Invitation to USU Fans

[WoodsmanVol]

I'll take the top one myself. The bottom one is more of a "light switch off" adventure

Freaking traitors! The whole lot of you. Should be focused only on Vol fun girls.

 

[Easttnken]

yes not bad.. but ill make the trip to Norman for this!!!

.

 

[ficklez]

Now that spring camp is over, I thought I'd update my preview I did earlier in this thread.


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 20k 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.

update: CK was cleared for full contact today. He is supposed to be 100%. This is a good sign as he was projected at August 1, then July 1, then June 1, and now he's clear a few days before may. He's been throwing almost all spring, but not taking contact.

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.

spring update:Hill is supposed to be cleared June 1, I think. our backup RBs did okay in camp. A few had long runs in our spring game against our defense who hardly ever gives up runs over 8 yards. Hall has quick feet, but not great top-end speed. After him, it's a lot thinner. Hill should be full-go though.
Kennedy Williams played well, but he is just so tiny. His brother is one of our 3 backs drafted the last 2 years. He broke all of his HS records, but is a walk-on due to his size. Has average hands.

WR

Last year, we lost our top 5 receivers. This year, we return 7 of our top 10. The two we lose are Van Leeuwen, a slow white guy with good hands, and Travis Reynolds, a quick guy with big play potential.

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.
spring update: looked great in spring. Will be our best guy for sure.

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.
spring update:very solid spring. would be more than happy to have him as our top guy. luckily, he's our 2nd best.

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.
spring update:one of our better recruits will be here for fall. offers to ksu and reportedly texas, though I think i read they were trying to make him walk-on and earn the scholarship. I don't plan on us relying on him though, and if he's good enough to play, then we'll be in for a pleasant surprise.

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.(update:he wont) 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.
spring update:very happy with how this went in the spring. there is always a lot of give and take. If we give up a sack, is the defense good? and the line sucks? Always hard to tell when its a unit like the OL instead of individuals. Overall, we look fairly good. We will either be starting 3 seniors, a Jr and a So. or 4 seniors and a Jr, which helps make up for what we lose.

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
spring update:solid play, good depth, no superstars. as expected.
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

spring update:were as solid as expected, even with a starter out recovering from an injury he had last season. still the strength of our team.
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.
spring update: gray was good, but not great. got burned a few times but made some good plays. he can hit pretty well. the biggest surprise was devin centers. his dad was a good NFL player. he had two interceptions in the spring game, a forced fumble, chased down a guy on a 60 yard run. very fast, lots of muscle packed into a DB body. will be the nickel back. He was the best surprise of spring and I'm a lot more confident with him.

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.
spring update:much better now in coverage than with alexander. Alexander was terrible, and I mean terrible, in coverage. He played run defense or blitzed 80% of his snaps. So now we lose the run stopper, but we are better against the pass at S. Still not excited about the match up with your WRs. Neither S can guard one of them, obviously. We probably won't have a DB that can be on an island with any of your starters. I would bet we bring pressure from all over and show 9 standing players at the line to add confusion because we can't cover straight-up.

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/?


spring update: Not as worried about CK's health. I have seen him throw, run, and jump to chest bump teammates celebrating a play. He seems good to go. RB is a concern still. OL is a little less, but hard to tell. CBs are a little less overall, but moreso against your WRs.


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!

 

[PassedOutAwake]

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/?


spring update: Not as worried about CK's health. I have seen him throw, run, and jump to chest bump teammates celebrating a play. He seems good to go. RB is a concern still. OL is a little less, but hard to tell. CBs are a little less overall, but moreso against your WRs.


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!

I know you dont wanna hear the 5*/2* talk, but I have a question about your rating system. What are those numbers compared to? Like I see you gave your CBs a 7. Do you mean they are a 7/10, as in better than 70% of the rest of the country? Or your conference, or what?

 

[Grey_pilgrim]

Now that spring camp is over, I thought I'd update my preview I did earlier in this thread.


