Reactions from Saturday’s Blue vs. White scrimmage
Football season is five months away, so naturally it’s time to start piecing together what we know — and what we don’t know — about Utah State’s chances in the Mountain West this upcoming season.
First impressions from the spring game were all-too-familiar in many respects, namely a strong defensive showing, way too many offensive three-and-outs and zero indication the Aggies will ever hit another field goal.
USU secondary in good shape
Make no mistake, returning just three defensive starters is a challenge for USU. For years, the Aggies have relied on a top-flight defensive line and ultra-athletic pass-rushers to keep every game competitive. Guys like Bobby Wagner, Kyler Fackrell and the Vigil brothers have moved onto the big leagues after anchoring a defense as tough as any in the Mountain West, leaving behind a whole lot of question marks.
However, what remains is an experienced group patrolling Utah State’s secondary. Senior safety Devin Centers and junior cornerback Jalen Davis each snagged interceptions Saturday.
Davis appeared downright stifling at times, and Centers prowled around looking to pounce on anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves between the hashes — all good signs for a low-key spring scrimmage. Sure, some of the Aggies’ struggles passing the ball Saturday were due to a lack of timing and chemistry, but to quote the most Matt Wells-sounding saying of all time, the Aggies “have a chance to be pretty decent on the back end.”
What do we do with all these running backs?
Devante Mays is a special player. He’s the type of workhorse back who runs through people instead of around them, with exactly zero intention of ever stepping out of bounds. So why is this a debate?
Well, you can’t just not use a guy like LaJuan Hunt, who’s logged a ton of carries and proven himself to be a reliable third-down guy. And you can’t ignore the fact that Tonny Lindsey is little more than a bluish-grey blur once he hits an open hole, and has a heck of a hesitation step when he feels like bouncing outside for a few extra yards.
Despite Mays having NFL prospect-level potential, it seems the coaching staff will still have their work cut out for them finding a way to free up the logjam in this talented backfield.
Will the Aggies ever kick another field goal?
Of course they will. Will they ever actually knock one through the uprights? Only time will tell.
Passing game needs work
By nature of Saturday’s scrimmage, lots of quarterbacks threw at lots of receivers and lots of errors were made. That’s just part of spring ball, and it’s natural for the defense to capitalize on a disorganized offense’s mistakes.
That being said, who exactly is our go-to wideout now? Is it really a contest between Zach Van Leeuwen and Braelon Roberts? That’s where to look for experience I suppose, and neither of those guys are necessarily poor, but I wouldn’t characterize either as an elite playmaker either.
Perhaps Alex Byers is the answer — he certainly had the most fun of any offensive player in Saturday’s first half. A 36-yard touchdown bomb from Damian Hobbs made for the offensive highlight of the afternoon. Also waiting in the wings is Gerold Bright, an intriguing redshirt freshman who hauled in three catches for an average of 12 yards apiece Saturday.
The point remains though, no matter who starts at quarterback — an article for another day — the Aggies seem to lack a playmaking receiver-type with a propensity for shifting a game’s momentum. Stout defense and a consistent running game could put USU in the thick of the MW race next year, but a questionable passing game could pull the Aggies right back out of it.
— Logan Jones is a junior majoring in journalism. Contact him with feedback at logantjones@aggiemail.usu.edu or on Twitter @Logantj.