Volumnus 2011
WE LANDED ON THE MOON!
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Invitation to USU Fans
- Thread starter WoodsmanVol
- Start date
THE UNIVERSITY
Town: Logan, Utah (Population 48k in the city, about 120k including the surrounding small towns in the valley)
Students: 28,796 students (about 18k on the main campus)
Campus: 500 acres (about 60 less than UT)
Famous alumni: Harry Reid, Merlin Olsen, Bobby Wagner
THE ATHLETICS
We play in Romney Stadium (not that Romney, but a relative) which seats 25k
Our school was a basketball school. during my 4 years, we lost 2 home games and broke the top-20 twice. We were the fourth winningest program during those 4 years plus the 6 preceding it (to make a decade), but due to some turnover, injuries, bad luck, and a jump up to the MWC, our mojo is gone.
Our student section is well-known still. In football, we have 5k seats for students. 4k in basketball. There are two chants that we are known for:
I Belive (that we will win): HD I Believe! Utah State Men's Basketball! 1080P - YouTube
Winning team losing team: "Winning Team, Losing Team" Chant Against Nevada - Utah State Basketball - YouTube
And since it was mentioned, cheerleaders:
2014 TEAM PREVIEW
When I was in college, we sucked so hard at football. We won 1 game my freshman year, 2 my soph, then 3 then 4. Our coach during a press conference bragged that we would have three players, yes three, who weighed more than 300 pounds. And it was a big deal. Due to some good recruiting and a focus on polynesians and a weight training program, we increased our size and speed and became competitive, then good, under Gary Andersen. He left for wisconsin last year, and our HC is our old OC, Matt Wells.
QUARTERBACK
Chuckie Keeton: the only player any of you have ever heard of. He is very good. Not only is he good, he is probably my favorite athlete of all time. He came in as a leader as a freshman, was supposed to split the game @ auburn with Adam Kennedy, but played so well he stayed in all game. We lost in agonizing fashion, and I don't want to think about it. I'm going to need a second now...
OK. So CK. He is known as a runner and opposing fans always assume he can't throw. I dont know if this is because he runs, because he is black and fast and that means he's a run first kid, or what. And he is a dangerous runner. However, he is only a running threat because of what he can do with his arm.
Passing Stats:
56 touchdowns, 13 interceptions (career)
61% completion his freshman year, then 68% then 69% before going down last year.
Owns the school single game passing TD record, which he has tied 4 times (two of those came in a single half before he was benched for the backup)
I posted his stats vs BCS teams in another thread, and I'm too lazy to look them up, but it was something like 8 touchdowns and zero interceptions in 5 games. Of course, he only won one of those (Utah), but we came within a final possession of winning the rest (auburn, wisconsin, utah, usc) and just couldn't get it done. In fact, CK has only lost 1 by more than a touchdown in his career (at fresno, his freshman year, by 10).
His injury is a concern. He tore his ACL making a cut vs BYU. Luckily, ACL injuries aren't what they used to be, even 3 or 4 years ago. He is supposed to be cleared for full participation in June, so he should have 2-3 months to shake off the rust. Maybe he will be worried when he makes a cut or scared to take contact. I don't know. But I doubt it. He's a tough kid and he is fearless on the field.
Garretson: Our backup. He came in when CK went down and went 6-1 as a starter (lost to Fresno, but was sitting on the bench while our 3rd string QB threw a pick on a game winning drive on first-freaking-down). Not a runner, not a super strong arm, but very efficient. We won't win with him. He could be good after CK leaves though.
RB
Our RB spot has been really strong lately. USU is the only program in the country to have 3 running backs drafted in the last 2 years.
Joe Hill: Started for us last year before going down for the season with an injury. He is very fast and has very very good hands, especially for a RB. He is a cut then go kind of guy. He won't lower his shoulder and bowl people over. He doesn't have crazy stats in his career due to his injury last year and backing up the 3 NFL RBs before him. Fine with me. He will surprise some people. He is really dangerous in the wheel route. Not the best pass blocker, but good enough for the kind of RB that he is.
The rest of the RBs are a question mark. We have some good guys who redshirted. We'll see how they are. So overall, RB is a position of strength but not one of depth.
WR
Last year, we lost our top 5 receivers. This year, we return 7 of our top 10.
Swindall (JR): the best in the group. he is tall, has a good vertical, big hands, and makes great fade catches. CK throws the best fade ball I've seen (zero career interceptions in the redzone, and this is a big reason why). He isn't super shifty, but he is fast enough to get open. Mostly relies on his size though.
Natson (JR): the smallest guy you'll ever see on a football field. 5 foot 7, 145 pounds. He is a jitterbug. Fast, stops and goes, returns punts, and never gets hit cleanly. It has to be hard to see him behind blockers. He runs our wildcat and is a very capable runner. He also lines up in the slot, catches a 5-10 yard pass, then dances around for another 15.
Butler (SR): Was supposed to be a go-to guy, but didn't develop into that until late in the season. Seems to be right on track now though. Adds great depth to our team, could become a go-to guy. I'd compare him to chuck jacobs, who is playing for the niners right now. An above average player with athletic potential to become very good.