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 20k 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.

update: CK was cleared for full contact today. He is supposed to be 100%. This is a good sign as he was projected at August 1, then July 1, then June 1, and now he's clear a few days before may. He's been throwing almost all spring, but not taking contact.

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.

spring update:Hill is supposed to be cleared June 1, I think. our backup RBs did okay in camp. A few had long runs in our spring game against our defense who hardly ever gives up runs over 8 yards. Hall has quick feet, but not great top-end speed. After him, it's a lot thinner. Hill should be full-go though.
Kennedy Williams played well, but he is just so tiny. His brother is one of our 3 backs drafted the last 2 years. He broke all of his HS records, but is a walk-on due to his size. Has average hands.

WR

Last year, we lost our top 5 receivers. This year, we return 7 of our top 10. The two we lose are Van Leeuwen, a slow white guy with good hands, and Travis Reynolds, a quick guy with big play potential.

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.
spring update: looked great in spring. Will be our best guy for sure.

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.
spring update:very solid spring. would be more than happy to have him as our top guy. luckily, he's our 2nd best.

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.
spring update:one of our better recruits will be here for fall. offers to ksu and reportedly texas, though I think i read they were trying to make him walk-on and earn the scholarship. I don't plan on us relying on him though, and if he's good enough to play, then we'll be in for a pleasant surprise.

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.(update:he wont) 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.
spring update:very happy with how this went in the spring. there is always a lot of give and take. If we give up a sack, is the defense good? and the line sucks? Always hard to tell when its a unit like the OL instead of individuals. Overall, we look fairly good. We will either be starting 3 seniors, a Jr and a So. or 4 seniors and a Jr, which helps make up for what we lose.

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
spring update:solid play, good depth, no superstars. as expected.
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

spring update:were as solid as expected, even with a starter out recovering from an injury he had last season. still the strength of our team.
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.
spring update: gray was good, but not great. got burned a few times but made some good plays. he can hit pretty well. the biggest surprise was devin centers. his dad was a good NFL player. he had two interceptions in the spring game, a forced fumble, chased down a guy on a 60 yard run. very fast, lots of muscle packed into a DB body. will be the nickel back. He was the best surprise of spring and I'm a lot more confident with him.

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.
spring update:much better now in coverage than with alexander. Alexander was terrible, and I mean terrible, in coverage. He played run defense or blitzed 80% of his snaps. So now we lose the run stopper, but we are better against the pass at S. Still not excited about the match up with your WRs. Neither S can guard one of them, obviously. We probably won't have a DB that can be on an island with any of your starters. I would bet we bring pressure from all over and show 9 standing players at the line to add confusion because we can't cover straight-up.

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/?


spring update: Not as worried about CK's health. I have seen him throw, run, and jump to chest bump teammates celebrating a play. He seems good to go. RB is a concern still. OL is a little less, but hard to tell. CBs are a little less overall, but moreso against your WRs.


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!

Tl;dr. Cliff notes version with cheerleader pics please. Oh and SEC players are 5* usu players are 2*!

 

[ficklez]

I know you dont wanna hear the 5*/2* talk, but I have a question about your rating system. What are those numbers compared to? Like I see you gave your CBs a 7. Do you mean they are a 7/10, as in better than 70% of the rest of the country? Or your conference, or what?

probably an okay way to put it i guess, but i meant it as a rough estimation of 1-bad 5-an ok unit barely above bad 7-a unit that's solid most of the time but capable of breakdowns and a 9 or 10 being a unit that is very strong.


so in the case of CB, we have two guys who are 3 stars and have potential, but haven't yet proven anything. That's where most of the rating comes from. we hardly ever have that at usu because our guys are return missionaries or 2 star guys buying into a system.


edit: it isn't based on recruiting rankings or talent ratings they were given out of HS though. Bobby Wagner is NFL defensive MVP caliber and was a 2 star. Same with Turbin, will davis, nevin lawson, etc. Also kyler fackrell, our LB who i mentioned is rated number 2 at LB in the draft. more based on watching spring/fall/summer practices and was a quick rating off the top of my head.

