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The Underappreciated All-Stars: Week 3 – vs. Tennessee Tech

Football is often referred to as the ultimate team sport, yet we often only focus on a handful of players as the key to a recent victory. In reality, there are countless numbers that are absolutely crucial to a team’s play that rarely receive the recognition their play deserves. Every facet of the game has these underappreciated all-stars, and this column seeks to recognize them. After every Aggie game, we’ll take a look back, win or loss, at three unheralded players responsible for Utah State’s success. These are the Underappreciated All-Stars

The Offensive Line of the Future

You want to know how important it is that athletes can now play in up to four games and still maintain their redshirt? Take a look at this list: Wade Meachem, Chandler Dolphin, Siotame Uluave, Wyatt Bowles, Connor Meyers, Ty Shaw (sophomore), Jacob South, Heneli Avendano, Karter Shaw, and Andy Koch. Of that list, Uluave and Ty Shaw are sophomores, and everyone else is a freshman. And they were all on the field for at least one of USU’s three rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Look specifically at the push from the offensive line on the first two touchdowns of the quarter.

The final touchdown of the game probably gives me the most hope for this offensive line over the next few years. It is against Tennessee Tech, but seeing this amount of push from a group of freshmen is impressive.

For the most part, this group will still be able to redshirt for the rest of the season and remain in USU’s strength and conditioning program for several years. Wells emphasized the offensive line in recruiting this past offseason, signing five linemen to sure up the unit for the future.

Looks like that plan might work.

Jordan Nathan’s punt return TD

Defensive and special teams touchdowns are backbreakers. For special teams TDs especially, a lot of groundwork needs to be done for a returner to break away for the score. Blockers need to jam the punting team’s gunners to give the returner the time to set up blocks and create an angle. Ideally, much of the team will also attempt to set up a “wall” of blockers that can make a channel for the returner to run through. If the wall is set up, it’s the returner’s job to find the channel.

This is a typical 10-15 yard return if not for Chase Nelson. Nathan has no angle on the coverage team. He’s going to get shoved out of bounds unless Nelson is able to squeeze out enough room for Nathan to slide through inbounds.

Following Nelson’s block, Nathan obviously found the channel, courtesy of one of the most beautiful cut moves you’ll ever see. That cut, however, is pointless if there aren’t several Aggie blockers in place to wall off the coverage team. Chance Parker and Jarrod Green are both able to remove a TTU player from the equation, and Nathan is able to find daylight back towards the middle of the field. A final block from Taylor Compton slows down the final defender enough to Nathan to get several yards of distance.

After that, it’s just a foot race. And that’s an unfair matchup for anyone trying to chase down Jordan Nathan.

Darwin Thompson’s patience

Darwin Thompson is not underappreciated. The JC transfer is the Aggies’ leading rusher this season with 231 yards on the ground. He’s averaging over 10 yards per carry. So far, the hype has been substantiated.

But while Thompson’s outlandish weightlifting numbers and sheer athleticism may be the front page material, Thompson also shows exemplary rushing instincts. Take a look at Thompson’s 65-yard touchdown run in the first quarter versus Tennessee Tech.

The reason Thompson goes for 65 yards here is largely because of the offensive line. Someone on Tennessee Tech also made a mistake. There’s only six TTU defenders in the box to start this play. A safety crashes down immediately, making it seven, but by then it’s too late. Utah State has five offensive linemen, plus Dax Raymond. Moroni Iniguez pulls from the right guard spot into the hole the run is designed to go through.

Tai Carter, number 20 for Tennessee Tech, takes a bad angle to get to Thompson and effectively removes himself from the play. Carter’s mistake gives the Aggies a numbers advantage, and Thompson merely needs to find the lane.

That’s where Thompson instincts provide the difference.

Thompson does not jump out to a full sprint immediately after receiving the handoff. It takes time for the offensive line to find their assigned defender and push them off their spots, especially with the involvement of a pulled guard in this play. If Thompson darts out of the blocks, there’s a massive amount of traffic that would probably have held him in check.

But Thompson also doesn’t simply follow behind his blockers. With a pulled guard, there should be a channel for the running back to burst through into the second level. But that second level is never reached unless the running back takes off down the runway. For Thompson, that takeoff is all about timing. Too soon, and he runs into the traffic of his own team. Too late, and the safeties will be able to crash down and put the clamps on him for only a modest gain. Here, Thompson times it perfectly.

 

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