A look at the Utah State football newcomers in the first game
A number of new faces made their debuts in an Aggie uniform on Friday night, playing an integral part for USU. Here are a few of the newcomers who shined on Friday night that we will be keeping an eye on for the rest of the season.
Offensive line
One of the big storylines heading into Wisconsin was a starting offensive line which had a grand total of zero starts between them heading into the contest. Roman Andrus, Moroni Iniguez, Quin Ficklin, Rob Castaneda, and Sean Taylor all made their Aggie debuts at Camp Randall Stadium.
USU's O-Line (@roman_andrus @moroni_iniguez @quinficklin @Robcast70 @Buddah_brah) will all be playing their 1st career game#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/jw6gjqGhhQ
— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 2, 2017
Overall, the offensive line performed admirably, allowing only one sack on the night. Room for improvement is still evident, as the unit allowed eight tackles for loss while USU averaged only 3.1 yards per carry. All in all, however, the revamped offensive line showed an impressive amount of potential and should only improve as the season moves on.
LB Luoy Compton
After earning second team All-American honors as a defensive end at Ellsworth CC, the 6-3 linebacker carried some expectations to USU. After being named the starter after fall camp, Compton delivered on some of that expectation with two tackles, including a TFL and a sack, as well as a fumble recovery.
FUMBLE!
Possession Aggies!#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/r0AVOJiESt— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 2, 2017
LB Suli Tamaivena
Another JC transfer that brought along several accolades from his time at lower collegiate divisions, Tamaivena (pronounced Tuh-my-ven-uh) was all across the field for the Aggies. He finished tied with safety Dallin Leavitt as the team’s leading tacklers with seven on the game, while the junior also forced a fumble.
WR Jordan Nathan
After a breakout camp that pushed the redshirt freshman from relative unknown to starting wide receiver, Nathan was unable to break out against the stellar Wisconsin defense. His usage was indicative of how it seems the Aggie coaching staff will use the 5-9 speed demon on offense. Nathan finished the game with both three catches and three carries, totalling 38 yards from scrimmage for the game. The even split of carries and receptions seemingly indicates Nathan’s intended use as a Swiss army knife within the Aggie offense.
K Dominik Eberle
The sophomore from Germany saw some run last year as the backup kicker, but took over the job full-time the season. Eberle didn’t see too many opportunities against the Badgers, but given the Aggies’ previous history with kickers, it’s still comforting to see the German easily handle his PAT and 25-year field goal attempt without cause for concern.