OVERALL: I'm not worried too much about the receivers. Nobody here will take over the game and confuse you with Patterson (my all time favorite Vol, due to the monster stats he put up for my ncaa fantasy team). However, they'll all catch what comes their way, they'll block well, and they'll be disciplined.
OFFENSIVE LINE
This is a group that I'm not very fit to critique. We lose Larsen to the NFL (#2 center on some sites) and 2-3 others. There is one guy who may be back for a medical redshirt. Basically, this group was supposed to be a strength and underperformed last year. We have 1 or 2 starters back but 4 who played significant time, IIRC. Completely unknown on how we will be here, but I don't see it being any worse than last year.
DEFENSIVE LINE
We lose some good players but maintain some important depth. We run a 3-4 and the 3 upfront rotated a lot to keep them fresh. Connor Williams was probably our best DL and he is gone. BJ Larsen, Jordan Nielsen, and Elvis Kamana-Matgai (great name, right?) catch my eye as great guys we have returning. our strength on defense comes from the LBs and the DL is there for some pressure and to contain the run. so let's get to the strength
LINEBACKERS
Kyle Fackrell (JR): The number 2 OLB in his class according to nfldraftscout. This year's number 2? Anthony Barr from UCLA. the best linebacker we have had since bobby wagner. He has a good shot at moving up to the first round IMO. I would place him at 3rd round at worst right now. That could change, but he is a beast. He is fast and big (6-5 245 lbs). An absolute beast. I don't know how to describe him to get it across how good he is. He is an absolute man. 87 tackles his freshman year, 82 his sophomore year, on a team stacked with good tacklers.
And he is so athletic, we line him up at WR for jump balls in the end zone.
Zach Vigil: another strong LB. lots of tackles, not a lot of missed tackles, ok in zone coverage.
Nick Vigil: Zach's younger brother. Will be an NFL draft pick, but is only going into his sophomore year. 57 tackles his freshman year. He was so good that he pushed for serious PT in a LB corps that went 8 deep.
Those are my favorite LBs.
Overall: I don't feel like this is hyperbole. This group is one of the best in the country. I'd put them in the top half of the SEC and in the top 20 in the country. They're very good. As good as CK is at QB, these guys are the strength of the team. If you took our top 7 guys, put their names in a hat, pulled out 4, you'd have a solid starting lineup. We lose Jake Doughty, a very good player too, but with Nick Vigil and Labradford Harold, I'm not worried about it at all. Want to see Doughty level a kicker? You do. I promise. Utah State's Jake Doughty Levels Colorado State Kicker Jared Roberts - YouTube
CB
We lose lawson to the NFL and Glover-Wright/Byrd to graduation. Huge question mark for us. Rashard Stewart should start on one side, but I'm not sure. Daniel Gray, the former Vol, will be eligible and might push for some PT. If I were to guess, I'd say this will be a rough position for the first 4 games, but I think they can pull it together and be adequate by the middle of the year. Our game plan will likely be to cause pressure on the QB and to play a lot of man D so that guys don't get free in zone. If your QB can step up and play well, this will be the place to win the game. Our run defense is really good (8th in the country last year, 13th the year before), but teams with a good QB can pick us apart next year.
Overall, a question mark position that might turn out to be weak.
SAFETY
We lose one starter, Mo Alexander, who was a good player. He played LB, hit a teammate, got kicked off the team, sat our a year, worked his way back, and played safety. Freak athlete, huge hitter, 81 tackles. However, he was bad in coverage, so whoever comes in will be an improvement there (but a definite and noticeable drop in the run game)
We return Brian Suite, a solid guy at the other safety spot. Good hands for a safety, ok speed, ok in coverage. A glue guy in the back line. No eric berry, but a good player for us.
Replacing Alexander is Sutera. I can't give you a lot about him, though he did start in the bowl game and had 30 tackles on the year. probably would have started if alexander didn't turn out to be such a freak at being able to go from LB to safety like that.
overall defense: our defense is going to be good again. As good as last year? maybe, maybe not. We have big question marks at CB, medium ones at DL and S. We all know how good the SEC defenses are, but USU's starting 11 (and a few backups) could slide into an SEC roster and earn serious PT.
SPECIAL TEAMS
It's fashionable in Logan, like in every college town, to hate kickers. We missed a 35-yard FG vs wisconsin that would have sent us to the orange bowl instead of NIU. We lost 6-3 to byu that same year because we can't kick. However, we were fairly good at kicking last year, especially compared to the last decade. We return our 24 kickers that we keep on the roster (really its 4 and we lose josh thompson, a loss that nobody will cry about but he was a solid player who put it all on the line in high pressure situations. I can't blame him for his misses.).
