been intercepted in the first half.