College Football

GIF: Chuckie Keeton loses shoe, picks up 1st down anyway

Chuckie Keeton lost his shoe on 3rd-and-long, but picked up the first down anyway.

By Mike Fiammetta@mikefiammetta Aug 29, 2013, 9:53pm EDT

Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton remains somewhat of a hidden gem in college football, lighting up Mountain West foes on a regular basis while leading one of the nation's more underrated programs. In Thursday's season-opener vs. Utah, he showed just why he's so lethal.

With the Aggies trailing, 14-10 with 3:30 to go in the first half, Keeton led Utah State from its own 15-yard line to Utah's 45. But after a few negative plays, he found his offense with a 3rd-and-13 from Utah's 43.

No worries, apparently.

One desperate rollout, one lost shoe and a 16-yard gain for a first down. Four plays later, the Aggies were in the endzone via a Keeton 4-yard toss to Brandon Swindall.

Utah State entered halftime with a 17-14 lead, mostly thanks to Keeton. The junior quarterback finished the first half 19-of-25 for 202 yards and two touchdowns. He did lose one fumble earlier in the second quarter and nearly lost another, but the Aggies were nevertheless able to build a lead.