We return our punter who single-handedly won us 2 games. He went from "great here he comes..." to "PUNTERRRRRRRRR I LOVVEEEE YOUUUU" fairly quickly.
he also had a 75-yard touchdown run when we were up 35 in the 4th that I like to call the biggest accidental dick move in aggie history (he read the play and the coaches never told him to call off the fake even if it was there) Jaron Bentrude fake punt TD - YouTube
TEAM AS A WHOLE
Overall, I'm worried about CK's health a little. I'm worried about depth at RB and the performance of the OL. I don't know how the CBs will be, but the rest of the defense will be good enough. I'd rate the positions as follows (starters as the first number /overall depth as the 2nd)
QB: 9/6
RB: 7/5
OL: 7/5
TE: 7/7
WR: 7/8
DL: 7/7
LB: 9/9
CB: 7/6
S: 6/5
K: 7/7
P: 8/?
I tried to stay as neutral as possible. I think I do a good job of that, I'm not a rah-rah my team is the best type guy. I think UT wins this game, but I would not be surprised if USU wins a close one (though I'd probably shake and cry from all the pent up misery and heartbreak caused by previous money games). I'll take any questions you have.
Commence the "SEC GUYS ARE 5 STAR USU GUYS ARE 2 STAR" comments!
Town: Logan, Utah (Population 48k in the city, about 120k including the surrounding small towns in the valley)
Students: 28,796 students (about 18k on the main campus)
Campus: 500 acres (about 60 less than UT)
Famous alumni: Harry Reid, Merlin Olsen, Bobby Wagner
THE ATHLETICS
We play in Romney Stadium (not that Romney, but a relative) which seats 25k
Our school was a basketball school. during my 4 years, we lost 2 home games and broke the top-20 twice. We were the fourth winningest program during those 4 years plus the 6 preceding it (to make a decade), but due to some turnover, injuries, bad luck, and a jump up to the MWC, our mojo is gone.
Our student section is well-known still. In football, we have 5k seats for students. 4k in basketball. There are two chants that we are known for:
I Belive (that we will win): HD I Believe! Utah State Men's Basketball! 1080P - YouTube
Winning team losing team: "Winning Team, Losing Team" Chant Against Nevada - Utah State Basketball - YouTube
And since it was mentioned, cheerleaders:
2014 TEAM PREVIEW
When I was in college, we sucked so hard at football. We won 1 game my freshman year, 2 my soph, then 3 then 4. Our coach during a press conference bragged that we would have three players, yes three, who weighed more than 300 pounds. And it was a big deal. Due to some good recruiting and a focus on polynesians and a weight training program, we increased our size and speed and became competitive, then good, under Gary Andersen. He left for wisconsin last year, and our HC is our old OC, Matt Wells.
QUARTERBACK
Chuckie Keeton: the only player any of you have ever heard of. He is very good. Not only is he good, he is probably my favorite athlete of all time. He came in as a leader as a freshman, was supposed to split the game @ auburn with Adam Kennedy, but played so well he stayed in all game. We lost in agonizing fashion, and I don't want to think about it. I'm going to need a second now...
OK. So CK. He is known as a runner and opposing fans always assume he can't throw. I dont know if this is because he runs, because he is black and fast and that means he's a run first kid, or what. And he is a dangerous runner. However, he is only a running threat because of what he can do with his arm.
Passing Stats:
56 touchdowns, 13 interceptions (career)
61% completion his freshman year, then 68% then 69% before going down last year.
Owns the school single game passing TD record, which he has tied 4 times (two of those came in a single half before he was benched for the backup)
I posted his stats vs BCS teams in another thread, and I'm too lazy to look them up, but it was something like 8 touchdowns and zero interceptions in 5 games. Of course, he only won one of those (Utah), but we came within a final possession of winning the rest (auburn, wisconsin, utah, usc) and just couldn't get it done. In fact, CK has only lost 1 by more than a touchdown in his career (at fresno, his freshman year, by 10).
His injury is a concern. He tore his ACL making a cut vs BYU. Luckily, ACL injuries aren't what they used to be, even 3 or 4 years ago. He is supposed to be cleared for full participation in June, so he should have 2-3 months to shake off the rust. Maybe he will be worried when he makes a cut or scared to take contact. I don't know. But I doubt it. He's a tough kid and he is fearless on the field.
Garretson: Our backup. He came in when CK went down and went 6-1 as a starter (lost to Fresno, but was sitting on the bench while our 3rd string QB threw a pick on a game winning drive on first-freaking-down). Not a runner, not a super strong arm, but very efficient. We won't win with him. He could be good after CK leaves though.
RB
Our RB spot has been really strong lately. USU is the only program in the country to have 3 running backs drafted in the last 2 years.
Joe Hill: Started for us last year before going down for the season with an injury. He is very fast and has very very good hands, especially for a RB. He is a cut then go kind of guy. He won't lower his shoulder and bowl people over. He doesn't have crazy stats in his career due to his injury last year and backing up the 3 NFL RBs before him. Fine with me. He will surprise some people. He is really dangerous in the wheel route. Not the best pass blocker, but good enough for the kind of RB that he is.
The rest of the RBs are a question mark. We have some good guys who redshirted. We'll see how they are. So overall, RB is a position of strength but not one of depth.
WR
Last year, we lost our top 5 receivers. This year, we return 7 of our top 10.
