Solid game for Veikune

Hawaii defensive end David Veikune had one of his best games of the season, though it was hard for the senior to enjoy the moment.

Veikune finished with nine tackles and set a career high with 3 1/2 tackles for losses, including 2 1/2 sacks of Utah State quarterback Diondre Borel.

“;He's a real shifty little guy,”; Veikune said. “;He has the best feet of all the quarterbacks we've seen this year. It was a challenge.”;

Meatoga gets his first start

Freshman defensive tackle Vaughn Meatoga got his first career start yesterday. The Kamehameha graduate was credited with half a sack while playing in place of senior Josh Leonard.

Leonard did not suit up due to a sprained ankle that kept him out of practice last week. Leonard took the field for warm-ups, but with the ankle still “;50-50”; it was decided to keep him out.

Backup safety and special teams player Mana Silva left the game after suffering a sprained left ankle on the opening kickoff. Silva left the stadium on crutches and said an X-ray on his ankle didn't show a broken bone.

Grasso puts on show for family

With close to 60 supporters in the crowd, Hawaii punter Tim Grasso—who grew up in Kaysville, Utah—averaged 42.7 yards on his three kicks with a long of 52 yards.

“;I'm not a local guy where every week I get a chance to play in front of my family and friends,”; Grasso said. “;It didn't go the way we wanted team-wise. It's a meaningful game for me, but we just didn't get it done.”;

Utah State kicker Peter Caldwell, Grasso's teammate at Davis High School, averaged 47.2 yards on four punts and made three field goals for the Aggies.

AhSoon returns to the O-line

Senior Keith AhSoon started the second half at left guard, seeing his first action since injuring his knee against Oregon State on Sept. 13. Laupepa Letuli began the game at guard and moved to left tackle when AhSoon entered.

Aggies' depth starts to show

Now in his fourth season at the helm of the Aggies, head coach Brent Guy might not be racking up the victories yet—yesterday's win over the Warriors was just his fifth in the last three seasons—but he seems to have the program headed in a positive direction. Even though the Aggies have been racking up injuries the last few weeks, particularly along the offensive and defensive lines, Utah State has managed to stay competitive due to increased depth.

“;I think this is a pretty good indication that when we can still survive even when we're beat up,”; Guy said. “;We've got the numbers up to 85 (scholarship players) and have recruited enough young talent that we can compete with some of these teams even though we've been devastated by injuries.”;