1st and Ten –
Hey, who’s the new guy? – Here are a few facts about the
Utah State running game from last season. Facts that might
actually make January arrival running back Marcus Cross from
Garden City Community College the most valuable signee that the
Aggies have had in a while. First fact – the running backs led
the team in rushing in a game twice. That’s right. In only two
games did the position of running back lead the team in
rushing. Second fact – the Aggies were 92nd in the
nation running and in the bottom half of the WAC. Third fact –
the Aggies registered 1,287 yards total, a total that was
surpassed by 18 individuals last season in college football.
Fourth fact – the leading rusher on the team Ryan Bohm had 340
yards and yes, he was a running back, but the next two in line
were QBs Leon Jackson and Jerod Walker. All in all, running
backs accounted for less than half of the rushing total on the
season. Ouch. With that horrid 2005 season behind them, enter
Cross, a 5’11”, 210 pound package from GCCC, via Houston. The
juco transfer should be able to infuse this offense with some
speed and explosion…and hopefully more than 340 yards rushing.
He’ll need some help from his offensive line, as all good
running backs do, but if the new guy (not head coach Brent Guy)
lives up to the hype, the Aggie offense will take a big step
forward.
2nd and Seven –
Dude, where are all the Chicks? – With the arrival of former
Arizona State defensive coordinator Brent Guy as Aggie head
coach, it wasn’t surprising to see the emergence of a defensive
star, former Aggie defensive end John Chick. All the senior
defensive end did last year was pile up 19 tackles for a loss
and 12.5 sacks per game. Alas, the Chick has blossomed into a,
well, let’s just say he’s on to the NFL, and the Aggies need
someone to fill the role of ‘edge disruptor’ this season. The
secondary gave up over 260 yards per game last year, and there’s
nothing they’d like better than to see someone get upfield
pressure on the quarterback. Youngsters like Ben Calderwood,
Bevan Howard, Michael Martini and Darby Golden will have to turn
up the heat on the perimeter to get the attention of WAC
quarterbacks this fall.
3rd and Three –
Uh, ya’ think he should get a full ride? – It happens
nearly every year at every institution in every level of college
football. Some walk-on, given only one opportunity, turns into
one of the best players on his team and in the conference. Say
hello to Jake Hutton, Aggie linebacker who led the team in
tackles with 87. Suffice it to say, the young man was given a
scholly for his effort last year, a year in which he was named
to the Sporting News freshman All-American team. At 6’ and 225,
Hutton isn’t a prototypical linebacker, sizewise, but the man
knows how to get the football and he’s hungry to make plays.
He’s solid in the middle, making one tackle after another, and
he should be the foundation for this defense playing behind two
experienced defensive tackles Brian Soi (another freshman
All-American) and E.J Reid.
4th and One –
Life in the WAC, Chapter two – A conference change. A new
coaching staff. From a football standpoint, there may not be
two more difficult things to encounter during a football season
than those two. But, those two ‘changes’ should be in the Aggie
rearview mirror, but how far in the distance are they? In other
words, can this team make enough progress to get into the mix
for a potential bowl game? They’re probably not quite at that
point, but a second year under Guy and a relatively consistent
coaching staff should pay dividends near the end of the second
season. A WAC championship is probably out of the question, but
with Leon Jackson, Tony Pennyman, Kevin Robinson, Marcus Cross
and Jake Hutton as playmakers, the future does look a little
better. And, that’s progress, as little as it might be.