Dickey hopes for better Ag offense in ’08

The top of a sheet handed out to offensive players before the start of spring practices bears this emphatic message: “Improve the things that we control!”

The scribe of that handout, second-year USU offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey, sees that as the mantra for the Aggie offense during their practices over the next few weeks.

It’s not that Utah State’s offense didn’t improve last year-they scored twice as many points per game, 12 more touchdowns, had six fewer turnovers-but that improvement only manifested itself in one more win.

“We have some things we did good last year,” Dickey said. “We have some things we didn’t do good last year. They don’t count anymore. The great thing about football is each week’s a new week, each day’s a new day, each year’s a new year, and for us, we made some progress, in my opinion, from where we were the year before. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to show up in the win-loss column.”

Dickey said key to turning the improvements into wins is upping the number of plays USU runs each game. He said the offensive balance was good-34 runs a game and 27 passes-but they need to get the total number up from 61 last year to 75 or 80 in 2008.

“The tailbacks and the runners are going to say, ‘We need to run the ball more,'” Dickey said. “The receivers are going to look at that and say, ‘We need to throw the ball more.’ Who do you think is right? Both of them. That’s what I told them, you’re both right.”

Head coach Brent Guy agreed. He said the way to score more points is to run more plays, maybe even a couple drives-worth each game.

Dickey lists three-and-out drives, third down woes, turnovers on first downs, an inability to sustain drives and ball security as the reasons the Aggies didn’t run enough plays per game.

To remedy those things, Dickey wrote next to the words, “Things we control that must improve!”-double underlined, for emphasis-four things the Aggies will be working on this spring.

1. Playing without the ball-something Dickey said the offense did a poor job of in 2007.

2. Ball security. Including fumbles, drops, problems with the center-quarterback exchange and bobbles, USU had 77 plays where ball security was an issue. Dickey said the 17 center-quarterback exchange errors was “horrendous,” but the 15 dropped passes wasn’t a bad number.

3. Discipline-penalties. Utah State had 34 total penalties last year, including seven personal fouls and 15 pre-snap penalties-things Dickey said need to be cut down on.

4. Smart decision making.

“If we minimize the number of bad things we do to ourselves, we give ourselves a better chance to have more plays,” Dickey said.

Guy said the offense has also been working on situations, like third downs, that could help USU sustain drives.

Another focus for Dickey this spring is improving the Aggie running game. He said a balanced offense, which is what USU strives for, starts with a solid running game that leads to more big-play, deep-ball opportunities off of play action. Hitting the deep ball is another thing Dickey has quarterbacks and wide receivers working on after practice.

Players making an impression this spring

Aggie tight end Rob Myers is carrying over his good finish from last season to spring practices, Dickey said. Myers is one of a tight end group that will be without Will Fausel and Jimmy Bohm.

Despite the loss, Guy said the group, as a whole, is doing a good job of blocking and catching the ball this spring. He said Jeremy Mitchell, a 6-foot-5-inch junior college transfer, may be a player to watch at the position because of his size and hands.

At the receiver position, veteran Otis Nelson and redshirt freshmen Austin Alder and Stanley Morrison stuck out to Dickey. He said Nelson has been solid so far, knows the offense and is dependable. Alder and Morrison could give the Aggies some playmakers on the outside, Dickey said.

In the backfield, the big news was the switch of linebacker Derrick Cumbee to tailback, but sophomores-to-be Curtis Marsh and Jacob Actkinson are having good springs, Dickey said.

And, possibly the biggest question for the ’08 Aggies, who will be the new quarterback? It’s a question that Guy said is too early to answer. There are four players battling for the job-senior Sean Setzer, junior Jace McCormick, sophomore Diondre Borel and redshirt freshman Ben Longshore.

-da.bake@aggiemail.usu.edu

aggie sophomore quarterback jase mccormick prepares to take a snap at spring practice Tuesday at Romney Stadium.