Swindall (JR): the best in the group. he is tall, has a good vertical, big hands, and makes great fade catches. CK throws the best fade ball I've seen (zero career interceptions in the redzone, and this is a big reason why). He isn't super shifty, but he is fast enough to get open. Mostly relies on his size though.
Natson (JR): the smallest guy you'll ever see on a football field. 5 foot 7, 145 pounds. He is a jitterbug. Fast, stops and goes, returns punts, and never gets hit cleanly. It has to be hard to see him behind blockers. He runs our wildcat and is a very capable runner. He also lines up in the slot, catches a 5-10 yard pass, then dances around for another 15.
Butler (SR): Was supposed to be a go-to guy, but didn't develop into that until late in the season. Seems to be right on track now though. Adds great depth to our team, could become a go-to guy. I'd compare him to chuck jacobs, who is playing for the niners right now. An above average player with athletic potential to become very good.
OVERALL: I'm not worried too much about the receivers. Nobody here will take over the game and confuse you with Patterson (my all time favorite Vol, due to the monster stats he put up for my ncaa fantasy team). However, they'll all catch what comes their way, they'll block well, and they'll be disciplined.
OFFENSIVE LINE
This is a group that I'm not very fit to critique. We lose Larsen to the NFL (#2 center on some sites) and 2-3 others. There is one guy who may be back for a medical redshirt. Basically, this group was supposed to be a strength and underperformed last year. We have 1 or 2 starters back but 4 who played significant time, IIRC. Completely unknown on how we will be here, but I don't see it being any worse than last year.
DEFENSIVE LINE
We lose some good players but maintain some important depth. We run a 3-4 and the 3 upfront rotated a lot to keep them fresh. Connor Williams was probably our best DL and he is gone. BJ Larsen, Jordan Nielsen, and Elvis Kamana-Matgai (great name, right?) catch my eye as great guys we have returning. our strength on defense comes from the LBs and the DL is there for some pressure and to contain the run. so let's get to the strength
LINEBACKERS
Kyle Fackrell (JR): The number 2 OLB in his class according to nfldraftscout. This year's number 2? Anthony Barr from UCLA. the best linebacker we have had since bobby wagner. He has a good shot at moving up to the first round IMO. I would place him at 3rd round at worst right now. That could change, but he is a beast. He is fast and big (6-5 245 lbs). An absolute beast. I don't know how to describe him to get it across how good he is. He is an absolute man. 87 tackles his freshman year, 82 his sophomore year, on a team stacked with good tacklers.
And he is so athletic, we line him up at WR for jump balls in the end zone.
Zach Vigil: another strong LB. lots of tackles, not a lot of missed tackles, ok in zone coverage.
Nick Vigil: Zach's younger brother. Will be an NFL draft pick, but is only going into his sophomore year. 57 tackles his freshman year. He was so good that he pushed for serious PT in a LB corps that went 8 deep.
Those are my favorite LBs.
Overall: I don't feel like this is hyperbole. This group is one of the best in the country. I'd put them in the top half of the SEC and in the top 20 in the country. They're very good. As good as CK is at QB, these guys are the strength of the team. If you took our top 7 guys, put their names in a hat, pulled out 4, you'd have a solid starting lineup. We lose Jake Doughty, a very good player too, but with Nick Vigil and Labradford Harold, I'm not worried about it at all. Want to see Doughty level a kicker? You do. I promise. Utah State's Jake Doughty Levels Colorado State Kicker Jared Roberts - YouTube
CB
We lose lawson to the NFL and Glover-Wright/Byrd to graduation. Huge question mark for us. Rashard Stewart should start on one side, but I'm not sure. Daniel Gray, the former Vol, will be eligible and might push for some PT. If I were to guess, I'd say this will be a rough position for the first 4 games, but I think they can pull it together and be adequate by the middle of the year. Our game plan will likely be to cause pressure on the QB and to play a lot of man D so that guys don't get free in zone. If your QB can step up and play well, this will be the place to win the game. Our run defense is really good (8th in the country last year, 13th the year before), but teams with a good QB can pick us apart next year.
Overall, a question mark position that might turn out to be weak.
SAFETY
We lose one starter, Mo Alexander, who was a good player. He played LB, hit a teammate, got kicked off the team, sat our a year, worked his way back, and played safety. Freak athlete, huge hitter, 81 tackles. However, he was bad in coverage, so whoever comes in will be an improvement there (but a definite and noticeable drop in the run game)
We return Brian Suite, a solid guy at the other safety spot. Good hands for a safety, ok speed, ok in coverage. A glue guy in the back line. No eric berry, but a good player for us.
Replacing Alexander is Sutera. I can't give you a lot about him, though he did start in the bowl game and had 30 tackles on the year. probably would have started if alexander didn't turn out to be such a freak at being able to go from LB to safety like that.
overall defense: our defense is going to be good again. As good as last year? maybe, maybe not. We have big question marks at CB, medium ones at DL and S. We all know how good the SEC defenses are, but USU's starting 11 (and a few backups) could slide into an SEC roster and earn serious PT.
