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LOGAN — When senior Craig Harrison went down with a knee injury Saturday afternoon in front of an announced crowd of 20,153 fans at Romney Stadium, wide receiver JoJo Natson couldn’t help but believe that the team was cursed.
Harrison was the Aggies’ third starting quarterback to suffer a significant injury, and Utah State (5-3, 2-1 MWC) still has half the schedule ahead of it. True freshman Kent Myers now sits atop the depth chart, backed up by fellow freshman DJ Nelson.
But Natson wasn’t worried.
“We’re like brothers,” said Natson, who finished with 124 yards and a touchdown in USU’s 34-20 win over UNLV. “Every time someone goes down, we wrap our arms around him and see the next man up. Whoever steps up, they can get the job done, and we’ll move on from there.”
The season started off with high expectations for Utah State, with senior quarterback Chuckie Keeton holding dark-horse Heisman potential and the team opening with a bang on the road at historic Tennessee.
We're like brothers. Every time someone goes down, we wrap our arms around him and see the next man up. Whoever steps up, they can get the job done, and we'll move on from there.
–Utah State receiver Jojo Natson.
But things started to unravel within a few games. Star linebacker Kyler Fackrell tore his anterior cruciate ligament against the Vols, and Keeton went down in game three against Wake Forest. Backup quarterback Darell Garretson hurt the wrist on his throwing arm in the Aggies’ loss at Colorado State, and Utah State has also been without a number of other players, such as wide receiver Brandon Swindall.
Bad luck, sure, but that’s football, Utah State coach Matt Wells said.
“You’ve just got to put a smile on your face and roll,” he added. “My hat goes off to these kids, because of what they do every day. They grind and they prepare to win. It’s a reflection to me of how they prepare and practice all week. We’ll continue to do that the next couple of weeks.”
The Aggies’ senior class became the winningest such group in program history Saturday, and the contingent will be required to do bigger things going forward. That includes the No. 4 rush defense in the country with the likes of seniors B.J. Larsen and Zach Vigil, as well as linebacker LT Filiaga, who had a career-high nine tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss against the Rebels.
“Lately coach Wells has challenged our defense to be elite,” Filiaga said Saturday. “We have to step up, either put points on the board or beat the ball back from offense as much as we can. Our defense has understood that.”
The elite defense has translated to offense, too. Linebacker Nick Vigil has taken huge strides at running back, going for a team-best 51 yards on 11 carries over the weekend. Zach Vigil and Travis Seefeldt also saw a few plays on offense, and Wells said it may not be the last time his staff gets creative to put points on the board.
“We have no choice,” Wells said. “I got hired to win games and graduate kids.
“You’ve got to create points and manufacture points. It doesn’t matter. A 3-0 win would’ve been beautiful — even 2-0; it doesn’t matter. You have to find a way to win. We’re going to have a great attitude about it.”
Natson has been a capable receiver at Utah State in his three years of eligibility, and he also ranks among the nation’s best in punt returns. When he asked if he could play quarterback, he stopped, smiled and shook his head — he’s ready, but that doesn’t mean he’s eager.
“It’s all right, I guess,” Natson said of his throwing arm. “I hope we don’t have to see me throw a deep pass, though.”
