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Utah State football went through roughly 100 plays counting special teams plays in its first scrimmage of the spring Monday afternoon at a sun-drenched Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium. A large crowd was on hand for the action, and USU head coach Gary Andersen was pleased with what he saw in the controlled scrimmage, working on different game situations that will enable him and his staff to fully evaluate the players.
“We got in all the situations that we wanted. Overall it was a solid scrimmage, we’ve got plenty to work on. We’ll go back and evaluate the tape very in-depth and see exactly where we sit. I thought we ran the ball pretty well with the 1’s; obviously we didn’t stop the ball at the stop-and-run,” Andersen said. “I thought for the most part our protection was decent. We’ll sit down and evaluate and see where we go from here. I thought the kids came out and played hard and really hustled.”
The Aggie offense was led by senior running back Kerwynn Williams with 10 rushes for 64 yards with a touchdown and was joined in the rushing touchdown department by fellow running back Joey DeMartino, a junior who scored on a 1-yard scamper during a red zone drill.
Sophomore quarterback Chuckie Keeton had 147 yards passing, including a 38-yard touchdown toss to senior wide receiver Matt Austin. Senior quarterback Adam Kennedy added 80 yards passing. Austin led the receiving corps with three catches for 58 yards and the touchdown, while USU newcomerJordan Jenkins, a junior, added four catches for 45 yards.
“I thought it went pretty well. As an offense, I thought we were pretty physical, but I think we need to come out and execute better and not make so many mistakes next scrimmage. We made some good plays, the offensive line made some great blocks, the receivers played good, and the quarterbacks made some good reads. I thought it was pretty good for a first scrimmage,” Williams said. “I like our power. I like our offensive line’s blocks, they get after it. I can’t do it without them.”
USU’s defense was led by freshman linebacker Travis Parrish with six tackles while senior cornerback Terrence Alston added five stops to go with an interception, while junior linebacker Jake Doughty added four tackles. Sophomore defensive lineman Tevita Vaifoou had two sacks, along with logging a safety with a tackle for loss in the end zone.
“I felt good having our first scrimmage out here on the field. We can get a lot better with technique, especially DBs, but as far as the first scrimmage goes it was good,” Alston said. “Everybody on this team is working really, really hard, just trying to get better every day.”
USU will not practice Tuesday or Wednesday of next week but will resume its morning schedule on Thursday from 6-8 a.m.
Practices are currently scheduled to be open to the public but are subject to change. When the Aggies are on Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium, fans must remain in the stands at all times. When USU is in the Laub Indoor Facility, fans must remain in the opening by the doorway.
The Blue-White Spring Game, presented by Orbit Irrigation Products, will be on Saturday, April 28, at 2 p.m. at Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium. Admission will again be free to the public and further details, along with events surrounding the Spring Game, will be released at a later date.
Utah State football season ticket renewals and new sales for the 2012 season are available at 2011’s prices until May 1. Renewals are available online 24 hours a day at www.UtahStateAggies.com and clicking on the “buy/renew tickets” under the “tickets” drop-down menu. Fans interested in new sales should contact the USU ticket office at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum or by phone by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or (435) 797-0305.
Fans can follow the Aggie football program at twitter.com/USUFootball or on the USU football blog at usufootball.wordpress.com. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.
2012 spring practice dates/times:
*** SUBJECT TO CHANGE ***
Thurs., April 12 — 6-8 a.m.
Fri., April 13 — 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Tues., April 17 — 6:15-8 a.m.
Thurs., April 19 — 6:15-8 a.m.
Fri., April 20 — 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Tues., April 24 — 6:15-8 a.m.
Thurs., April 26 — 6:15-8 a.m.
Saturday, April 28 — 2 p.m.
*** Spring Game ***
Spring practice policies
All Tuesday-Thursday practices are tentatively scheduled for the Laub Indoor Facility with Friday practices tentatively scheduled for Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium, but are subject to change.
All practices are tentatively open to the public, but they must remain off the field. When the Aggies are on Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium, fans must remain in the stands at all times. When USU is in the Laub Indoor Facility, fans must remain in the opening by the doorway. All open practices are subject to change.
Doug Hoffman is the assistant athletic director for Utah State University Athletic Media Relations.