SPECIAL TEAMS
It's fashionable in Logan, like in every college town, to hate kickers. We missed a 35-yard FG vs wisconsin that would have sent us to the orange bowl instead of NIU. We lost 6-3 to byu that same year because we can't kick. However, we were fairly good at kicking last year, especially compared to the last decade. We return our 24 kickers that we keep on the roster (really its 4 and we lose josh thompson, a loss that nobody will cry about but he was a solid player who put it all on the line in high pressure situations. I can't blame him for his misses.).
We return our punter who single-handedly won us 2 games. He went from "great here he comes..." to "PUNTERRRRRRRRR I LOVVEEEE YOUUUU" fairly quickly.
he also had a 75-yard touchdown run when we were up 35 in the 4th that I like to call the biggest accidental dick move in aggie history (he read the play and the coaches never told him to call off the fake even if it was there) Jaron Bentrude fake punt TD - YouTube
TEAM AS A WHOLE
Overall, I'm worried about CK's health a little. I'm worried about depth at RB and the performance of the OL. I don't know how the CBs will be, but the rest of the defense will be good enough. I'd rate the positions as follows (starters as the first number /overall depth as the 2nd)
QB: 9/6
RB: 7/5
OL: 7/5
TE: 7/7
WR: 7/8
DL: 7/7
LB: 9/9
CB: 7/6
S: 6/5
K: 7/7
P: 8/?
I tried to stay as neutral as possible. I think I do a good job of that, I'm not a rah-rah my team is the best type guy. I think UT wins this game, but I would not be surprised if USU wins a close one (though I'd probably shake and cry from all the pent up misery and heartbreak caused by previous money games). I'll take any questions you have.
Commence the "SEC GUYS ARE 5 STAR USU GUYS ARE 2 STAR" comments!
Last edited:
Great post on USU and their football program. Hope vols win, but we sure have no reason to be overconfident if the last couple of years are any indication of our ability. Yes we had a seemingly excellent recruiting class coming in, would think only a few will be on the field in the first game.
again thanks for the excellent post. stay in touch.
again thanks for the excellent post. stay in touch.
james_govols
To live is to be haunted.
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I'm not saying there isn't some legitimacy to it. Tennessee, if in any other conference, would certainly be a bowl team and they go up against some crazy talent in every conference game. However, USU finishes in the bottom-20 of the rankings consistently, so when we win a game, it is usually by a team that outrecruits us significantly.
It's hard to move up in ranks though as a mid major team. We'll have a guy commit to us as a 3-star, 18th ranked WR in the 2014 class with offers to texas tech, kansas state, wazzu, and cal only to see him become a 2-star 65th ranked WR on the website after he commits. Or we'll have a 2-star, 60th ranked guy switch to texas and he becomes a 3-star 15th ranked guy the next day based on nothing more than a verbal to texas. it can be maddening.
Thrasher865
Well-Known Member
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THE UNIVERSITY
Town: Logan, Utah (Population 48k in the city, about 120k including the surrounding small towns in the valley)
Students: 28,796 students (about 18k on the main campus)
Campus: 500 acres (about 60 less than UT)
Beautiful campus. I didn't read the rest of your post right now, but it looks very informative. I will revisit later.
dduncan4163
Have at it Hoss
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2006
- Messages
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dduncan4163
Have at it Hoss
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2006
- Messages
- 21,998
- Likes
- 46,073
dduncan4163
Have at it Hoss
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2006
- Messages
- 21,998
- Likes
- 46,073
THE UNIVERSITY
Town: Logan, Utah (Population 48k in the city, about 120k including the surrounding small towns in the valley)
Students: 28,796 students (about 18k on the main campus)
Campus: 500 acres (about 60 less than UT)
Famous alumni: Harry Reid, Merlin Olsen, Bobby Wagner
THE ATHLETICS
We play in Romney Stadium (not that Romney, but a relative) which seats 25k
Our school was a basketball school. during my 4 years, we lost 2 home games and broke the top-20 twice. We were the fourth winningest program during those 4 years plus the 6 preceding it (to make a decade), but due to some turnover, injuries, bad luck, and a jump up to the MWC, our mojo is gone.
Our student section is well-known still. In football, we have 5k seats for students. 4k in basketball. There are two chants that we are known for:
I Belive (that we will win): HD I Believe! Utah State Men's Basketball! 1080P - YouTube
Winning team losing team: "Winning Team, Losing Team" Chant Against Nevada - Utah State Basketball - YouTube
And since it was mentioned, cheerleaders:
2014 TEAM PREVIEW
When I was in college, we sucked so hard at football. We won 1 game my freshman year, 2 my soph, then 3 then 4. Our coach during a press conference bragged that we would have three players, yes three, who weighed more than 300 pounds. And it was a big deal. Due to some good recruiting and a focus on polynesians and a weight training program, we increased our size and speed and became competitive, then good, under Gary Andersen. He left for wisconsin last year, and our HC is our old OC, Matt Wells.
