The Utah State football team is now more than a week into its fall camp, including one scrimmage on Saturday, and some new players are starting to make an impact with the coaching staff.
Co-defensive coordinator Kendrick Shaver said the Aggies, after a 3-9 campaign last year, placed an emphasis on recruiting linebackers to create depth at that unit. Two linebackers new to the program, Ellsworth Community College transfer Louy Compton and Lakewood (Wash.) freshman Maika Magalei, are also serving another depth need - players who can put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
“We knew we had to go out and get a pass rusher. We think we’ve got two,” Shaver said. “It was a conscious effort to get guys that can rush the passer. We didn’t have that last year.”
Offensive coordinator David Yost said that the wide receivers, including junior Ron’quavion Tarver and senior Jaren Colston-Green, are helping set the standard in practice. Yost also pointed to the progress of redshirt freshman Jordan Nathan (Monrovia, Calif.) and true freshman Savon Scarver (Las Vegas Centennial) as positives for the receiving corps.
“We’ve been able to make more explosive plays than I would’ve thought at this time,” Yost said.
Open scrimmage on Saturday
The Aggies will have another closed scrimmage on Wednesday and then an open scrimmage on Saturday at 2 p.m.
After the scrimmage, dubbed “Football Family Fun Day” at Maverik Stadium’s Merlin Olsen Field, all of the remaining practice sessions will be closed to the public.Utah State starts the season on Sept. 1, a Friday night game, at Wisconsin.
“We got out pretty healthy and that’s the biggest thing,” said Shaver of the first scrimmage. “You’ve always got that in the back of your mind when you do live reps, but you need live reps to play football.”
Happy birthday, coach
For head coach Matt Wells, a rendition of happy birthday wasn’t all the players and coaches had in store after practice last Thursday.
After the sing-a-long, Wells was given the hot seat for a dunk tank brought in for the occasion. And he went into the water on more than one occasion as players sometimes legitimately hit the trigger arm with a ball but sometimes also ran up to use their hands.
It was Wells’ 44th birthday.
Basketball team heading to Italy
The Utah State men’s basketball team leaves on Wednesday for a preseason tour of Italy. The Aggies will visit Rome, San Marino, Triest and Lake Como on a 10-day trip that will include four games.
USU coach Tim Duryea said that schools can take a trip like this in advance of the basketball schedule once over four years, but this is the first such venture for his Aggies.
“We’ve never taken a tour like this for the last 20 years I know. We had some boosters step up and, anytime you can get these players this experience, it’s a trip of a lifetime,” Duryea said.
From a basketball standpoint, the team will get 10 practices that it wouldn’t have otherwise. And those extra sessions include incoming freshmen and transfers.
“Anybody you’ve recruited, who is eligible to play for you next year, can go on the trip,” Duryea said. “Guys who haven’t even suited up for Utah State can get the 10 days of practice and get four games. We get a feel for them, they get a feel for how we do things.”