The Underappreciated All-Stars – New Mexico State

Football is often referred to as the ultimate team sport, yet we often only focus on a handful of players as the key to a recent victory. In reality, there are countless numbers that are absolutely crucial to a team’s play that rarely receive the recognition their play deserves. Every facet of the game has these underappreciated all-stars, and this column seeks to recognize them. After every Aggie game, we’ll take a look back, win or loss, at three unheralded players responsible for Utah State’s success. These are the Underappreciated All-Stars

Utah State 60, New Mexico State 13

There were no shortage of players that played a hand in USU’s blowout victory on Saturday night, meaning there were also a lot that went unnoticed.

David Woodward, LB

This issue with trying to highlight unheralded performances is it’s hard to find solid video, so you’ll have to simply trust me on this. David Woodward is an absolute maniac on the field. Thankfully, we at least have the stats to prove this. After only two games, Woodward’s statline reads like a greatest hits collection. 29 tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack. But Woodward’s importance is further understood when you delve further into those stats.

Out of 29 tackles, 24 of Woodward’s tackles have been assisted. At 6-foot-2 and 235 lbs, this is clearly not a case of Woodward requiring assistance to bring down a ball carrier. Rather, it’s the evidence of Woodward fulfilling his position.

In a 3-3-5 defensive formation, linebackers need to be fast and rangy. In other words, there’s a lot of ground for linebackers to cover. Woodward has the necessary speed and athleticism to fulfill that obligation. Utah State’s defensive style depends heavily on gang tackling, i.e. one player holding up a ball carrier while reinforcements come to ensure the offensive player cannot escape and run for big yardage. Oftentimes, that reinforcement is Woodward.

That job doesn’t typically come with fanfare. Usually, it means creating a pile of players in a tackle. But make no mistake, the Aggie defense depends heavily on Woodward’s ability to roam sideline to sideline and find himself at the center of the play.

Savon Scarver’s kickoff return

Less of single player here, but a lot went into Scarver’s return that went unnoticed. It’s hard to have a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown and go underappreciated, but Scarver’s performance seems overshadowed by the later heroics of Dominik Eberle and others. That’s understandable, but let’s take a moment to appreciate the turning point of the game, and the players that helped to spring it open.

First, the scenario. Utah State’s offense has somewhat struggled to this point. USU maneuvered into the ball into field goal territory twice, but both times were stymied by New Mexico State’s defense and forced to settle for field goals. Then, NMSU’s offense pieced together their best drive of the game, resulting in a stunning 18-yard touchdown pass from Matt Romero to Johnathan Boone. NMSU is leading right now, and they have a lot of momentum. They’ve outgained Utah State and are starting to believe they might have a chance in this game. This is an important possession for USU. Fail to score and New Mexico State might start building a lead.

Second, the footwork from Scarver here is immaculate. While the majority of a return touchdown can be attributed to blocking and the coverage team missing assignments, Scarver still has some work to do to truly break this return open. His highstep near the end of the return in particular shows off great awareness. At full sprint, a simple heel-clip is enough to bring a ball-carrier down. With the highstep, Scarver expertly avoids the desperation attempt.

Now, about those blocks. There were definitely several of them that were crucial in opening up the lane for Scarver. Two near the 30-yard line were absolutely vital.

 

The blocks on numbers 25 and 18 for New Mexico State allowed Scarver to keep his speed and turn the corner down the sideline. The two players responsible for those blocks? DJ Nelson and Jalen Greene. Take a look at the play from another angle and the unselfishness becomes even more amazing.

That’s Greene, Nelson, plus Deante Fortenberry and Zahodri Jackson all making key blocks on one of the most important plays of the game. That’s four guys who will see a lot more playing time in more glamorous situations in the game, and none of them consider themselves above the grudge work of playing on the return team.

Quin Ficklin, Center

Besides quarterback, center may be the most important position on offense. Not only do they touch the ball on every play, but the center also acts as the captain of the offensive line. Prior to the snap, assignments have to be made and blitzes have to be picked up. This is a job shared by the center with the rest of the offensive line and the quarterback, but as the fulcrum along the line, the center is often tasked with communicating responsibilities and ensuring all defensive players are picked up.

Utah State’s offensive line still has work to do, with five sacks allowed proving as much. But Ficklin and Co. did a much better job on Saturday night at squaring away assignments, especially on running plays. When a running back runs through the line untouched, that’s a trophy for the offensive line.

The offensive line got a few trophies on Saturday night. Ficklin’s leadership is a big reason why.

Categories
FootballSports
Tagged
David WoodwardDeante FortenberryDJ NelsonJalen GreeneQuin FicklinSavon ScarverUSU FootballZahodri Jackson

Twitter

USU Classifieds

Loading Recent Classifieds...

Archives

Back to Top