Aggie football season kicks off Sunday
Utah State football kicks off the 2014 season Sunday against Tennessee at 5 p.m. The highly anticipated return of both starting quarterback Chuckie Keeton and starting running back Joe Hill will begin on the road in front of 100,000 sports fans in Neyland stadium.
“First of all, you know that the coverage you’re going to get is nationwide,” said head coach Matt Wells in Monday’s press conference to open the 2014 season. “We’re going to be in a lot of living rooms. There are going to be a lot of programs wrapping up their preparation on Sunday. We’re going to be on every TV set in every football complex in America. Every college football team is going to be watching us.”
The Aggies have an all-time record of 1-16 against SEC programs, but the expectations for USU football and its Heisman-hopeful quarterback have sports fans wondering just what this edition of Aggie football can do—and if Utah State can burst into the national spotlight.
“To be able to play in that atmosphere, in front of that audience is just an opportunity more than anything to expose our program and show the country what we’ve done,” Wells said. “This is a brand new team, I’ve said that all along. It’s a brand new team, expectations continue to remain high and we want that. It’s just another opportunity to go do it.”
With star defenders Zach Vigil and Kyle Fackrell returning to anchor a stout Aggie defense and a revitalized offensive attack, the possibilities for USU this season seem limitless. Wells is well-aware of the hype, but knows the true test for his team will be on full display Sunday.
“The thing is, in any opener there’s always uncertainty,” Wells said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re playing at home, on the road or against any opponent, they have the same questions as we do about certain kids. We’ll see what kids show up, where the venue and the stage doesn’t phase them. The team that has less of those happening probably has a better chance of winning.”
Central to the storyline of this year’s football team is the Heisman campaign for dual-threat quarterback Keeton. Last season, Keeton threw for nearly 1,400 yards and notched 18 touchdown passes in just five games before a knee injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season. After his time studying the game from a new perspective, coach Wells believes Keeton will display an even greater understanding of the game.
“I think he’s a little bit further ahead mentally in our offense,” Wells said. “I think he’s playing faster and everything he does pre-snap is a little more advanced. He feels a little more comfortable in everything that we’re doing.”
Of course, Keeton’s arm and a talented new group of wide receivers only mean more room to run for Hill, who will also be making his first in-game appearance after suffering a knee injury last year.
“During our first scrimmage, just going out there and getting tackled and everything took away the mental part of it,” Hill said. “I got hit a couple times and I’ve felt great after that. My knee feels 100 percent now, I can really say that.”
Hill hopes to do his damage with the running game to keep Tennessee’s defense honest, opening up the field for USU’s talented wideouts.
“The wide receivers are really dangerous and the running backs have worked really hard,” Hill said. “We’re all just going to combine and lead behind Chuckie Keeton, let him lead and work together.”
Senior linebacker Vigil admits the trip to Tennessee’s massive stadium is a potential obstacle for the Aggies, but a proper mindset will keep his team from getting overly-rattled.
“When it’s game time, as soon as you walk out there, you’re going to see a sea of orange and take that in and put it away,” Vigil said, “because when you’re out there on the field and all you have is each other, that’s what you have to focus on when you’re out there.”
With football season days away and a team always striving for excellence, Vigil adds the Aggies have no doubts about what they’re capable of in the coming months.
“We could win every game,” Vigil said. “Again, that goes back to execution. We have the talent to do it, that’s God willing that everybody stays healthy, but that’s our expectation. We want to win every single game we play. Whether that’s to happen or not, that’s to be determined, but we have the talent here and the guys who care enough about the program to execute.”