Vigil and Sharp lift Aggies, set records
Utah State football coaches give a game ball to the top performers after each game. This week, it was hardly a question who would be chosen for the weekly award. “Who do you think got one?” said head football coach Matt Wells. “Hunter got one and Zach did, those were big performances.”
Zach Vigil and Hunter Sharp both stood out for their performances on homecoming night Saturday as Utah State defeated Air Force 34-16. Sharp had his fourth straight 100 yard receiving game and Vigil had a career high 22 tackles, the most in a single game by any defensive player in the nation this season.
Sharp had 12 receptions for 164 yards and scored 2 touchdowns. It is the first time since 2001 that any Utah State player has had four straight 100-yard games.
“I would just like to stay humble about it,” said Sharp, a junior college transfer playing his first season with the Aggies. Week after week I’m ending up with 100, 100 plus yards after the game. The biggest thing for me is that we get the win and that just comes with it. It’s a blessing, it’s happening all so fast but I love it.”
In 2001 Kevin Curtis had five straight games with over 100 receiving yards and nine overall in the 2001 season, which is also a Utah State record. Nine in one season has been done only one other time by Nakia Jenkins in 1996.
Curtis went on to be a third-round draft pick in 2003 and played eight years in the NFL. Records and numbers comparable to Curtis’s show the hard work and dedication of Sharp, a player who didn’t start the season as the number one Utah State receiver.
“I came in kind of late in the summer,” Sharp said. “It was hard to find a role to be honest. Some injuries came up and coach just told me to step up so it’s just happened playing on the fly.”
With only six games gone so far this season, junior wide out Sharp has a chance to make history and eclipse the record set by Curtis. The Aggies will play in at least seven more games this year and possibly nine depending on the Mountain West Conference championship and bowl game selections.
“Hunter Sharp continues to play well each and every week,” Wells said. “I think it’s a direct reflection of his practice habits. The kid practices his tail off, he just does such a good job.”
It wasn’t just the offense that won the game for Utah State. The Aggie defense held Air Force to 379 yards of total offense when they average 434 per game. Coach Wells praised middle linebacker Zach Vigil for his play against Air Force.
“Your linebackers have to play really well,” said Wells of Vigil’s performance Saturday. “Thirty-three tackles between two brothers … I need to be ready to offer the next brother. Unbelievable performance when we needed it most against an option offense; one of the top rushing offenses in the country. He’s a tremendous player, great performance out there tonight.”
After the game Vigil was named the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season. Vigil’s 22 tackles in one night are second most all time at Utah State, Brent Passey had 23 in a game versus New Mexico State in 1999.
Vigil came into the game with 42 tackles on the season good enough for second place on the team. His brother, Nick Vigil, was leading with 49. The linebacker is now the leading tackler on the team after his career-night with four more total tackles this season than his brother.
“I give full credit to my D-line, they did an awesome job getting those blocks up front,” Vigil said. “Hats off to them you have to be an assignment sound team when you’re playing against an option football team. Coach put me in a good position to make good plays.”
In his senior season the older Vigil, Zach, has 64 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 2 1/2 sacks and one interception. In the tackles for loss category he is first in the MWC and seventh in the nation. For total tackles he is second in the MWC and ranks number 15 in the nation.