QUARTERBACK
Chuckie Keeton: the only player any of you have ever heard of. He is very good. Not only is he good, he is probably my favorite athlete of all time. He came in as a leader as a freshman, was supposed to split the game @ auburn with Adam Kennedy, but played so well he stayed in all game. We lost in agonizing fashion, and I don't want to think about it. I'm going to need a second now...
OK. So CK. He is known as a runner and opposing fans always assume he can't throw. I dont know if this is because he runs, because he is black and fast and that means he's a run first kid, or what. And he is a dangerous runner. However, he is only a running threat because of what he can do with his arm.
Passing Stats:
56 touchdowns, 13 interceptions (career)
61% completion his freshman year, then 68% then 69% before going down last year.
Owns the school single game passing TD record, which he has tied 4 times (two of those came in a single half before he was benched for the backup)
I posted his stats vs BCS teams in another thread, and I'm too lazy to look them up, but it was something like 8 touchdowns and zero interceptions in 5 games. Of course, he only won one of those (Utah), but we came within a final possession of winning the rest (auburn, wisconsin, utah, usc) and just couldn't get it done. In fact, CK has only lost 1 by more than a touchdown in his career (at fresno, his freshman year, by 10).
His injury is a concern. He tore his ACL making a cut vs BYU. Luckily, ACL injuries aren't what they used to be, even 3 or 4 years ago. He is supposed to be cleared for full participation in June, so he should have 2-3 months to shake off the rust. Maybe he will be worried when he makes a cut or scared to take contact. I don't know. But I doubt it. He's a tough kid and he is fearless on the field.
Garretson: Our backup. He came in when CK went down and went 6-1 as a starter (lost to Fresno, but was sitting on the bench while our 3rd string QB threw a pick on a game winning drive on first-freaking-down). Not a runner, not a super strong arm, but very efficient. We won't win with him. He could be good after CK leaves though.
RB
Our RB spot has been really strong lately. USU is the only program in the country to have 3 running backs drafted in the last 2 years.
Joe Hill: Started for us last year before going down for the season with an injury. He is very fast and has very very good hands, especially for a RB. He is a cut then go kind of guy. He won't lower his shoulder and bowl people over. He doesn't have crazy stats in his career due to his injury last year and backing up the 3 NFL RBs before him. Fine with me. He will surprise some people. He is really dangerous in the wheel route. Not the best pass blocker, but good enough for the kind of RB that he is.
The rest of the RBs are a question mark. We have some good guys who redshirted. We'll see how they are. So overall, RB is a position of strength but not one of depth.
WR
Last year, we lost our top 5 receivers. This year, we return 7 of our top 10.
Swindall (JR): the best in the group. he is tall, has a good vertical, big hands, and makes great fade catches. CK throws the best fade ball I've seen (zero career interceptions in the redzone, and this is a big reason why). He isn't super shifty, but he is fast enough to get open. Mostly relies on his size though.
Natson (JR): the smallest guy you'll ever see on a football field. 5 foot 7, 145 pounds. He is a jitterbug. Fast, stops and goes, returns punts, and never gets hit cleanly. It has to be hard to see him behind blockers. He runs our wildcat and is a very capable runner. He also lines up in the slot, catches a 5-10 yard pass, then dances around for another 15.
Butler (SR): Was supposed to be a go-to guy, but didn't develop into that until late in the season. Seems to be right on track now though. Adds great depth to our team, could become a go-to guy. I'd compare him to chuck jacobs, who is playing for the niners right now. An above average player with athletic potential to become very good.
OVERALL: I'm not worried too much about the receivers. Nobody here will take over the game and confuse you with Patterson (my all time favorite Vol, due to the monster stats he put up for my ncaa fantasy team). However, they'll all catch what comes their way, they'll block well, and they'll be disciplined.
OFFENSIVE LINE
This is a group that I'm not very fit to critique. We lose Larsen to the NFL (#2 center on some sites) and 2-3 others. There is one guy who may be back for a medical redshirt. Basically, this group was supposed to be a strength and underperformed last year. We have 1 or 2 starters back but 4 who played significant time, IIRC. Completely unknown on how we will be here, but I don't see it being any worse than last year.
DEFENSIVE LINE
We lose some good players but maintain some important depth. We run a 3-4 and the 3 upfront rotated a lot to keep them fresh. Connor Williams was probably our best DL and he is gone. BJ Larsen, Jordan Nielsen, and Elvis Kamana-Matgai (great name, right?) catch my eye as great guys we have returning. our strength on defense comes from the LBs and the DL is there for some pressure and to contain the run. so let's get to the strength
LINEBACKERS
Kyle Fackrell (JR): The number 2 OLB in his class according to nfldraftscout. This year's number 2? Anthony Barr from UCLA. the best linebacker we have had since bobby wagner. He has a good shot at moving up to the first round IMO. I would place him at 3rd round at worst right now. That could change, but he is a beast. He is fast and big (6-5 245 lbs). An absolute beast. I don't know how to describe him to get it across how good he is. He is an absolute man. 87 tackles his freshman year, 82 his sophomore year, on a team stacked with good tacklers.
And he is so athletic, we line him up at WR for jump balls in the end zone.
Zach Vigil: another strong LB. lots of tackles, not a lot of missed tackles, ok in zone coverage.
