USU football fall camp diaries: Running back
Last season, Utah State football owned one of, if not, the most potent rushing attacks in the Mountain West. The two-headed tandem of juniors Gerold Bright and Darwin Thompson imposed its will on nearly every team on the schedule, leading to the Aggies topping the conference with 5.5 yards per carry and 37 touchdowns to go along with the third most rushing yards in the league. Thompson departed for the NFL in the offseason, but Bright is back for 2019 and seems eager to step into the leadership role forced upon him with so many young backs on the roster.
“We got dogs man,” he said. “I got two transfers coming in behind us and I look for them to do great things as well as the young backs too.”
Bright, of course, is referring to Snow College product Jaylen Warren and former BYU back Riley Burt. Warren comes in as a junior, and the offensive player of the year last season at the Junior College level. Burt, a graduate transfer, wasn’t featured much at BYU, but starred in the Cougars’ bowl game and performed well when he was called upon throughout the season. Both have had good showings in fall camp thus far.
In the photo: Jaylen Warren. The USU football team run drills during the fall camp on August 3, 2019.
“I thought the offense came out today and ran the ball very well. Jaylen (Warren) and Enoch (Nawahine) had nice days today and Riley (Burt) has really caught fire the last couple of days,” head coach Gary Andersen said after Saturday’s practice.
The team’s approach so far has been to limit the touches of Bright throughout camp, opting to get a more thorough look at the five new backs on the roster, including junior Chase Nelson who’s moving over from safety where he played last season.
“We need to get a good look at Jaylen Warren and Riley Burt, and both those guys have had a lot of really big flash moments already in fall camp,” offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr. said. “This spring was tough, we basically had G-Bright and a bunch of guys that were playing the position for the first time at the college level and that helped those guys. Enoch Nawahine got a lot of reps, and now he looks even better and bigger.”
You have to bottle expectations a little bit when you’re watching fall camp practices, because it’s just not the real thing, as players will let you know. Or as Bright would say, “Anyone can be a star in underwear.” But, as Sanford mentioned, the flashes have been incredible. During 11-on-11 drills Saturday, Warren ripped off what appeared to be a 40-50 yard touchdown run, showcasing the explosion he displayed at Snow College. And explosiveness is exactly what the team is looking for.
“We’re looking for big plays, if we don’t have big plays, this offense isn’t gonna work,” Bright said. “Everyday we’re looking for playmakers at the end of every huddle at the end of every practice.”
Although his play on the field may appear brash, Warren couldn’t be more humble in the way he views his role on the team.
“I don’t care if I play, I don’t care if I’m sitting, as long as we’re winning. That’s the big goal, we all praise the Mountain West championship,” he said. “We all hype each other up, we all got love for each other and that’s what I like. That’s why I like it here so much I’ll say, nobody’s trying to bring each other down. At my JUCO, they’ll say good job, but you can tell they’re like the ‘I wish that was me type’, but nah, you don’t see that here.”
As camp progresses, there will be a better sense of how the coaches will choose to integrate the backs into the offense, with Bright obviously still expected to carry the majority of the load. But the second spot won’t come without competition. Burt has looked just as good as anyone, and his presence alone sets him apart from the rest of the group, standing 6’1” and a listed 210 pounds. It wouldn’t come as a surprise to see the Aggies run the ball a little more this upcoming season with the depth the team has at the running back position.
Author’s note: Tomorrow we turn our attention toward the wide receivers.