Offense:

 

The biggest question coming into the season will be the offensive line. Often overlooked by fans, the offensive lines sets the table for the running game and pass protection. Leaving is All-American C Tyler Larsen and three other starting seniors. This means SR. Kevin Whimpey will now be the only returning starter to this group. The departing seniors take with them 154 career starts, leaving just 27 for this year's squad (Whimpey owns 26 of those). RT Jake Simonich appeared in every game last season, while Guards Bill Vavau and Taani Fisilau have some D1 experience. The battle for Center will continue over fall camp.

 

The Aggies have had four 1000 yard rushers in the past five seasons. With that said, none of those were "one horse" backfields. Players like Michael Smith and Robert Marshall lightened the load for the #1 guy. The two guys this year will be SR. Joe Hill and JR. Rashad Hall (Somebody please come up with a good nickname for Hill and Hall). Hill, who won the starting job out of camp last year, comes back from an early season ending injury while Hall rushed for 1400 yards at a JC before being redshirted last year. Little experience is behind these two, so it is important for them to stay healthy. I see this group being a little stronger than last year's tandem of DeMartino and Marshall.

 

Bruce "JoJo" Natson is officially the only starter returning to the WR core, but don't let that fool you. This group is well experience. JR. Brandon Swindall and SR. Ronald Butler stepped in nicely last year for a group that only returned 25% of 2012's total receptions. This year 48% of total receptions return with Natson, Swindall, and Butler as the top three WR's. Wyatt Houston came in relief of injured DJ Tialavea and performed well as a freshman. For his size, he has great hands and will only progress as a sophomore TE. This group lacks a true #1 guy who can counted on for big receptions (circa Matt Austin), but the core depth should keep defenses honest as the ball can be thrown to any guy on any given play. 

 

Chuckie Keeton has brought an excitement, energy, and optimism to this program like no other player before. He truly is one of the most entertaining players to watch in college football. Period. Ever since he started his first game as an 18 year old true freshman against the defending national champion Auburn Tigers, he has gained the love of every Aggie fan. The biggest question mark will be staying healthy. Keeton has missed 13 starts in the past three seasons. That's a scary number when you want to rely on him so much. If you've ever seen the movie Friday Night Lights, you understand the emotions felt when star Boobie Miles went down with an injury. Complete shock and silence in the crowd. So much silence that you could actually hear the screams of pain from Miles. That's exactly what happened when Keeton went down at home vs. BYU last year. It was one of the more surreal sports moments I have personally witnessed. If Chuckie is able to come back 100%, it would be a huge increase in production from a group that struggled at times in replacing the injured star. Craig Harrison was the first to try and fill the void, but was put in a really tough spot having to come in vs. BYU and then make his first career start against a good Boise State defense. Harrison didn't last long, as true freshman Darell Garretson started the 2nd half vs. Boise State, and never gave up the starting job the rest of the season. Garretson lacked arm strength, but made up for it with good vision and overall athleticism. He will only get stronger, but it is obvious the offense is in much better hands with Keeton on the field. 

 

With the lack of dominance at the quarterback position in the last two months of the season, we saw the reemergence of the "Wild Aggie" offense. First started with Stanley Morrison back in 2011, who threw for 98 yards, ran for 97 yards, and caught 441 yards, the "Wild Aggie" was re-born with Bruce Natson and was utilized a few times during the year. Now with the amazing athleticism of Keeton and Natson available at the same time, look for packages where Keeton lines up at receiver while Natson is under shotgun. I'm calling a trick play touchdown right now with these two involved in this formation. 

 

Defense:

 

Five starters return to a defense that was dominant and tops in the Mountain West conference last year. The Aggies were able to limit six of their opponents to their lowest point totals on the season. That's just impressive. Although six starters need to be replaced, the core of the unit is still in tact. At each spot (DL, LB, DB) there is experience and skill to reload this tough group.

 

BJ Larsen leads the D-Line up front with an experienced JR. Jordan Nielsen on the other side of him. JR. Travis Seefeldt should step in nicely at nose guard with 3.5 tackles for loss last season. 

