Offense rallies to win, but defense on full display at Utah State spring game


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LOGAN — Utah State’s defense was a force at the Aggies’ annual blue-and-white spring scrimmage Saturday afternoon at the newly named Maverik Stadium.

Despite a final drive that saw DJ Nelson connect with wide receiver Tyler Fox for the only touchdown of the scrimmage — erasing a 37-point deficit for a 50-48 victory for the offensive “Blue” team — the “White” team of first-string defense showed it still has plenty of talent coming through the program.

“I felt like we held our own,” Utah State defensive end Ricky Ali'ifua told reporters after the game. “We came out and had something to prove; the defense is the heart of this team, and that’s where we are going to continue to improve as a program.”

Utah State's defense forced 10 3-and-outs on the afternoon, highlighted by eight tackles for loss from eight different players, a sack and six pass break-ups, as the White team took a 40-7 lead into the final quarter. Sophomore linebacker Ian Togiai had five tackles to lead the Aggie defense, which got four tackles each from senior Jarom Baldomero, junior Daniel Gray, senior Deshane Hines and junior Jentz Painter.

Punter Aaron Dalton, the freshman from Viewmont High, seemed to be the lone showcase opposite the defense for the opening three quarters, which included a 62-yard punt on the offense’s second series of the second half. Dalton punted 13 times with an average of 49.3 yards per punt and eight punts of 50 yards or more.

The game was played in four 15-minute quarters with a running clock, except inside the two-minute drill. The defense scored points based on sacks, tackles for loss, three-and-outs, interceptions and so forth, while the offense accumulated points based on first downs, big plays, and the usual touchdowns and field goals.

Utah State's defense puts pressure on quarterback DJ Nelson during a football scrimmage in the former Romney Stadium, now Maverik Stadium, at Utah State University on Saturday, April 11, 2015. (Chelsey Allder/Deseret News)
Utah State's defense puts pressure on quarterback DJ Nelson during a football scrimmage in the former Romney Stadium, now Maverik Stadium, at Utah State University on Saturday, April 11, 2015. (Chelsey Allder/Deseret News)

Nelson scored the offense’s only touchdown, but fifth-year senior quarterback Chuckie Keeton took the majority of the snaps for the offense, playing the entire scrimmage without a knee brace — much like he has through spring camp. Keeton was the signal caller for seven of the Aggies’ 15 offensive series, while Damion Hobbs, DJ Nelson and New Mexico Bowl offensive MVP Kent Myers split the remaining sequences at quarterback.

“I felt great physically,” an upbeat Keeton said after the game. “Worst case scenario is the adrenaline's going to take over, and I’ll still feel great. But overall, this is a product of the last few weeks. I’m excited to get back out here and play some reps with these guys.”

Keeton completed 7-of-18 passes for 55 yards, and redshirt freshman Zach Van Leeuwen led all receivers with 50 yards on five catches. Redshirt sophomore running back Tonny Lindsey gained 19 yards on six carries to pace the Aggie ground game.

Myers, who was moved back to quarterback from wide receiver after seeing time there through spring camp, entered the game in the second quarter and led the Aggies in three series, while Hobbs had three and Nelson two.

Third-year head coach Matt Wells said Keeton has cemented himself as the Aggies’ top quarterback, but that the other three quarterbacks — as well as incoming freshman Cade Smith from Salem, Oregon — will compete through the summer for the backup role.

“I think Chuckie Keeton is an elite quarterback in this league. He’s the guy who has proven himself on game day, and he’s a tremendous leader and person,” Wells said. “He’ll work hard this summer and get the offense going. I have a tremendous amount of confidence with Chuckie.


I think Chuckie Keeton is an elite quarterback in this league. He's the guy who has proven himself on game day, and he's a tremendous leader and person. He'll work hard this summer and get the offense going. I have a tremendous amount of confidence with Chuckie. It will be a great battle with DJ (Nelson), Kent Myers, Damion Hobbs and Cade Smith coming in throughout this summer for that backup job.

–Utah State head coach Matt Wells


“It will be a great battle with DJ, Kent Myers, Damion Hobbs and Cade Smith coming in throughout this summer for that backup job.”

Utah State was missing several key players on offense and defense, including former preseason All-American linebacker Kyler Fackrell, who watched from the sideline after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in the Aggies’ first game of 2014. But the rest of the Utah State defenders filled into their roles, especially on the defensive line.

“Our motto has always been ‘next man up,’ and so a lot of people had opportunities this spring with a lot of people being down,” Ali’ifua said. “This scrimmage gave a lot of the younger guys an opportunity show up, and show what they can bring to the table. A lot of our guys did that, especially on the D-line. It was a good opportunity.”

Having a strong defense to compete against in scrimmages — and every day in practice — is an advantage for the Utah State offense, too.

“It gives us a great defense to go against every day; you can only get better by competing against the best,” Keeton said. “I think that’s what we do every single day. I’m excited to see what they can do this season. On top of that, we have a couple of guys who still didn’t practice or scrimmage, so I think we’ll only get better as time goes on.”

The doesn’t mean the Aggies are a finished product yet — like most teams coming out of the spring session.

“We still have a long way to go,” Ali’ifua added. “There’s a lot of improvement that can be made, but for now, it’s a good start going into summer camp and we’ll see what happens.”

Utah State will wrap up spring camp with its final practice Monday at 3:45 p.m. The Aggies kick off the 2015 season at Maverik Stadium on Sept. 3 against Southern Utah.

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