 

[PassedOutAwake]

probably an okay way to put it i guess, but i meant it as a rough estimation of 1-bad 5-an ok unit barely above bad 7-a unit that's solid most of the time but capable of breakdowns and a 9 or 10 being a unit that is very strong.


so in the case of CB, we have two guys who are 3 stars and have potential, but haven't yet proven anything. That's where most of the rating comes from. we hardly ever have that at usu because our guys are return missionaries or 2 star guys buying into a system.


edit: it isn't based on recruiting rankings or talent ratings they were given out of HS though. Bobby Wagner is NFL defensive MVP caliber and was a 2 star. Same with Turbin, will davis, nevin lawson, etc. Also kyler fackrell, our LB who i mentioned is rated number 2 at LB in the draft. more based on watching spring/fall/summer practices and was a quick rating off the top of my head.

so it kind of seems like your ratings are compared to your previous teams. maybe? possibly compared to the schedule you play? based just off of what I saw at UT, I wouldnt give Gray a 7 (and seems like hes your best CB based off of what Ive read). What he did when he played here, I would probably give him a 4 or 5

 

[ficklez]

so it kind of seems like your ratings are compared to your previous teams. maybe? possibly compared to the schedule you play? based just off of what I saw at UT, I wouldnt give Gray a 7 (and seems like hes your best CB based off of what Ive read). What he did when he played here, I would probably give him a 4 or 5

Kind of. more of a confidence grade. but I don't think it's a stretch if you say 1 is new mexico state a 10 is alabama and a 5 is, say east carolina/iowa.

I would say the difference between a 6 and 7 is a lot closer than between 7 and 8. maybe think of it as a bell curve where most units would fall between 3-7 and 1/2 8/9/10 are saved for the really bad or really good.

for another example, rating UT's QB I'd say
qb: 7/8
because I think you lack a good starter but have some potential and go deep without dropping off (hence the higher depth rating than starting)

 

[PassedOutAwake]

Kind of. more of a confidence grade. but I don't think it's a stretch if you say 1 is new mexico state a 10 is alabama and a 5 is, say east carolina/iowa.

I would say the difference between a 6 and 7 is a lot closer than between 7 and 8. maybe think of it as a bell curve where most units would fall between 3-7 and 1/2 8/9/10 are saved for the really bad or really good.

Makes sense, but if thats the case I have to question your LB rating because you gave them a 9. Although I dont know everything about your team I still have to question it since they fall in the elite category. a 9 with a 9 depth would mean you have like 5 or 6 NFL LBs with at least 1 going early in the draft. Teams that I would put in that category would be slim. Not sure all of these teams would make it

Bama
Stanford
UCLA
Ohio State
LSU

 

[Hamptonvolfan]

One of the things that USU has I wish we had. They seem to have access to Polynesian players in noticeable numbers. Before you VN'ers pooh pooh that, you'd be surprised at how many such players are in the pros. That bushy haired guy that play(s)(ed) for Pittsburg comes to mind quickly. Maori and Samoa guys come combat ready and that's no joke. I once sent an email to the Doo trying to encourage him to recruit such players. Wonder of wonders, I got a response. He said it had been tried before. The hindering factor was distance. There were no easy flights back to their island homes for family visits and it was very costly to boot. The claim was that western states had more success because there were nonstop flights that actually served these islands. But Tennessee was just too far and too costly for that.

A shame because from what I've read and been told and to some degree seen, these guys are tough and take their tasks very seriously. Something to do with the actual warrior training still very much part of their culture despite Euro-American influences. Want to talk about being nasty? These dudes invented it. They tend to be big, barrel chested and born with a mean streak. A shame we can't get them.

We had one IIRC Jesse Mahelona about 10 years ago who played tackle for us and was pretty good. Played in the pros for awhile.

