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LOGAN — It’s been a while since Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton has played in front of a crowd.
Imagine his emotion when the senior signal caller was greeted by nearly 9,000 fans at Romney Stadium for the Aggies’ second scrimmage of fall camp as part of the annual Family Fun Day.
“It really showed the team can step up and perform in front of a crowd,” said Keeton, who completed 14 of 30 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns. “It doesn’t matter if it’s in front of one person or one million, you’ve still got to go out and play. We want to be a great team, and this is one way we feel we can step up to it.”
Utah State coach Matt Wells said the first-string offense and defense showed well Saturday. But the fan turnout was the highlight of the evening.
“The first thing I looked up when we came out,” Wells said, “was the tremendous support by our fans, especially the ones here in Cache Valley; they really turned out.”
The first thing I looked up when we came out was the tremendous support by our fans, especially the ones here in Cache Valley; they really turned out.
–Utah State head coach Matt Wells
The Aggie offense picked right up where it left off, scoring on its first five series that included a 6-yard pass by Keeton to wide receiver JoJo Natson on the scrimmage’s opening drive. Keeton also found junior college transfer Hunter Sharp for a 27-yard touchdown pass to cap an eight-play, 65-yard drive early.
“I’d say more than anything, he was just making a play,” Keeton said of Sharp. “I had a little bit of pressure, and I decided to let him make a play. He had the speed to catch up to the ball.”
The Aggies scored four touchdowns and two field goals, kicks from 31 and 35 yards by senior kicker Nick Diaz and sophomore Jake Thompson, respectively.
The defense then stood strong on a pair of two-minute drills, keeping the offense out of the end zone to cap the scrimmage. The defense finished with four sacks, 10 tackles for loss, nine pass break-ups and a 38-yard fumble return by junior Anthony Williams.
“On the defense, I thought we played a lot better,” senior safety Brian Suite said. “We made the plays we needed to make, and we’re really happy all around.”
Suite was also impressed with senior running back Joe Hill, who ran the ball four times for 59 yards — flashing a 45-yard romp on his first carry.
“Personally, what I saw was Joe Hill running the ball,” Suite said. “That’s great to see; I haven’t seen Joe Hill run that fast in some time. It’s great to see him back, and Chuckie doing what Chuckie does best.”
Utah State will have two-a-day practices Monday to start the third week of fall camp, when the team will transition into preparing for the Aug. 31 season opener at Tennessee. Though he saw a lot of improvement from the first to second scrimmage, Wells said there is still plenty to work on before their focus completely shifts to the Vols.
“In some ways, I think we’ve exceeded expectations, especially with some younger players,” Wells said. “There are probably two or three guys that are banged up in training camp that I wish weren’t banged up. But that’s life in the fast lane with the physical training camp that we’ve had. I wish that wasn’t the case, but I’m OK with it.”
The Aggies’ final scrimmage of fall camp will be Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Romney Stadium.
