Cooper Legas the main catalyst for Utah State's midseason resurgence

LOGAN — On a designed run play in the fourth quarter on Saturday night, quarterback Cooper Legas split the hole between the center and right tackle, and bolted downfield for the 32-yard touchdown.

And just like that, double-digit underdog Utah State was up 34-24 over divisional rival Air Force on Saturday night, all but putting the game on ice.

The run — and the win — further ushered in Legas' arrival as the big man on campus.

He was thrust into the starter role last week at BYU under unfortunate circumstances after school record holder Logan Bonner's final season ended abruptly with a broken foot sustained at the end of the UNLV game two weeks ago. And while Bonner's absence is no doubt upsetting for the program, Legas' emergence as QB1 in Aggieland is nothing short of a bonanza.

Utah State's offense was in complete disarray the first four games of the season, averaging 16 points and 345 yards per game. In Legas' two starts, against teams ranked 39th and 14th, respectively, in total defense, the Aggies' offense has averaged 30 points and 403 yards per game. The 414 yards Utah State put up against Air Force is the most the Falcons have given up this season.

Plenty has changed in recent weeks. The offensive line is molding together; running back Calvin Tyler Jr. has performed well; and against man coverage, the receiving corps seems to be, well, manning up.

But Legas' presence and the team's dramatic improvement are no doubt correlated.

It starts with Legas' athleticism and confidence running in space — like the game-sealing touchdown run — which has opened everything up for the Aggies.

In moments against BYU and Air Force, where the defense has dropped in coverage, he's used his legs to pick up the available yardage. Legas rushed for 52 yards against BYU and 76 yards against Air Force.

It improves the overall run game, and the defense has to respect Legas' mobility since it can't sell out on stopping Tyler Jr. on the play action, which has opened running lanes for the senior back. Legas has also shown the ability to extend plays by leaving the pocket and making throws on the run.

"Cooper loves to run; he's very comfortable in that setting. He's going to continue to get better," Utah State coach Blake Anderson said after the Air Force win. "It does open up the field for us in a way that we just didn't have the ability to do with Logan being a little bit limited on his mobility.

"I gotta think as a D coordinator that makes you think about what coverages you want to play and you where you want to add the extra body. Hopefully that'll be a problem for people moving forward."

Ask Legas, though, and he doesn't just pride himself on being a running quarterback.

"If I'm being totally honest, I'd rather not run the ball and rather get it to someone else," he said.

Legas delivered in the passing game against the Falcons, throwing an efficient 18-of-23 passing for 215 yards for two touchdowns and an interception.

There were mistakes: Legas forced a few plays downfield when he had Tyler Jr. open in the flat, and he was sacked on a play where he should have just thrown away the ball. But there was plenty to like, too. Legas had a perfectly placed ball for Brain Cobbs to go up and get for a 31-yard touchdown, and a deep ball to McGriff that just slipped through his hands. He also had a everal short yardage throws where he stepped up in the pocket and threw it accurately.

Cobbs made him look good on a number of occasions and reeled in eight catches that came his way — many of which were tightly contested balls — for a career-high 136 yards. Having playmakers at his disposal — and the confidence to get it to them — can go a long way.

"Having depended on my legs through high school and all growing up, it makes me more confident getting the ball out to them and not freaking out so much and scrambling all the time," Legas said. "I know those guys will make plays. It's really good when they make those big-time catches like that. It builds confidence knowing I can keep targeting them and keep getting the ball out of my hands."

The mobility and arm talent has been a game changer for the Aggies, and the offense's performance in the first four games compared to the last two games is as jarring in contrast to the reception the Aggies faithful showered the team during the Air Force game as opposed to the Weber State game.

Some may harbor the blame for the offense's prior issues upon Bonner, which isn't fair; early in the season, the offensive coaching staff was struggling to find an optimal way to match its desired scheme with the current personnel, and as a result, the play-calling and the team lacked continuity.

With the offense addressing some of those issues, it's not out of the question that Bonner could have helped turn things around if healthy. He did, after all, pass for 313 yards and three touchdowns in his final game against UNLV.

Bonner's injury makes that conversation moot, however; he had surgery on Monday and will begin yet another stretch of rehab in preparation for the 2023 NFL draft. In the meantime, the injury lifted the pressure off Anderson and the coaching staff to make a difficult personnel decision, instead forcing them to go all in with Legas.

In his new role, Legas has performed admirably through two games and has instilled life into a lifeless offense.

"Personally, I've always had belief in my own abilities," Legas said. "I just try to work as hard as I can every day, and the team sees that. I feel like they assumed I would do good in a game, so it's fun to be out here, especially at home, and go get a big win against a team like Air Force. That just helps the team all come together and have belief in what the offense is doing, what the defense is doing and special teams."

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