 

[ficklez]

Makes sense, but if thats the case I have to question your LB rating because you gave them a 9. Although I dont know everything about your team I still have to question it since they fall in the elite category. a 9 with a 9 depth would mean you have like 5 or 6 NFL LBs with at least 1 going early in the draft. Teams that I would put in that category would be slim. Not sure all of these teams would make it

Bama
Stanford
UCLA
Ohio State
LSU

I really think our LB unit is extraordinary and top 10-15 in the country. They're excellent in run defense especially. Consider this:

Byu Taysom hill: held him to 14 yards. Averaged 103. Ran for 259 vs Texas, 101 vs notre dame, 130 vs Washington, over 100 vs Houston.

Jordan lynch: held to the 2nd lowest yardage as a starter in 28 games. Only lower was Purdue when he left early up 55-20something. Held him lower than Kansas, Iowa, Florida state. Most of his stats did come against bad schools though.


It's like that most games. IIRC, we played 6 top 20 rushing teams and zero reached their average and 3-4 were half their average. They really are solid. You can disagree if you want and I'm sure you will, but I doubt you've seen them play more than two games in three years and just assume I'm wrong because it's USU and they don't have any good players. It seems the general feeling here is that tennessee is better than usu at every single position 1-4 deep.

We probably have 1 going early since fackrelll is rated number 2. The younger vigil will be drafted, but he isn't high on boards yet because he's a sophomore and plays for usu. I would say 3 out of the top 6 end up drafted and 5/8 end up on a roster. Not the same as Alabama or some others, but very good. My main point though is we play very well as a unit and I don't feel 9/9 is overstating at all.

 

[ficklez]

Makes sense, but if thats the case I have to question your LB rating because you gave them a 9. Although I dont know everything about your team I still have to question it since they fall in the elite category. a 9 with a 9 depth would mean you have like 5 or 6 NFL LBs with at least 1 going early in the draft. Teams that I would put in that category would be slim. Not sure all of these teams would make it

Bama
Stanford
UCLA
Ohio State
LSU

I just realized we have opponents in common with the first three. I'll compare defenses w out looking ahead.

Alabama:
Csu vs Alabama: 6 points, 279 yards total. 51 rushing 228 passing.
Csu vs usu: 0 points, 185 yards total. 38 rushing 147 passing.

Do I think we have as good as a defense all around as Alabama? Of course not. Not even close to the depth they have or the speed and size combo. But I do believe those numbers, despite being just one game, show we are pretty good.


Stanford:
Stanford vs Utah: 27 points, 410 yards. 234 passing 176 rushing.
Usu vs Utah: 30 points, 450 yards. 302 passing 148 rushing.

Stanford vs USC: 20 points, 311 yards. 288 passing 23 rushing.
Usu vs USC: 17 points, 282 yards. 164 passing 118 rushing.


Ucla:
Ucla vs Utah: 27 points, 387 yards. 288/99
Usu vs Utah: 30 points, 450 yards. 302 passing 148 rushing.

Ucla vs USC: 14 points, 314/174/140.
Usu vs USC: 17 points, 282 yards. 164 passing 118 rushing.

 

[KnoxRealtorVOL]

I really think our LB unit is extraordinary and top 10-15 in the country. They're excellent in run defense especially. Consider this:

Byu Taysom hill: held him to 14 yards. Averaged 103. Ran for 259 vs Texas, 101 vs notre dame, 130 vs Washington, over 100 vs Houston.

Jordan lynch: held to the lowest yardage as a starter in 28 games. Only lower was Purdue when he left early up 55-20something. Held him lower than Kansas, Iowa, Florida state. Most of his stats did come against bad schools though.


It's like that most games. IIRC, we played 6 top 20 rushing teams and zero reached their average and 3-4 were half their average. They really are solid. You can disagree if you want and I'm sure you will, but I doubt you've seen them play more than two games in three years and just assume I'm wrong because it's USU and they don't have any good players. It seems the general feeling here is that tennessee is better than usu at every single position 1-4 deep.

