Aggies defense dominates in opening fall scrimmage

LOGAN — After Utah State's first full-padded fall camp practice on Wednesday, coach Blake Anderson called out his defense and told them they were playing too soft.

Entering Saturday's scrimmage, the expectation was for the energy and physicality to be elevated.

The Aggies defense delivered.

Showcasing their depth along the defensive front, both the first- and second-team defenses spent the day breaking down the pocket and pressuring the quarterbacks, as if they were chasing down cattle in a tie-down roping competition at a rodeo.

The result was 13 sacks, 24 tackles for loss, three turnovers, several overthrown balls by the quarterbacks, and plenty of hooting and hollering from the white-clad defense that stood along the south sideline at the Stan Laub Indoor training center.

"We came out here and turned it up," Nevada transfer and defensive end Daniel Grezsiak said. "I'm happy with how we played. … That's just a little sneak peek what we did today."

"Energy was really, really good," Anderson added. "The defense stood out. They had a rough day a couple of days ago and we challenged them, and they came back in with the right attitude."

Saturday was supposed to be the first public scrimmage of fall camp at Maverik Stadium, but Mother Nature had other plans. As the rain dumped and the storms rolled over Cache Valley, the Aggies opted to practice indoors for the first time of camp. Closed to the public but open to the media, it was the first chance to see the team in action since spring.

It was also the first chance to see Logan Bonner take reps at quarterback since he tore his ACL at the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl in December, which surely could have been the main storyline of the day. It was a storyline setting up nicely, too, as Bonner's first pass of the game was a perfectly thrown ball down the sideline to Maryland transfer receiver Brain Cobbs for the 40-plus yard gain.

But the defense swiftly presented itself and made it clear how the day was going to go.

On the second possession with the first team, senior defensive end Byron Vaughns swooped in and reached Bonner's vicinity (the defense is not allowed to hit the quarterback in fall camp) for the sack. Bonner, who by all indications is fully healthy, was forced to be swift in his decision-making, often releasing the football on his first read. While his arm and mechanics looked good, the defense's pressure disrupted his timing, resulting in a handful of misplaced throws. Bonner finished the day 5-of-10 for 73 yards passing.

Bonner, along with fellow first-teamers Cobbs, senior running back Calvin Tyler Jr., senior receiver Justin Mcgriff and junior receiver Kyle Van Leeuwen, had limited reps and spent the second half of the scrimmage watching on the sidelines.

"We got what we wanted," Anderson said of Bonner. "He showed his feet, he showed some good deep balls, he's getting better every day."

While there were a handful of big offensive plays with Bonner out, including a long run from Levi Williams and a couple of deep catches from redshirt freshman Ny Ny Davis and Alabama transfer Xavien Williams, the early exit of several first-teamers aided the defense's dominance.

Back-to-back sacks of Legas resulted in one offensive coach banging his clipboard against the wall in frustration. A combination of the defense's exuberance and the offense's frustration resulted in two separate scuffles breaking out. Running back John Gentry fumbled the football, and a pass by Legas was tipped by safety Gurvan Hall and caught by a diving safety, Hunter Reynolds, for the interception.

"Coach Banda came in the huddle and was just like, 'Hey, keep your hands on their necks, let's choke the air, don't let them breathe,'" Gresziak said about his side's dominance. "So that's what we did."

It certainly was not a great day for the offensive line, but growing pains are to be expected. The front is breaking in a true freshman at right guard in Weylin Lapauo, and two players with limited starting experience — senior Wade Meacham and junior Falepule Alo — shared first-team reps at right guard.

The rest of the front is senior leadership, including tackles Alfred Edwards and Jacob South, both of whom have plenty of experience and will be relied upon this year be leaders and a team that will consistently maintain the pocket and provide for a rushing attack.

But on several snaps Saturday, the attack of Vaughns and Greskiak from the edge, with Hale Motu'apuaka and Poukesi Vakauta swarming the middle, and Washington transfer MJ Tafisi and AJ Vongpachahn diving in from linebacker, was too much to handle.

That's not to mention the efforts of backups DE Enoka Migao, UCLA transfer DE John Ward, DE Addison Trupp and DT Seni Tuiaki — all of whom made plays throughout the day. All in all, six different Aggies recorded a sack and 14 different players had a tackle for loss. Add in Patrick Joyner, who was out Saturday with a hamstring pull, and it may be a formidable group.

Edwards spoke on the talent of Gresziak, who had five sacks on the day, and Vaughns who had three, about how tough they are to guard.

"Well, Daniel and Byron, they're so different in their pass rush moves and their builds, that it really forces me and Jacob to have great technique. They really stress our technique," Edwards said. "And, you know, in the Mountain West, I feel like we won't see much better defensive ends than those two, to be honest. So it's really good for us to get those looks."

Despite a disappointing scrimmage for the offense, it still had plenty of confidence. The side that averaged 32.6 points per game last year returns seven starters, had a great spring ball, and by every indication has had a nice fall camp up to this point. The ebbs and flows of camp, mixed with the limited chance for outsiders to see the team, makes it difficult to tell the full story.

But what is certain is that in the first scrimmage of fall camp, the defense answered the call to bring the energy and won the day.

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