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Logan • Even after losing three of four games to start the season, Brigham Young was still thought to have enough talent to take down Utah State on Friday night.

And even though they had lost two straight, the Aggies were expected to be competitive. A bold few even predicted that USU would walk out of Romney Stadium with a win.

But nobody saw this coming. Utah State thrashed BYU 31-16 in a game that wasn't nearly that close, beating the Cougars for the first time since 1993.

Before a near-sellout crowd of 24,152 and an ESPN audience, the Aggies dominated the Cougars from the opening kickoff. USU jumped to leads of 17-0 and 31-3, handing Aggies coach Gary Andersen his biggest win after what had been his most trying week since coming to Logan.

"This was a tremendous victory for us tonight," Andersen said. "I'm very proud of the coaches, very proud of the kids. This has been a tough week for all of us, but we came out tonight and we were prepared. It's a great opportunity for the kids to experience this victory."

And the Cougars? They lost their fourth straight game, dropping to 1-4 for the first time since 1973 — LaVell Edwards' second year as BYU coach.

Current Cougar coach Bronco Mendenhall was pretty much at loss as to what is ailing his team, which will now be hard-pressed to win six games and get to a bowl.

"I think it was a myriad of a couple things," Mendenhall said. "It was not one particular player or scheme. It was a mistake here or there in four or five different places — just execution overall."

Not only was this USU's first win against BYU in 17 years — it also came on the heels of a demoralizing 41-7 loss at San Diego State and Andersen's Monday trip to the hospital emergency room after the Aggies coach blacked out and took a bad fall at home. Andersen was fitted with a neck brace, but he discarded it Friday.

Probably because he was feeling no pain. The Aggies provided a perfect anesthetic.

Utah State dominated on both sides of the ball.

Defensively, the Aggies frustrated BYU at every turn. Cougars running back J.J. DiLuigi was never much of a factor. Neither was freshman quarterback Jake Heaps.

On offense, the Aggies rolled over the Cougars, running the ball 59 times and throwing it just 13. With the USU offensive line controlling the trenches, the ground game accounted for 242 yards and three touchdowns. Senior running back Derrvin Speight had two of those touchdowns and 91 yards on 23 carries.

And he had plenty of help.

Diondre Borel, playing his best game in three weeks, scored a touchdown, threw for another and went 10-of-13 in the air for 192 yards. Kerwynn Williams contributed 51 yards on 11 carries, while Joey DeMartino was solid as well.

"BYU has a big defensive front, but the offensive line was great tonight," Speight said."The line blocked well and was able to get to the second level. They created big holes for us to run through."

The Aggies were never threatened, jumping out to a 17-0 lead midway through the second quarter. One of the biggest plays of the night created USU's first touchdown when Borel hooked up with Xavier Martin for a 79-yard score.

By the time Speight went in for consecutive 1-yard touchdown runs, the Aggies were up 31-3 and the crowd was in a celebratory mood.

"We responded this week," Borel said. "Last week wasn't great for us, and we bounced back."

Defensively, Utah State rattled Heaps. It began with limiting DiLuigi, the Cougars best offensive player, to 42 yards on 12 carries. Beyond that, the Aggies intercepted Heaps twice, sacked him twice and forced him into a 27-of-55 night throwing the football.

USU linebacker Bobby Wagner led the Aggies with 11 tackles and was solid on DiLuigi in pass coverage. Cornerback Chris Randle had one interception and dropped another that may have resulted in a touchdown.

BYU had just 65 rushing yards and converted just eight of 19 third-down attempts. —

Highlights

R Utah State scores the first 17 points of the game and 31 of the first 34.

• The Aggies rush for 242 yards and three touchdowns.

• USU improves to 2-3 on the season and snaps a two-game losing streak.

• BYU is 1-4 for the first time since 1973.