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Looking up and down the roster, Utah State has a wide variety of strengths heading into the 2013 season. Think about that sentence for a second.
Keep thinking…
Dwell on it…
Considering how bad Utah State football was during the 2000s, how good does that statement feel? This is the second consecutive year you could make such a statement and no one could really argue with you.
Seriously, I could sit here and list more than half the groups on this team and feel confident with my answer, however, I won't do that.
Instead, here are three groups that come to mind:
Quarterback:size=4> Chuckie Keeton is arguably the best player on the team and some would say that is their greatest strength; but there is a considerable drop off if he gets hurt. So, as a whole, the quarterbacks aren't the greatest strength.
Offensive Line:size=4> The unit has all five starters returning, anchored by preseason all-american Tyler Larsen. They cleared the way for Kerwynn Williams to own opponents last season and allowed Chuckie to be Chuckie. You can absolutely call them the greatest strength for the Aggies going into the 2013 season. This group deserves the honor of being dubbed "Utah State's greatest strength." They are a unit returning 3 starters from a defense that finished top 10 in points allowed, top 15 in total defense, and didn't allow a first quarter touchdown all season…
The Linebackers:size=4> I realize I've been talking a lot about this group the past two weeks; calling Kyler Fackrell the next Ziggy and naming Jake Doughty one of the three players Utah State can't lose; but it's hard not to talk about these guys. Doughty, Fackrell, and Zach Vigil are the backbone of that defense are the key to its success. Let's take a look at the leading tacklers from last season
1. Jake Doughty: 109 tackles
2. Zach Vigil: 105 tackles
3. McKade Brady: 93 tackles
4.Kyler Fackrell: 87 tackles
What does this mean?
It means Utah State gets back 3 of the 4 leading tacklers from last season's soul crushing defense; swarming the field once more like the rebels swarming the first Death Star.
Now I've waxed poetic about Doughty and Fackrell before, let's talk about Vigil for a moment. If you don't know him, he's the man who brought you the blocked punt against Utah, kick starting one of the greatest moments of recent Utah State Football (Seriously, that win had me high-fiving random strangers at a Woods Cross football game during Game Night Live).
Vigil mans the middle with Doughty and brings a lot of playmaking ability like Fackrell. Vigil led the team in tackles for loss with 9.5 and added 5.5 sacks. He has range and isn't a liability in pass coverage.
The Aggies also have depth behind those 3. Tavaris McMillian has been a solid contributor the past 2 seasons, playing in 26 games and starting eight in 2011. In 2012 he finished with 39 tackles, 5 TFL's, and two sacks. McMillian is a tremendous athlete and gets sideline to sideline in a hurry.
There is a question as to who will replace Bojay Filimoeatu on the outside; no easy task. Bojay was THE run stopper of the bunch and controlled the line of scrimmage with his size and athleticism. Remember the sack against San Jose State? Beast.
Terrell Thompson started spring ball atop the depth chart and played well, but look for JC transfer Keylon Hollis to take that spot. At his signing day press conference, Head Coach Matt Wells said Hollis would step in and fill the void left by Bojay at the boundary side linebacker position; already the coaches see big things Hollis. Watch his highlight film and you'll see why; he has the ability to blow up plays at the line of scrimmage and turn the corner almost as well as Fackrell. Hollis certainly seems to have the talent to step in and start, we'll see if he lives up to the hype once August comes.
Adding Hollis to the mix of already stellar ‘backers USU already has, and I don't think you're going many changes to the list of leading tacklers next season.
Except maybe "Hollis" where it says "Brady."
