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LOGAN — Utah State’s offense returns six starters from last year’s 9-5 and Poinsettia Bowl champion team, but the Aggies were left with a significant concern on that side of the ball: losing four starters on the offensive line.
That’s not to say they are shy on leadership in the trenches. Senior left tackle Kevin Whimpey has gone out of his way to be a leader for a couple of years.
“I know what it was like to come in and be a freshman, to not know anything or understand the offense,” said Whimpey, a 295-pound Idaho State transfer. “I go out of my way, as soon as a new guy comes into the program, to give him my number so he can call me anytime during the day. I will come here and help. If they want to learn, I will be the one to teach them. I feel like that’s the way that we pass our team brand on to the younger guys.”
This year’s Aggie squad has high expectations, starting with Heisman Trophy contender and Davey O’Brien watch list nominee Chuckie Keeton at quarterback. But with the myriad accolades given to Keeton and other Utah State players this year come heightened goals — none higher than the ones imposed by the players, including the new linemen.
“We all have to be on the same page or we aren’t going to be as successful as we could be,” senior center Joe Summers said. “Because we lost so many starters after last season, we’ve had to push a lot harder. We know we can’t rely on those guys. We’ve had to push one another and help each other.”
Chemistry has been at a premium for the offensive line as it tries to replace a bevy of graduated seniors. The group has found time to go to dinner every week, from the starting core to the walk-ons and newcomers every week — and the friendship and camaraderie is starting to show barely five days into fall camp.
The rest of the team has taken notice, including Keeton.
“They’ve been doing most the work themselves,” the quarterback said of the men assigned to protect him. “They’ve been working tremendously hard for the past six months. They’re more like a family than anything else. They have their little fights, but it’s not out of anger, it’s out of growth. They’re continuing to grow every day.”
The feeling is mutual for Keeton’s teammates toward the star signal caller. Whimpey even said he "never gets sick" of talking about Keeton to inquiring media.
“Chuckie has done a ton for this program, not only with bringing recruits in, but the way he plays on the field and all the way down to the way he leads us, prepares us to go out there and have the mindset to win every game,” Whimpey said. “I’ll talk about Chuckie all day.”
Keeton isn’t worried about the increased number of newcomers, even on the line. He recalled his sophomore season in 2012, when the only returning lineman was Tyler Larsen. That junior went on to be a candidate for the Outland and Remington trophies.
They've been doing most the work themselves. They've been working tremendously hard for the past six months. They're more like a family than anything else. They have their little fights, but it's not out of anger, it's out of growth. They're continuing to grow every day.
–Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton on the offensive line
The Aggies of that year went on to an 11-2 record, a Western Athletic Conference championship, a 41-15 win over Toledo in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl — and three NFL draft picks in running backs Robert Turbin and Michael Smith and linebacker Bobby Wagner.
But this year’s Utah State team knows nothing is guaranteed, no matter how many strides they’ve taken over the past four seasons.
“One thing that (current coach Matt Wells) always says that could kill any football team is entitlement,” Summers said. “You have to work for everything you get. We win games in the fall starting January through August. We have to put in the time and the work.”
Former Aggie coach Gary Andersen, who is now the head coach at Wisconsin, instilled in that team a strong belief in winning every game, Whimpey said. And that attitude hasn’t gone away under Wells.
“”When I came here, we had just gone 4-8, but guys still felt like they had a chance to win every game,” Whimpey said. “That’s carried on through coach Wells. That’s just what our team makeup is; we feel like every time we step on the field, whether we have a Heisman contender in the back field or not, we feel like we can truly win every game.”
