Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LOGAN — There are three areas that contribute to winning a football game, as any college coach knows: offense, defense and special teams.
When Utah State began suffering significant, season-ending injuries to key players on offense and defense, it became time for the special teams players to step up. Even as the Aggies’ defense has taken a lot of the credit — deservedly so, with the sixth-best run defense in the nation — Utah State’s special teams has contributed to putting points on the scoreboard in several categories.
The Aggies (7-3, 4-1 MW) have relied on strong play in the kicking game and return game to help bolster a squad that has been decimated by injuries to three starting quarterbacks, an All-American candidate linebacker, and other key figures.
“At that crucial moment in the season, Coach Wells called everybody out and said that one of the ways that you wrap your arms around a new quarterback is that everybody from a defensive standpoint to a special teams standpoint takes it upon themselves to do more,” senior placekicker Nick Diaz said at Monday’s weekly sit-down with the media. “At that moment in our season, I did take it a little bit upon my own personal self to do what I can to improve my personal up time, to improve my trajectory of the ball, and I knew that everybody else was going to do the same, because that’s what they’ve all been doing.”
Diaz knows that much of the special teams’ success lies on his 5-foot-8, 182-pound frame. After going 3-for-6 through the first four games of the season, Diaz is 8-for-8 on field goals in the Aggies’ past six games, including a season-long 49-yard make against UNLV.
“I think Nick has done a really nice job, first of all, in the operation time and his consistency,” Utah State coach Matt Wells said Monday. “I think he has been very good. We’re going to need that because I keep saying that we’re going to need a field goal to win a game here coming up at some point, whenever that is.”
Diaz had a chance to win a game for the Aggies in the first game of 2014 that Chuckie Keeton did not start at quarterback. With Utah State tied 14-14 late on the road at Arkansas State, Diaz stepped up to attempt a 38-yard field goal as time expired.
The Red Wolves blocked the attempt and won on a 24-yard pass in the extra period as the Aggies offense sputtered. That loss and that situation has spurred Diaz to be better through the rest of the year.
“That still haunts me every day at practice,” Diaz said. “Every day at practice, I still go back and kick from that spot to make sure that it doesn’t happen again. It’s the driving force. Ever since I was a kid … you always live for that one kick to be able to make a difference. That was that one kick.
“I take it upon myself to make sure that doesn’t happen again from a personal standpoint. I’m praying and hoping that the opportunity comes again in the next three weeks.”
Even after the loss, Utah State has gone 5-1, with the only loss being at Colorado State, as it continues to stay in contention for its second straight Mountain West title game appearance.
The Aggies have taken their coaches advice to do whatever it takes to win — even if that means scoring on defense or conservatively taking three points whenever possible. JoJo Natson has returned to his dominant ways as one of the nation’s top punt returners, piling up 198 yards and two touchdowns even as many college punters strive not to boot him the ball. Natson has 865 all-purpose yards with five touchdowns on the season, good for second on the team behind standout wide receiver Hunter Sharp (1,044).
“That’s been our mantra since the beginning, to make plays when necessary,” said junior nose guard Travis Seefeldt, who also plays tight end. “You have to step up when big times occur. That’s what we’ve been doing the last couple of weeks.”
