AGGIES at a GLANCE
LOCATION: Logan, Utah
COACH: Matt Wells — At Utah State and overall: 9-5, 1 year
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Kevin McGiven
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Todd Orlando
LAST LEAGUE TITLE: 2013
LAST TIME DIDN’T GO BOWLING: 2010
RETURNING STARTERS: 10; 4 offense, 4 defense, kicker, punter
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
QB Chuckie Keeton, RB Joe Hill,
WR JoJo Natson, LT Kevin Whimpey, LB Kyler Fackrell,
LB Nick Vigil, LB Zach Vigil, S Brian Suite
PRIMARY STRENGTHS: Chuckie Keeton is a dual-threat quarterback who gives the Aggies a chance of beating anybody on any given day. Utah State has plenty of depth at wide receiver, giving Keeton a number of solid weapons. The defense, highlighted by the linebackers, should be stingy once again.
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: The running back position is a major question mark. Hill is returning from a knee injury, while junior Rashad Hall and freshman Karris Johnson redshirted in 2013. Kennedy Williams got only 21 carries as a true freshman.
OFFENSE
Senior Chuckie Keeton returns after a season-ending injury forced the dual-threat quarterback to miss the final eight games of 2013. True freshman Darell Garretson took over as the starter in week eight, guiding Utah State to a 6-1 record.
Prior to his injury, Keeton had completed 136 of 196 passes for 1,388 yards and 18 touchdowns, to go along with just two interceptions.
One of the Aggies’ strengths is their receiving corps, highlighted by the elusive JoJo Natson. The 5-7, 151-pound junior was the only player in the nation last season to record multiple touchdowns rushing (three), receiving (two) and returning (two punt returns).
The offensive line only returns one starter, senior Kevin Whimpey, who has made 26 consecutive starts. Replacing center Tyler Larsen will be a tall order.
Joe Hill leads this year’s running back corps. He is looking to have a solid senior season after missing the final nine games of 2013 due to a knee injury.
DEFENSE
Second-year coordinator Todd Orlando’s bunch should be just as stingy as it was in 2013 — if not stingier. The Aggies led the Mountain West and ranked seventh in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 17.1 points per game.
Senior Zach Vigil highlights a talented group of linebackers. He earned second-team All-Mountain West honors in 2013 after recording 124 tackles. Junior linebacker Kyler Fackrell also earned second-team all-league honors after leading Utah State with 13 tackles for loss, to go along with five sacks, 82 tackles and a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Sophomore linebacker Nick Vigil played in all 14 games, including starting the final four. He ranked sixth on the team with 57 tackles, including 8.5 for loss and a team-best 5.5 sacks. Nick is the younger brother of Zach.
Utah State is led up front by senior end B.J. Larsen, who earned second-team All-Mountain West honors after recording 31 tackles.
The Aggies graduated four starters in the defensive backfield, including cornerback Nevin Lawson, but they do return senior safety Brian Suite. He led Utah State with five interceptions a year ago.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Jaron Bentrude returns after averaging 39.8 yards per punt last season. Placekicker Nick Diaz is also back after making 17 of 23 field goal attempts (four were blocked). Utah State is hoping for continued success in its coverage units; the Aggies ranked second nationally in punt return defense and fifth in kick return defense.
OVERVIEW
Expectations are once again high for the Aggies after capturing the Mountain Division title and competing in the inaugural Mountain West Championship Game in 2013 — Utah State’s first year in the league. A repeat won’t be easy after losing 22 seniors, but there’s enough talent on both sides of the ball to do it, especially with a healthy Keeton.
TOP NEWCOMER
CB Daniel Gray: He sat out last season after transferring from Tennessee, where he played in eight games as a true freshman, including starting against Troy and recording three tackles. Gray is an explosive, fast player who ran the 40 in 4.32 seconds at the Under Armour All-American camp in 2012.