Shooting the Thunderbirds
Utah State will take on the Southern Utah Thunderbirds in the 2012 season-opener Thursday.
Utah State head coach Gary Andersen said he likes how Southern Utah has a “very business-like approach to football.”
“They are a well-coached football team,” he said. “They play hard every single snap. It is an in-state game, it means a lot to them and it means a lot to us. So, I expect it to be a highly competitive and very physical football game.”
Andersen said his Aggies will have a tough challenge to stop the Thunderbird offense. “They have a very good quarterback in Brad Sorensen, which we all know,” Andersen said. “He is smart, big and a tough kid who throws the ball well, and he gets rid of it on time.”
Last season, Sorensen led Southern Utah to a 6-5 record, throwing for an average of 285 yards per game.
Aggie senior safety McKade Brady said Sorenson has “really good feet.”
“He does a great job of making the play happen when it looks like it’s bottled up in the pocket,” Brady said. “He’s not super fast or a big threat, but he’s got great pocket strength and can step up when he needs to. He can find the open receiver. He makes good decisions and gets the ball out quickly. It’s always hard to defend that.”
On the other side of the ball, the Aggies will give SUU problems. Utah State has multiple weapons in the skill positions who could score on any play.
Whichever quarterback takes the field Thursday has the ability to lead the Aggies to victory. Senior receiver Matt Austin averaged almost 14 yards per reception last season and caught six touchdowns. Senior Kerwynn Williams played behind two NFL running backs and still averaged 6.7 yards per carry.
No matter what defense the Thunderbirds throw at Utah State, Andersen said he wants to have a balanced offense.
“Initially, we definitely want to be able to run the football with some physicality,” Andersen said. “I think that with our three returning offensive linemen we want to be able to do that. That goes in the hands of the backs now and we will see where we go.”
One of those returning linemen, Tyler Larsen, committed to SUU before changing his mind and settling in Logan.
“It was just the better choice for me,” Larsen said. “We’re looking very positive for this season coming up. With Southern Utah, we’re just ready to get up there and play our first game. We’re ready to start the season and continue what we started last year.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium.
– tavin.stucki@aggiemail.usu.edu
@stuckiaggies