Nick Vigil: Zach's younger brother. Will be an NFL draft pick, but is only going into his sophomore year. 57 tackles his freshman year. He was so good that he pushed for serious PT in a LB corps that went 8 deep.
Those are my favorite LBs.
Overall: I don't feel like this is hyperbole. This group is one of the best in the country. I'd put them in the top half of the SEC and in the top 20 in the country. They're very good. As good as CK is at QB, these guys are the strength of the team. If you took our top 7 guys, put their names in a hat, pulled out 4, you'd have a solid starting lineup. We lose Jake Doughty, a very good player too, but with Nick Vigil and Labradford Harold, I'm not worried about it at all. Want to see Doughty level a kicker? You do. I promise. Utah State's Jake Doughty Levels Colorado State Kicker Jared Roberts - YouTube
CB
We lose lawson to the NFL and Glover-Wright/Byrd to graduation. Huge question mark for us. Rashard Stewart should start on one side, but I'm not sure. Daniel Gray, the former Vol, will be eligible and might push for some PT. If I were to guess, I'd say this will be a rough position for the first 4 games, but I think they can pull it together and be adequate by the middle of the year. Our game plan will likely be to cause pressure on the QB and to play a lot of man D so that guys don't get free in zone. If your QB can step up and play well, this will be the place to win the game. Our run defense is really good (8th in the country last year, 13th the year before), but teams with a good QB can pick us apart next year.
Overall, a question mark position that might turn out to be weak.
SAFETY
We lose one starter, Mo Alexander, who was a good player. He played LB, hit a teammate, got kicked off the team, sat our a year, worked his way back, and played safety. Freak athlete, huge hitter, 81 tackles. However, he was bad in coverage, so whoever comes in will be an improvement there (but a definite and noticeable drop in the run game)
We return Brian Suite, a solid guy at the other safety spot. Good hands for a safety, ok speed, ok in coverage. A glue guy in the back line. No eric berry, but a good player for us.
Replacing Alexander is Sutera. I can't give you a lot about him, though he did start in the bowl game and had 30 tackles on the year. probably would have started if alexander didn't turn out to be such a freak at being able to go from LB to safety like that.
overall defense: our defense is going to be good again. As good as last year? maybe, maybe not. We have big question marks at CB, medium ones at DL and S. We all know how good the SEC defenses are, but USU's starting 11 (and a few backups) could slide into an SEC roster and earn serious PT.
SPECIAL TEAMS
It's fashionable in Logan, like in every college town, to hate kickers. We missed a 35-yard FG vs wisconsin that would have sent us to the orange bowl instead of NIU. We lost 6-3 to byu that same year because we can't kick. However, we were fairly good at kicking last year, especially compared to the last decade. We return our 24 kickers that we keep on the roster (really its 4 and we lose josh thompson, a loss that nobody will cry about but he was a solid player who put it all on the line in high pressure situations. I can't blame him for his misses.).
We return our punter who single-handedly won us 2 games. He went from "great here he comes..." to "PUNTERRRRRRRRR I LOVVEEEE YOUUUU" fairly quickly.
he also had a 75-yard touchdown run when we were up 35 in the 4th that I like to call the biggest accidental dick move in aggie history (he read the play and the coaches never told him to call off the fake even if it was there) Jaron Bentrude fake punt TD - YouTube
TEAM AS A WHOLE
Overall, I'm worried about CK's health a little. I'm worried about depth at RB and the performance of the OL. I don't know how the CBs will be, but the rest of the defense will be good enough. I'd rate the positions as follows (starters as the first number /overall depth as the 2nd)
QB: 9/6
RB: 7/5
OL: 7/5
TE: 7/7
WR: 7/8
DL: 7/7
LB: 9/9
CB: 7/6
S: 6/5
K: 7/7
P: 8/?
I tried to stay as neutral as possible. I think I do a good job of that, I'm not a rah-rah my team is the best type guy. I think UT wins this game, but I would not be surprised if USU wins a close one (though I'd probably shake and cry from all the pent up misery and heartbreak caused by previous money games). I'll take any questions you have.
Commence the "SEC GUYS ARE 5 STAR USU GUYS ARE 2 STAR" comments!
The Campus is stunning and the women and too shabby either.
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WoodsmanVol
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ficklez, heck of a post. Thanks. I was hoping for a one position at a time type of posting. But who can really complain about something so thorough as what you provided? probably some numbskull who can't appreciate the effort.
I'll try to match you but concede immediately we have far better informed folks than myself.
QB - Justin Worley is our seasoned QB. Despite the misgivings of some, I think he's a far better QB than many realize. Very likely with the higher quality WRs we will have coming and the existing ones understanding the Butch system and route running schemes, this will be demonstrated. HOWEVER, my personal belief is that Joshua Dobbs is set to take over because he really is a dual and runs the read option better than Worley. He was baptized in fire last season when Worley go hurt. His off season prepping includes putting himself under the tutelage of a well-known QB trainer in California, among other things. So I think we'll see a fairly dangerous QB this season. We have an unproven but much heralded QB, Riley Ferguson, waiting in the wings. He's supposed to be a dual threat with a 155mm Howitzer for an arm. And accurate with it. But has yet to be proven on the field.