 

The man who seems to be everywhere on the field is JR. Kyler Fackrell. In the 3-4 defense, Fackrell is able to play more of a rover-role and can be placed just about anywhere on any given play. Opposing offenses are very cognizant of where Fackrell is on every play, and usually try to go where he isn't. This plays right into the hands of the Vigil brothers, Zach and Nick. Zach Vigil returns the most tackles from last season with 124. The LB tandem of the Vigil brothers accounted for 7.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. The front seven of this defense is very impressive, and the linebackers might have the slightest edge over the D-Line on skill.

 

The corner and safety positions are the more unknown areas of the defense. SR. Brian Suite is the only returning starter of the group, but the coaching staff has loaded the group with as much athleticism as possible. Originally a RB recruit, Kelvin Lee was too athletic of a player to be sitting on the bench and the team moved him to the defensive side. Sophomore Daniel Gray has been touted as the most athletic player of anyone in the group, and is likely to earn a CB starting role. Gray is also a former Tennessee transfer, so that'll be an interesting reunion the first game of the season for him. SR. Frankie Sutera brings experience to the safety role as well, and will battle with players like Deshane Hines, Marwin Evans, and Rashad Stewart for the remaining starting and key replacement roles.

 

Bowling Again:

 

After going to a bowl game in a record three straight years, look for Utah State to return to the postseason for the fourth year in a row. The likely destination is the Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise, ID. With the way the Mountain West does their bowl alignment, the conference champion earns a trip to Las Vegas, while the other five bowl tie-ins are distributed on a "best fit scenario" format. It really wouldn't matter where Utah State finishes if they land in the 3 through 6 position in the conference because the only likely team who would request Boise as their bowl choice would be Nevada, but it is unlikely for the Wolfpack to finish ahead of the Aggies. The bowl game cities tied to the Mountain West are Las Vegas, San Diego, Honolulu, Albuquerque, New Orleans, and Boise. Some would say the Hawaii bowl would be better for the Aggies, but less fans would be able to attend compared to Boise, and for this reason, the school would prefer the Potato Bowl. The only way Utah State would go to another bowl is if they won the conference and went to the Las Vegas bowl or was selected as the top Non-Power conference team and attend a major bowl. The other way is if Boise State or Fresno State earn the top Non-Power conference bid, and Utah State replaces them in Las Vegas. The Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego seems to be a long shot with Fresno State, San Diego State, and Boise State as better options for fan attendance. Also, bowls like to have new teams instead of repeats from a year ago. 

 

Aggie fans may be upset with the notion of another appearance in the Potato Bowl. The fact that they would play a MAC team for the fourth straight year also has fans asking for better matchups. It is definitely a little frustrating to not allow the team and fans to compare vs. other conferences and stronger opponents. It is also a testament to just how much this program has grown in such a fast manner. Only a few years ago, fans were dying for a bowl appearance. Now, Aggie faithful shrug at facing the #2 team from the MAC and the ability to drive four hours to watch the bowl game in person. 

 

Game previews:

 

Tennessee: Both teams come in with very limited offensive line experience. I expect Justin Worley to win the QB battle for the Vols. He threw for 1239 yds., 10 TDs, 8 INTs, and a 56% completion percentage. Worley is definitely not a duel threat QB, running for a mere 56 yards in the entire season last year. With his inability to escape the pocket along with a young offensive line, the Aggies should be able to limit points on the board. The lower scoring game it is, the better it is for Utah State.

 

Idaho State: The best part for the Bengals will be their quick 90 minute drive home.

 

Wake Forest: The Aggies are 0-3 all-time vs. current ACC teams. Although this will be the first time Utah State has hosted an ACC team. Fun fact: The Demon Deacons have never traveled west of Texas and won. Their only game vs. a current Mountain West team was a loss to Air Force 42-0 in Colorado Springs. With a new coach, Wake Forest seems to be looking towards the future, naming true freshman QB John Wolford as the opening day starter.  

 

Arkansas State: Though the Red Wolves should compete for a Sun Belt championship, Utah State should be favored in this road game. Former Aggie QB Adam Kennedy helped lead Arkansas State to a bowl appearance last season. Kennedy is gone, but they still bring back their top WR, RB, and defender. 

