Defense excels in final scrimmage as Aggies shift focus to Tennessee


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LOGAN — Even with the bulk of his first-string offense sitting out for the team, Utah State head coach Matt Wells thought the defense looked strong on the third and final scrimmage of fall camp.

A lot of the strength came on the back of safety Jontrell Rocquemore, a freshman from McKinney, Texas, who may have helped himself to a spot on the travel squad with an interception that helped turned the tide of the scrimmage.

“Rock’s playing well, Jalen Davis is playing well, and they’ve gotten themselves up the ladder in the depth chart,” Wells said. “We’ll see where they’re at; special teams plays a big role in those things. Those two have played well."

The Aggie defense then went on to post 12 three-and-outs on 14 drives, holding the offense to one touchdown and one field goal.

“Those kind of plays will put you on the bus,” nose guard Travis Seefeldt said of Roquemore’s pick. “We’ve got one more week to prove who you are.”

Craig Harrison threw the lone touchdown pass for the offense, finding Damoun Patterson for a 40-yard strike early. After that, it was all defense — including holding the offense out of the end zone on short-yardage red zone drills.


Those kind of plays will put you on the bus. We've got one more week to prove who you are.

–Utah State nose guard Travis Seefeldt


Quarterback Chuckie Keeton wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about his offense’s performance — but he also sat out alongside the bulk of the offensive first team. The need for rest played most of the factor there, as the Aggies round the two-thirds mark of fall camp.

“It’s just the grind of camp. We understand we’re on the back nine, and probably the back two holes. We’ve got to keep pushing through it,” Keeton said. “There’s a goal, a light at the end of the tunnel, and everyone knows it’s there. But it’s so far in the distance, you’ve just got to squint your eyes a bit and keep your eyes locked on it.”

The scrimmage marked the end of most intra-squad competition, with Wells remarking that “we’re all Aggies now.” The team’s attention can now turn to Tennessee, where the Aggies will start their 2014 campaign on the road Aug. 31.

“After today’s scrimmage, it’s 100 percent (focus) now,” Keeton said. “Before today, it was all about the Aggies and getting better, trying to improve each day. Now it’s all set on Knoxville, Tennessee, and what we have to accomplish on Aug. 31.”

One area of significant improvement from last weekend’s second scrimmage was the center-quarterback snap exchange, Wells said. Of course, it almost had to get better, he added.

“It was better. Anything was better than Saturday,” Wells said. “I’m not blowing that out of proportion; it was horrible. Anything less than perfect is horrible in my mind as far as the center-quarterback exchange. They do it every day. I think it was pretty clean tonight.”

Utah State returns a significant portion of last year’s top 15 defense, but the swagger of a highly rated defensive unit starts at Neyland Stadium, Seefeldt said.

“(Last year’s swagger) starts all over again. I think it starts with the first series against Tennessee,” he added. “We’ll definitely set who we are.”

Contributing: Matt Glade

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