Aggie offense set for 2002 campaign
Offensive firepower.
It is something Utah State University football Head Coach Mick Dennehy had a flair for ever since his coaching days at the University of Montana.
With seven returning starters on an offensive that averaged 420 yards of total offense a game a year ago, senior quarterback Jose Fuentes said he is confident the USU offense will continue to rack up big numbers.
“We’re really deep in a lot of positions, so I’m really excited it’s going to be a good season,” he said.
Although the Aggie offense had little trouble moving the ball in the last couple of years, Dennehy said there are many areas the offense can improve. If USU hopes to be successful facing another tough independent schedule, he said cutting down on turnovers is a must.
“I think the one thing we need to concentrate on and be better at is taking care of the ball,” Dennehy said. “If we do that, it will help us a ton.”
Here’s a position by position look at this season’s Aggie offense:
Quarterbacks
The Aggies are loaded at this position as all three quarterbacks who earned playing time last season return.
Leading the charge for the USU offense is Jose Fuentes. A two-year starter for the Aggies, the senior signal caller threw for 3,100 yards last year, helping the Aggies finish 13th in the nation in passing offense.
With 20 straight starts under his belt entering USU’s season opener against the University of Utah, Fuentes said he is counting on his understanding of the Aggie offense to continue his assault on the USU record book.
“I’m a lot more comfortable out there,” he said. “I’m just more confident in my abilities.”
Should Fuentes fall victim to the injury bug or struggle, Mountain Crest High School alumni Jeff Crosbie and Travis Cox give the Aggie offense two other options who have experience on the field.
Crosbie has thrown for 3,315 in his college career, while Cox saw action in four games last year, completing four of seven passes.
“It’s a good feeling knowing that if something were to happen to Jose or Jose might be having a bad day, that you can get a change of pace in there who has the ability to make things happen,” Dennehy said.
Running Backs
Unlike the quarterback position, the starting tailback position is far from being set in stone, Dennehy said.
Gone is All-American running back Emmett White and his 2,791 career rushing yards. Not only will the Aggies miss White’s ability to amass huge chunks of yardage on the ground, but his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield as White caught 47 passes last year.
Despite the loss of White, the Aggies have a lot of depth at the position, with four players battling for the starting spot.
Returning tailbacks Roger (Fernandez) Robinson and David Fiefia will be joined by redshirt freshman James Samuel and junior college transfer James Samuel in the battle to replace White.
Fiefia, who gained 116 yards on the ground in USU’s season finale against Fresno State University, is probably a little bit ahead of the rest of the group, Dennehy said, but the others are right on his heels.
Regardless of who emerges as the starter, Dennehy said he is confident the Aggies will be solid at the position.
“I’m comfortable that they all can get the job done,” he said. “They finished [fall] camp really well, so I guess the only thing we don’t know is who that guy is going to be.”
When the Aggies go to a two-back set, Chris Cooley, who also plays tight end, and Trent Nate will man the fullback position.
Receivers
After torching opposing defenses for 1,531 yards receiving last year, senior wideout Kevin Curtis will be a marked man this season.
A former walk-on, Curtis etched his name into the USU record books during the 2001 season as he set single-season school records in catches (100), yards and receptions per game (9.1). Selected as a third-team All-American by the Associated Press, Curtis is the leading returning receiver in the country.
As talented as Curtis is, it is his desire to continually improve his game that Dennehy admires the most, he said.
“On the field, the thing that I like is he’s so bright and coachable,” Dennehy said. “I think what makes the great ones great, is they’re not just satisfied with being good. They want to continue to push the envelope and get better all the time, and that’s just the way [Curtis] is.”
As successful as Curtis has been, the Aggies are hardly a one-man show. Returning starter Chris Stallworth and Gary Coleman both caught more than 30 passes a year ago, and have played really well during fall camp, Dennehy said.
Dennehy said he has also been impressed with senior Derek Jeffery, who has been named a starter when the Aggies go to a four wideout package.
Adding depth at receiver is special teams standout Donta’ Candler, as well as junior college transfers Joel Higginson and Kenny Coleman, and freshman Jerome Eason.
“I think we have several guys we can go to, and guys that will make plays,” Dennehy said.
Not only do the Aggies have plenty of returning experience at wide receiver, they also return Chris Cooley and Casey Poppinga, who saw significant playing time at tight end.
Logan High School graduate Jason Stephens, Patrick McNutt and junior college transfer Nick King will also vie for playing time.
Offensive line
With the Aggies receiving consistent production from its skill positions ever since Dennehy arrived in Logan, the contributions of the offensive line go largely unnoticed, Dennehy said.
Despite losing three starters from last year’s squad, Dennehy is more than confident this year’s line will be more than up to the challenge.
“Our offensive line has been solid, and I think this group will be very solid as well,” he said. “I think we’re going to have a darn good offensive line.”
Anchoring the Aggie front line is senior tackle Jim Newton. The 6-foot-10 left tackle has started 22 consecutive games for the Aggies.
In addition to Newton, Brenen Burningham, Barry McLaughlin and Luis Trujillo have all started at least two games in their USU careers.
Trujillo, whom Dennehy said has been one of USU’s most solid players during fall camp, will man the left guard position.
Junior college transfer Aric Galliano is the leading candidate to start at center, with Grant Calverley and Burningham competing for the right tackle position, and Trevor Hutton and Greg Vandermade battling to be the starting right guard.
Dennehy said he is expecting big things from Calverley, Galliano, Hutton and Vandermade – all four of who have such huge strides since spring drills.
Redshirt freshman Ryan Gunstream, Mike Scheper, Donald Penn and David Rawlins will also fight for playing time.