'Changed my life': How Calvin Tyler Jr, Aggies transformed each other this season

LOGAN — After Saturday's 35-31 win over San Jose State, senior Utah State running back Calvin Tyler Jr. stepped up to the podium at the postgame press conference full of gratitude.

After rushing for 125 yards and three touchdowns, including the game winner, there was plenty to say from the running back. There was an excitement for an explosive performance on senior night, a relishing to be had for the team earning a bowl bid. But first, he decided to "do something different."

Sidestepping the first question that came his way, Tyler expressed a genuine thanks to two teammates behind him in the depth chart.

"Guys like John Gentry, who hasn't played a snap at running back this year, he's been the most supportive teammate this year," Tyler said. "It'd probably go over his head, but he's been doing everything he can, working his butt off and also motivating me and having the same energy every day on and off the field. Jordan Wilmore, same thing. You guys motivate me."

Tyler's decision to share his appreciation to teammates when he was in the limelight is an indication of why the team managed to turn the season around. The season started 1-4 and dealt with a plethora of field drama, but the team stuck together, and Tyler was one of the players at the heart of it.

After its 35-7 loss to Weber State on Sept. 10, Tyler was among a group of seniors that challenged the team. He's loyal to the coaching staff, well-liked by his teammates, and has kept the morale and standards at a high level amid the season's adversity.

Publicly, Tyler has been one of the program's main voices for the team. He's done several media interviews throughout the season and has consistently reminded the fan base that the program was going to stick together despite the early losses. And then he backed it up on the field.

The Aggies have won five of the last six games, and in four of those wins Tyler averaged 4.95 yards per carry and 119 yards per game. In the other win, against New Mexico, he was knocked out of the game with a concussion in the first half, yet managed to return a week later to run for 113 yards against Hawaii.

"Unfortunately, things happen that don't go our way," Tyler said. "We make mistakes and you live and learn, most definitely — this just life. I feel like this team showed we're the type of team that got the grit, like all fight, no quit in us."

In a season where the Aggies passing game has underwhelmed in stretches, whether due to quarterback injuries or wide receiver struggles, Tyler has been Mr. Reliable for the offense, rushing for 978 yards and six touchdowns on 219 carries through 11 games. The offensive line has schemed well to provide him with running lanes, and Tyler manages to make the first or second defender miss frequently.

"He just keeps showing up," Aggies coach Blake Anderson said. "If you look at his body of work of the last month, he's shown up in some big ways."

With two games left in his brief but decorated two-year stint at Utah State, it's clear Tyler has been a massive part of the team's success.

Last season, he rushed for 911 yards and seven touchdowns for the Aggies' Mountain West championship team. This season, he'll likely surpass the 1,000-yard rushing mark and will lead the Aggies back to a bowl game.

Did someone say 3 @BlessedAthleteC touchdowns‼️🔥

📺 @FS1#AggiesAllTheWaypic.twitter.com/COR7zzXGKw

— USU Football (@USUFootball) November 20, 2022

For the Beaumont, Texas, native with NFL ambitions, it's been a two-year span that's not only transformed the Aggies program but also himself.

"Utah State changed my life in a big way," Tyler said.

Spending four seasons at Oregon State, where he failed to get the playing time he felt he earned, Tyler entered the transfer portal in 2021 with two seasons of eligibility left in his career, but his love of football waned. After "sitting on the couch" for several months, he got a phone call from a familiar voice in the winter of 2021.

Newly hired Utah State running backs coach Chuckie Keeton, who coached Tyler as an Oregon State offensive graduate assistant in 2017, convinced the running back to come to Cache Valley.

"Getting a call from coach Keeton saying they wanted me here, that changed my life," Tyler said. "I'm so thankful for this team and the staff for believing in me and trusting me.

"I got to thank the good Lord for helping me realize how much I love football. It's my passion. … (Going to Utah State) is probably one of the best things that ever happened to me in college."

On Saturday, Tyler was able to put a punctuation mark on his time at Utah State with a memorable performance.

Playing in front of his mother, Shuronda, his father Calvin Sr., and two cousins, Trevion Benard and Brack Hardy, he overwhelmed San Jose State's stingy defensive front and bust loose for a career-high three touchdowns.

"I'm the type of person living the moment, so this game happened today; this is my favorite game right now," Tyler said.

While Tyler still has two chances left to further impact the program on the field, starting at rival Boise State on Friday, what he has accomplished is clear.

His efforts over the past two seasons have helped him return his love of football and have given him a shot to pursue professional football. Equally, his performance this season — and the way he carried himself throughout — is a key reason the Aggies are 6-5 and bowl eligible.

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