Whimpey, Aggie seniors focused on finishing season strong


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LOGAN — Utah State’s senior class will play its final game at Romney Stadium Friday night, but don’t tell senior Kevin Whimpey — or do, because it hasn’t set in yet.

After the Aggies (8-3, 5-1 MW) take on San Jose State (3-7, 2-4 MW) Friday night at 7:30 p.m. MT on ESPN2, the veteran offensive lineman won’t play another game in Logan in his career.

“I’ve always said for me it’s an honor to play in Romney Stadium in front of our fans,” he said. “It’s kind of a surreal feeling if I really think about it. To me, it’s just the next game. I haven’t really cared too much about, ‘oh, this is my last game here,’ or ‘oh, I’ll never get to go to Hawaii again.’

“I just show up, hopefully we win the game and I leave. It’ll be routine until I’m done. Then I may shed a tear or two.”

Whimpey’s approach to the game has mirrored his workmanlike mentality with the offensive line during his career at Utah State. After transferring from Idaho State after his freshman year, the senior from Highland, Utah, has worked his way into a fixture in the trenches.

After the Aggies lost four of five starting linemen from a year ago, it was Whimpey’s responsibility to teach the new guys, like center Austin Stephens and Tyshon Mosley, a bit more about ‘the Aggie way,’ while also welcoming a baby girl into his young family.

Those linemen are coming together now, and it’s perfect timing for Utah State as it prepares for a more-than-likely fourth-straight bowl game — the first such streak in program history.

Utah State linebacker Zach Vigil tackles Air Force quarterback Kale Pearson during a game at Romney Stadium in Logan. Vigil and the other Aggie seniors will play their final home game Friday against San Jose State. (AP file photo)
Utah State linebacker Zach Vigil tackles Air Force quarterback Kale Pearson during a game at Romney Stadium in Logan. Vigil and the other Aggie seniors will play their final home game Friday against San Jose State. (AP file photo)

“We’re all just doing a really good job of staying unselfish, keeping our heads down and listening to what (offensive line coach Mark) Weber’s offered us,” Whimpey said. “He’s really had us prepared the last couple of weeks.”

Senior linebacker Zach Vigil echoed Whimpey’s sentiments, that Friday is nothing more than the next game for Utah State. The finish to the Aggies’ 2014 campaign is just as important to Vigil as the finish to his career at home.

“We have to finish strong,” said Vigil, a native of Clearfield, Utah. “It’s the last game at home. It’s going to be cold, so we can’t be weak-minded and go out there soft. I think the cold’s an advantage for us. Obviously, we live in Utah.”

Festivities on Senior Day will be a big deal in the Vigil household. It will be the last time older brother Zach will play with his little brother, sophomore linebacker Nick Vigil.

“It’s more of a big deal to the parents than anything else,” Zach Vigil said. “My mom will probably be crying. In January, when we look back on the season, it’ll be like, ‘yeah, that was a pretty cool Senior Day.’ But right now, it’s just another game. We’ll go out and handle business. There’s time to cry later on. I don’t need to be crying before the game.”

The Vigil brothers have been two of Utah State’s biggest leaders on defense in 2014. Zach leads the team with 114 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, while Nick is right behind big brother with 91 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. The younger Vigil also has a team-high six quarterback hurries and four forced fumbles — and he’s rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns.

The sibling rivalry has motivated the Vigil brothers, and Zach Vigil admitted he’s been harder on his brother than the other Aggie linebackers.

“I always have been, but that’s kind of my role as the older brother,” Zach Vigil said. “I know what (Nick) can do. If he sets his mind to it, the kid can do anything.”

Utah State head coach Matt Wells has noticed the transformation of Zach Vigil, from walk-on linebacker to the vocal team captain who will finish his home career Friday night.

“That kid, what he’s done this year for our team, it’s like he’s put everybody on his back, that defense and I would probably say our team as a whole,” Wells said. “He willed it upon everybody to play better, and he’s done it by performance. He’s done it by vocal leadership. But you lead, first and foremost, by performance. It’s been remarkable.”

This 2014 senior class will go down in Utah State history with the most wins the program has ever accumulated — and they’ve done it while transitioning from the Western Athletic Conference to a new-look Mountain West Conference.

“The veteran leadership that this team has is arguably some of the best in the history of Utah State,” Wells said. “It’s all about winning. We’re in the hardest league we’ve ever been in and we’re still winning. It’s the culture that’s created and reinforced by those guys.”

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