Penalties, slow start cost ASU at Utah State

LOGAN, Utah — Penalties kept Arkansas State from staying close in the first half, so much so that not even a rejuvenated offense sparked by a quarterback change could keep it from a third consecutive loss.

Justice Hansen relieved Chad Voytik in the first quarter and passed for 277 yards and one touchdown, but ASU’s 18 penalties and three turnovers were too much in a 34-20 loss to Utah State at Maverik Stadium.

Utah State (2-1) took a 17-0 lead on two touchdowns sparked by a Voytik fumble and an interception. That’s when ASU made the change to Hansen, who led two third-quarter scoring drives to get ASU close, but couldn’t finish two more to cap the comeback.

“The guys responded about as good as you could ask them to,” ASU Coach Blake Anderson said.

Penalties were part of what prevented ASU from completely coming back. The Red Wolves had 18 of them on Friday, the most for an Anderson-coached team.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever had a game where we had that many,” Anderson said. “It’s not something that we condone and we sure don’t teach it.”

Hansen, who lost a preseason battle for the starting job to Voytik, finished 18 of 26 for 277 yards with one touchdown, a 44-yard pass to Dijon Paschal in the third quarter that got ASU (0-3) within 24-14.

That one came after a 75-yard drive that ended with a Warren Wand touchdown run.

But it was followed by two ASU field goals, both of which came on drives in which the Red Wolves reached inside the Aggies’ 5-yard line.

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