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LOGAN, Utah - Entering the third week of spring drills, Utah State's football program is in the midst of a major over-haul under newly hired head coach Gary Andersen. And it's an over-haul that is sure to increase interest across the Beehive State as well as productivity on the field.
After averaging just 24.0 points and 334 yards per game on offense during the 2008 season, Coach Andersen and his staff are in the process of upgrading Utah State's offense and installing one of the most exciting and fast-paced offensive schemes in college football today - The Spread Offense.
"There is a definite transformation in process on the field, in terms of the offense, from what they have done in the past," said Andersen. "The ability to have more skilled players out on the field is vital to our success, especially from an offensive line standpoint."
The Spread Offense utilizes the no-huddle with the quarterback in shotgun formation much of the time with three, four or even five wide receivers. The goal of the spread offense is to open vertical seams for both the running and passing game, and force the defense to spread itself horizontally across the field in an attempt to cover everyone.
With its new offense, Utah State is hopeful that its offensive production will be comparable to other school's that utilize a version of the spread offense including Western Athletic Conference foe Nevada, who has traditionally been one of the top offensive teams in the nation with its ‘Pistol' attack.
Despite all the terminology and schemes that go into implementing a new offense, Utah State's learning curve shouldn't be as long as normal as it returns 10 starters and 21 lettermen on the offensive side of the ball.
Among those returning for Coach Andersen is junior quarterback Diondre Borel, who is just as effective running the ball as he is throwing it. During the 2008 season, Borel started the final nine games and led the team with 1,705 passing yards and 632 rushing yards, while throwing for 11 TDs and rushing for five more. Borel was one of seven quarterbacks in the entire country to lead their respective teams in both rushing and passing.
"Diondre is a great quarterback and can make plays throwing the ball as well as running it," said Andersen. "However, the thing we need Diondre to do is sit in the pocket more, throw the ball, and get some confidence in his wide receivers and running back crew, which I think can be a tremendous group."
Highlighting the talented group of running backs that Coach Andersen is so high on is sophomore Robert Turbin, who rushed for 485 yards last year, scored a team-high eight touchdowns, and averaged 4.6 yards per carry. Other returnees here include sophomore Marquis Butler who ran for 171 yards and scored two touchdowns last year, fellow sophomore Ronald Scott who had 141 rushing yards and averaged 9.4 yards per attempt in 2008, and junior Derrvin Speight who led the team in rushing as a freshman in 2007 as he gained 504 yards on 129 carries.
Utah State also returns four starters and eight letterwinners on the offensive line, including senior Brennan McFadden who earned second-team all-WAC honors a year ago after starting the first seven games of the season at right guard before moving to the center position. That experience and versatility up front for the Aggies will definitely be a factor in how quickly they grasp the new offense.
"We are taking everything we can from every drill," said McFadden. "It is very important for us as an offensive group to not waste any time when we are on the practice field and maximize our reps as we learn this new offense."
Another offensive group that returns a wealth of experience in 2009 is at wide receiver/tight end as Utah State returns four starters in all, including three wide outs in seniors Xavier Bowman and Nnamdi Gwacham, and sophomore Stanley Morrison, who combined to catch 55 passes for 762 yards and five scores a year ago. Senior tight end Jeremy Mitchell also returns for the Aggies after recording 66 yards last season on six receptions.
Spearheading Utah State's spread offense in 2009 will be new offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin, who is excited about the potential of this group after spending the past two seasons as the offensive coordinator at the University of New Mexico.
"It is early, but we are adapting well to the new environment, the new plays and the new terminology," said Baldwin. "Even though we are no where near where we want to be, I have seen our offense improve greatly in the past week of practice, and this group definitely has the determination and drive to learn and grow as we move forward."
And as Utah State continues to move forward in preparation for the 2009 season, Aggie fans can be sure that this group of football players and this team will continue to work hard, mature and grow as it approaches the first game of the year against the University of Utah on Sept. 3.
