FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Defense eyes on Johnson
The Utah Utes may not be as fast as the Oregon Ducks, but the USU football team knows it still has a monstrous challenge Saturday.
The No. 22 Utes–who will look to make it 11 straight victories over the Aggies–come to Romney Stadium for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
One man that USU head coach Brent Guy said the Aggies need to keep at bay is Utah senior quarterback Brian Johnson, who is back to full health.
“I couldn’t say top to bottom that [the Utes] are as fast as Oregon,” Guy said. “I will say this: I think Brian Johnson is playing as well as anyone we have watched so far offensively.”
Johnson has led the Utes to a 2-0 start with a road victory over the Michigan Wolverines and a home win over the UNLV Rebels last Saturday. Johnson has collected a total of 488 yards passing, three touchdowns and a 63.2 pass completion percentage.
And, although Johnson only has 14 yards rushing according to the season stat box, that number does not reflect what he did against the Rebel defense. After Johnson barely avoided being sacked by a UNLV defender, he took advantage of the open field created by UNLV’s man defense and took off for a game-changing 56-yard rushing touchdown.
To put this in perspective for USU, consider that the Aggie defense ranks 115th nationally in total defense (allowing 520.50 yards per game), 112th in scoring defense (46.50 points per game) and 115th in rushing defense (270).
“I think that Brian Johnson is the best quarterback that we have faced overall,” Guy said. “Just in the way that he throws and runs, I think he is the best quarterback we have faced to date.”
If the Aggie defense is to stop Johnson they will need the services of senior linebacker Jake Hutton, who had limited playing time against Oregon because of an injury.
Guy said he feared Hutton would be gone for the season after the game, but an X-ray confirmed he will be able to play against Utah.
New marketing strategy
Though USU sophomore quarterback Diondre Borel took more snaps against Oregon than senior quarterback Sean Setzer and passed for two touchdowns, Guy would not name a starter for Saturday’s game.
He called it a new marketing strategy.
“People will buy a ticket and come see their starters,” Guy said. “That’s going to be our marketing scheme for this week. We will announce the starter as soon as we get the football. So you better get a ticket and come see.”
Ute head coach Kyle Whittingham went a step further in his assessment of Borel, calling him USU’s “main quarterback.”
“[He] is athletic,” Whittingham said. “It used to be that we played an athletic quarterback two to three times a year. Now, every week we are facing a guy who can run the football well.”
Against Oregon, Borel completed 16-of-24 passes for 157 yards. He also led the team in rushing with 31 yards.
Setzer was only 7-for-11 for 61 yards and was pulled after failing to avoid being sacked.
“Sean just wasn’t as effective moving the team as Diondre was,” Guy aid. “And that’s really the only critical grade you give him. Sean didn’t make any critical errors though, other than taking the sacks. He didn’t throw an interception.”
–samuel.hislop@aggiemail.usu.edu