BYU and Utah State has been quite the defensive battle, as expected, but the big news at the half is not BYU’s 17-7 lead. Instead, it is the loss of Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton.
The night got off to a bad start for the home team. Keeton was intercepted by BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy and the Cougars star linebacker returned the pick for six points just ten seconds in to the game. Keeton and the Aggies responded well though by driving right down field and tying the game just minutes later. Later in the first quarter Keeton would have to be helped off the field with a leg injury. The Aggies offensive star was taken to the locker room for treatment and later returned to the sideline on crutches. The extent of his injury is not known yet, but the outlook sure does not look promising.
But the game goes on, and Utah State has struggled to get the offense in sync with back-up quarterback Craig Harrison taking over. Harrison lost a fumble on his first possession in Keeton’s absence. Utah State has also had a field goal blocked and had to punt before the half.
BYU’s offense is not getting much going either, which means this game is probably a defensive showdown from here on out. If that is going to be the case, and given the loss of Keeton, it looks as though BYU may have the upper hand in the second half.