I don't understand why you don't see that as a reasonable assumption. If you look at high school players as a whole, the elite go to the big teams and the big conferences. There wouldn't be a logical explanation as to why your players are better than ours at any position. I'm willing to give you QB, your QB would potentially start for us. But look at our LB corp, or our DB's, or our RB's, WR's, etc. and tell me you can find one in our 2-deep that would sit the bench for your team.

I mean, good grief man, isn't Daniel Gray going to start for you? He would have been well recruited over and wouldn't have seen the field for us in 2013. He barely saw the field during what was statistically the worst defense in Tennessee history.

You will beat us by coaching/execution or you won't beat us at all. You can not match us in talent.

 

[ficklez]

I don't understand why you don't see that as a reasonable assumption. If you look at high school players as a whole, the elite go to the big teams and the big conferences. There wouldn't be a logical explanation as to why your players are better than ours at any position. I'm willing to give you QB, your QB would potentially start for us. But look at our LB corp, or our DB's, or our RB's, WR's, etc. and tell me you can find one in our 2-deep that would sit the bench for your team.

I mean, good grief man, isn't Daniel Gray going to start for you? He would have been well recruited over and wouldn't have seen the field for us in 2013. He barely saw the field during what was statistically the worst defense in Tennessee history.

You will beat us by coaching/execution or you won't beat us at all. You can not match us in talent.

Because it isn't. Do you think there isn't a single QB in a mid major conference than yours? Or RB? Or center? Or corner or linebacker or safety? You really think your OLB is better than fackrell just because he had more stars in high school? Chuckie keeton is on the heisman watch list but Worley is better? They'd both start over EVERY. SINGLE. PLAYER. on your entire roster.

 

[Nashvol2]

I don't understand why you don't see that as a reasonable assumption. If you look at high school players as a whole, the elite go to the big teams and the big conferences. There wouldn't be a logical explanation as to why your players are better than ours at any position. I'm willing to give you QB, your QB would potentially start for us. But look at our LB corp, or our DB's, or our RB's, WR's, etc. and tell me you can find one in our 2-deep that would sit the bench for your team.

I mean, good grief man, isn't Daniel Gray going to start for you? He would have been well recruited over and wouldn't have seen the field for us in 2013. He barely saw the field during what was statistically the worst defense in Tennessee history.

You will beat us by coaching/execution or you won't beat us at all. You can not match us in talent.

Lol @ Daniel Gray comments. Gray would be in the 2 deep rotation at corner this year and last if he was still at UT.

 

[KnoxRealtorVOL]

Because it isn't. Do you think there isn't a single QB in a mid major conference than yours? Or RB? Or center? Or corner or linebacker or safety? You really think your OLB is better than fackrell just because he had more stars in high school? Chuckie keeton is on the heisman watch list but Worley is better? They'd both start over EVERY. SINGLE. PLAYER. on your entire roster.

Hmm...... I'm trying to decide where to start. Well, you made a very sound argument regarding Worley/Keeton, but I'm not going to point out the part of my post that you obviously overlooked regarding the QB's, I don't want to make you feel any dumber than you already will after you see it.

Our OLB is Curt Maggit, arguably the best defensive player on our roster, so yes I think he's better than your guy that no one has ever heard of. As for every other position...... you're asking do I think we're pretty much all-around more talented at every position? Yeah....... I do.

 

[KnoxRealtorVOL]

Lol @ Daniel Gray comments. Gray would be in the 2 deep rotation at corner this year and last if he was still at UT.

But couldn't get adequate PT on the 2012 defense? Something seems unlikely about that.

 

[Ned Ray McWorkher]

Good to see these Utah guys have confidence. That'll carry you a long way. Like back out west toting an arse whippin. Can't see us really losing to them. Sorry.

 

[ficklez]

Hmm...... I'm trying to decide where to start. Well, you made a very sound argument regarding Worley/Keeton, but I'm not going to point out the part of my post that you obviously overlooked regarding the QB's, I don't want to make you feel any dumber than you already will after you see it.