 

BYU: Losers of 13 of the last 14 matchups, the Aggies will try to win in Provo for the first time since 1978. It would be tough to imagine Chuckie Keeton unable to defeat Utah State's biggest rival at least once in his career. Even though history hasn't been kind to the Aggies in Provo, recent meetings show it is possible to win. If Utah State is able to contain Taysom Hill and Jamaal Williams, the Cougars may be forced to use more of their passing game, a weakness on this team. 

 

Air Force: In their first Mountain West game ever, Utah State was able to handle a weak Falcons team on the road 52-20. Although it would be nice to see that kind of dominance again at home, Air Force is a consistent bowl team and should be a lot stronger than their struggling squad from a year ago. The Aggies still own a distinct advantage matching up with the Falcons option offense with one of the best front seven defenses in the conference. 

 

Colorado State: With extreme winds up to 40 mph, offenses were unable to use their passing games in any successful manner. Forced to use their running game against an already tough run stopping defense, the Rams were shutout 13-0 in Logan. Colorado State had 38 yards of total rushing on 34 attempts. This was coming off the Rams RB Kapri Bibbs rushing for 600 yards combined in his previous two games. Expect a completely different game when these two meet up in Fort Collins. With arguably the top two QBs in the conference, Keeton and CSU's Garrett Grayon should meet up for a more high scoring and high flying affair. The Rams are the most likely team to compete with the Utah State and Boise State for the top two division spots.

 

UNLV: In what was probably the most exciting finish of any Aggie game last year, the Rebels were unable to punch through the end zone on four chances inside the 10 yard line with less than two minutes to go. UNLV was one of the surprise successes of the Mountain West last season. They were able to reach a bowl for the first time since 2000. The Rebels are ineligible for a bowl game this year and they lose their top QB, RB, and four of five top tacklers. Unless their top player, WR Devante Davis, goes off and has his best game of his career, look for Utah State to handle the Rebels at home. 

 

Hawaii: The last time Utah State visited the Island, it was the turning point of the program. With a record of 2-5 and down 28-7 at halftime, the Aggies were able to come back and win 35-31 and go on to win five straight games and appear in their first bowl game since 1997. Hawaii has struggled the past two years, and are still looking for a offensive leader. They also lose their top four defenders. 

 

Wyoming: Even though the Cowboys are not expected to have a great team, this game could be a little tricky. It's a Friday night game in November. That means the weather in Laramie can be a big factor in evening the playing field. Wyoming had five wins from a season ago, four of them coming at home. 

 

New Mexico: Now without their top player, RB Kasey Carrier, the Lobos are expecting to count on their QB Cole Gautsche a little more. Problem is he had a 45% completion percentage last year, which is pretty underwhelming. Gautsche did rush for 881 yards and 8 TDs, but he will have to improve his passing game to be considered a true duel threat QB. As mentioned before, teams struggling to pass the ball are usually unsuccessful against Utah State's defense. 

 

San Jose State: These are two teams that have found recent success in a history of having trouble finding wins as a program. Utah State went on a 14 year hiatus from bowl games and the Spartans spent 22 years without a winning record before 2012. San Jose State lost one of their most influential program players in QB David Fales, who was drafted this past April by the Chicago Bears. They're expected to regress offensively, and with an already suspect defense, it may be a rebuilding years for the Spartans.

 

Boise State: In what seemed to be the division title game a year ago, the Broncos took advantage of an Aggie team without Chuckie Keeton and Joe Hill. Luckily for Utah State, the Broncos lost to Fresno State and San Diego State, two teams that the Aggies did not have to face. So even with a head-to-head loss, Utah State finished ahead of Boise State in the standings. It is a distinct possibility that these two will meet on the final week of the season undefeated in conference play. If so, the division title will be decided on the smurf turf in Boise. The Broncos were an amazing 42-0 at home while in the WAC and have lost only two home games in the Mountain West. In those two losses, two point conversions were key. In the 36-35 loss to TCU in 2011, the Horned Frogs were 2 for 2 on two point conversions. Against San Diego State in 2012, the Broncos were 0 for 2 on two point conversions and fell 21-19. Strange considering Boise State is famous for what might be the most memorable two point conversions in college football history when they defeated Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl on a Statue of Liberty play.