RB - Hurd is a freshman, a big freshman with a lot of well-deserved ballyhoo preceding him. I very much doubt he can be keep on the bench with all he brings to the table. But Marlin Lane will be the starter by virtue of experience. He's shifty, tough between the tackles and makes you miss if he has any wiggle room at all. He's the starter if he stays out of the coach's doghouse. We got Scott, a dangerous freshman who like Hurd, will be difficult to keep on the bench. Then we got some backs like Summerhill and Alden Hill who is thick and hits hard. If they get on the field, they will play hard for additional playing time. They feel they have something to prove. Word leaked that Justin Pickett, a transfer was making noise too and might be a sort of secrete weapon. Then we got some weird guys like Devrin Young and and Alton (Pig) Howard who are actually slot receivers but can and have played RB. They're small, strong, shifty guys who can sneak by you.
TE - We got some new guys who look to be SEC ready. And one of them is reported to have glue for hands. And both said to have nasty attitudes.
WR - As usual. Tennessee has big and tall WRs and now we're loaded with them. Croom and North are now joined by what's believed to be SEC ready JUCO WRs Pearson. Plus we got various others with some PT experience. We can if the coach chooses, rotate entire platoons of WRs.
OL - Like you we have a lot of questions and some experience returning. This is why I think Dobbs will start. A questionable OL means your QB can be vulnerable unless he has wheels. Dobb has wheels.
Like your, our OL last year underachieved. But this gang is primed for being coached up. Word is they are really going at it this off season and have the coaches really excited. Seems they have a streak of nastiness in some of them.
DL - A lot like the OL but now it seems we have some SEC speed coming in and JUCOs at positions of serious need. We play 4-3 mostly. It remains to be seen what the front 4 is like. The secondary however may prove to be rather dangerous with the speed coming in and players who in year 2 of the Butch system.
A big thing for us here is that 14 of the key position recruits are EEs. Word is like the rest of the team,, these guys mean business as shown by their off season work. They're mostly in-state boys dead set on bringing Tennessee back to where it belongs as a major SEC power.
I'll try to match you but concede immediately we have far better informed folks than myself.
QB - Justin Worley is our seasoned QB. Despite the misgivings of some, I think he's a far better QB than many realize. Very likely with the higher quality WRs we will have coming and the existing ones understanding the Butch system and route running schemes, this will be demonstrated. HOWEVER, my personal belief is that Joshua Dobbs is set to take over because he really is a dual and runs the read option better than Worley. He was baptized in fire last season when Worley go hurt. His off season prepping includes putting himself under the tutelage of a well-known QB trainer in California, among other things. So I think we'll see a fairly dangerous QB this season. We have an unproven but much heralded QB, Riley Ferguson, waiting in the wings. He's supposed to be a dual threat with a 155mm Howitzer for an arm. And accurate with it. But has yet to be proven on the field.
RB - Hurd is a freshman, a big freshman with a lot of well-deserved ballyhoo preceding him. I very much doubt he can be keep on the bench with all he brings to the table. But Marlin Lane will be the starter by virtue of experience. He's shifty, tough between the tackles and makes you miss if he has any wiggle room at all. He's the starter if he stays out of the coach's doghouse. We got Scott, a dangerous freshman who like Hurd, will be difficult to keep on the bench. Then we got some backs like Summerhill and Alden Hill who is thick and hits hard. If they get on the field, they will play hard for additional playing time. They feel they have something to prove. Word leaked that Justin Pickett, a transfer was making noise too and might be a sort of secrete weapon. Then we got some weird guys like Devrin Young and and Alton (Pig) Howard who are actually slot receivers but can and have played RB. They're small, strong, shifty guys who can sneak by you.
TE - We got some new guys who look to be SEC ready. And one of them is reported to have glue for hands. And both said to have nasty attitudes.
WR - As usual. Tennessee has big and tall WRs and now we're loaded with them. Croom and North are now joined by what's believed to be SEC ready JUCO WRs Pearson. Plus we got various others with some PT experience. We can if the coach chooses, rotate entire platoons of WRs.
OL - Like you we have a lot of questions and some experience returning. This is why I think Dobbs will start. A questionable OL means your QB can be vulnerable unless he has wheels. Dobb has wheels.
Like your, our OL last year underachieved. But this gang is primed for being coached up. Word is they are really going at it this off season and have the coaches really excited. Seems they have a streak of nastiness in some of them.
DL - A lot like the OL but now it seems we have some SEC speed coming in and JUCOs at positions of serious need. We play 4-3 mostly. It remains to be seen what the front 4 is like. The secondary however may prove to be rather dangerous with the speed coming in and players who in year 2 of the Butch system.
A big thing for us here is that 14 of the key position recruits are EEs. Word is like the rest of the team,, these guys mean business as shown by their off season work. They're mostly in-state boys dead set on bringing Tennessee back to where it belongs as a major SEC power.
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