Our OLB is Curt Maggit, arguably the best defensive player on our roster, so yes I think he's better than your guy that no one has ever heard of. As for every other position...... you're asking do I think we're pretty much all-around more talented at every position? Yeah....... I do.

Curt is ranked 19th at OLB in the draft. Our guy is #2. Is curt better than 19? Definitely. Is he number 1? Noooooope. You've proven your worth here in this thread. I'll keep it in mind for all future posts of yours that I'm unfortunate enough to stumble across.

 

[KnoxRealtorVOL]

Curt is ranked 19th at OLB in the draft. Our guy is #2. Is curt better than 19? Definitely. Is he number 1? Noooooope. You've proven your worth here in this thread. I'll keep it in mind for all future posts of yours that I'm unfortunate enough to stumble across.

Curt just spent an entire year on the sidelines. I know being a USU fan you probably haven't had a ton of experience with players getting drafted, but a year of injury tends to hurt your draft stock.

Meanwhile, "fackrell" (again, never heard of him) has been padding his stats against one of the weakest schedules in the NCAA.

Again, put Maggit on your team, playing nobody's and see where his draft stock goes. Or better yet, put your guy in a real conference, playing teams that actually have a pulse every week, and something tells me he's not getting nearly as much national attention.

 

[LotteryPick]

Curt is ranked 19th at OLB in the draft. Our guy is #2. Is curt better than 19? Definitely. Is he number 1? Noooooope. You've proven your worth here in this thread. I'll keep it in mind for all future posts of yours that I'm unfortunate enough to stumble across.

Curt did not play a single snap last season. Not a good argument at all.

I'm taking Keeton over anything we have and Maggitt over Fackrell.

 

[MJA]

Curt just spent an entire year on the sidelines. I know being a USU fan you probably haven't had a ton of experience with players getting drafted, but a year of injury tends to hurt your draft stock.

Meanwhile, "fackrell" (again, never heard of him) has been padding his stats against one of the weakest schedules in the NCAA.

Again, put Maggit on your team, playing nobody's and see where his draft stock goes. Or better yet, put your guy in a real conference, playing teams that actually have a pulse every week, and something tells me he's not getting nearly as much national attention.

Like Bobby Wagner, 2012 2nd round pick and defensive leader of the 2014 Super Bowl champion Seahawks?
Seattle Seahawks: Bobby Wagner

Fackrell is better at this point (2 years in, Junior this upcoming year) than Wagner was as a Sophomore.

I've honestly never heard of Maggitt before hearing about him on this board...guess he sucks too?

 

[KnoxRealtorVOL]

Like Bobby Wagner, 2012 2nd round pick and defensive leader of the 2014 Super Bowl champion Seahawks?
Seattle Seahawks: Bobby Wagner

Do you really want to have this conversation?

 

[MJA]

Do you really want to have this conversation?

You said we don't know about NFL draft picks (and in this case, we are talking about LBs too). One of the best LBs in the NFL was a Utah State player drafted 2 years ago...but we don't know anything

We've had about 6 players drafted the past 3 years, and will have 3-4 more this year. Obviously not SEC level, but we have our fair share.

 

[WoodsmanVol]

Regarding the smallest guy ever on the field, your 5'7" 145lbs, midget. I haven't myself but take a look at the South Carolina middle school kicker. I saw him at the game last year and was stunned at how tiny he was. He honestly looked like a middle school student. I thought he was a mascot or adopted kid for team morale or due to some kind of make a wish thing. Then the imp trotted out to kick. I didn't even know Tinkerbell had a leprechaun-fairy mixed magic cousin. But there he was, mythical status notwithstanding.

UPDATE: Looks like I'm dead wrong about the guy's size and all. i could have sworn I saw a Fellowship of the Ring dwarf clone in uniform at the USC game. Must be getting old and senile and the ceremonial peyote sessions cooking my brain.