Offense, defense have strong days in Utah State's first spring day scrimmage

LOGAN — There was no shortage of excitement at Utah State's first spring scrimmage at Maverik Stadium Saturday afternoon. And the setup of the scrimmage bred excitement.

Both sides rotated in and out their first and second teams, with third-string players sprinkled in. There was a pass-heavy scheme, and, as is usual for a scrimmage, quarterbacks were not allowed to be hit as the team started from different spots on the field.

There were plenty of opportunities for highlight reels, but they didn't all come from the offense. The defense set the tone early and forced three interceptions and kept the offense out of the end zone on the first seven possessions. The defense finished with four turnovers, 10 sacks and an impressive 26 tackles for loss.

The offense settled in as the day progressed as quarterback Cooper Legas and his arsenal of receivers were able to flex a bit after the offense gained a total of 657 yards and had 12 touchdowns.

"I was pleased with the way we came out and kind of approached it. The energy level was good, which is the first thing I always look for — and you can see effort in all areas," head coach Blake Anderson said. "I thought the defense came out and did a good job in the open field. Obviously, we had way too many turnovers offensively to be happy about. But I was pleased with the way the offense responded. Once we worked red zone, we had a really healthy segment in the middle of practice."

With relatively basic schemes on both sides of the ball, and both sides having dominant stretches, it's difficult to determine which side of the ball seems more advanced in preparation for the season. And with summer workouts and fall camp still on the horizon, determining the progress of each unit isn't as necessary; rather, Saturday was a chance to see individual players show off their ability in a live setting.

Here's a glance at some individuals who created excitement.

Cooper Legas

Throughout spring camp, Legas, who is the first-string quarterback with the absence of injured Logan Bonner, impressed with his pocket presence. The assurance of not being hit may empower him to stay in the pocket, but unlike other inexperienced, mobile quarterbacks who can evade pressure if necessary, it seems second nature for Legas to trust his lineman and make several reads before finding an open receiver.

This confidence in the pocket isn't to be outmatched by his confidence in throwing the rock into precarious positions, however. On Saturday, it bit him early. On the opening drive of the first portion of practice, Legas threw a screen pass that was picked off by cornerback Michael Anyanwu. On the next first-team possession, one of Legas' throws downfield was picked off by safety Gurvan Hall.

He settled in and finished the day throwing for 295 yards and six touchdowns on 20-of-21 passing.

In red zone work, Legas shined. He threw a corner lob to Ny Ny Davis for a touchdown, found Maryland transfer Brian Cobbs on several slants in the open field, and hit Alabama transfer Xaiver Willams for a corner fade, which was called back for a sack.

Legas' best throws came at the end when the Aggies returned to a full-field situation. He threw a 28-yard touchdown strike through double coverage to Davis, followed by a 35-yard throw that cleared the outstretched hands of safety Hunter Reynolds and hit Justin Mcgriff in the chest for the score.

Byron Vaughns

Vaughns has quickly become one of the leaders on defense and showed why on Saturday afternoon.

The junior defensive end finished the day with eight tackles, including three sacks. He continually came up in key situations to put a stop to offensive possessions and was key in the offense's slow start. He also didn't lack any hubris.

"As y'all saw, we dominated — dominated the offense coming out the first half."

Not being able to hit the quarterback may have prevented Vaughns from making even more plays, though. He said it made him lack the "killer instinct," but he's made it clear he's a handful edge rusher.

"We need him to truly show a veteran leadership type role, be consistent, every snap," Anderson said. "I think that's the challenge for him. He loves to play. So when we get the chance to chase the quarterback, he's gonna do well at it."

Vaughns will also have help. With Patrick Joyner returning and Daniel Grzesiak, who had three tackles for loss, coming in from Nevada, the edge rushers for the Aggies are expected to be among the strongest position groups.

Under-the-radar receivers

Getting most of the buzz throughout spring camp in the receiver room has been Cobbs and Kyle Van Leeuewen. While Van Leeuwen's day ended early — not due to a serious injury — Cobbs shined on Saturday. He finished with five catches for 59 yards, including a short catch where he juked out his defender and turned it into a 22-yard gain.

Two other receivers also shined on Saturday. Ny Ny Davis, a 5-foot-7 second-year freshman from Alabama, and Terrel Vaughn, a 5-foot-8 junior transfer from Ventura Junior College, both showed they're capable of earning playing time in the slot position.

With similar builds, they're both speedsters who had touchdown grabs in double-coverage. Running with both the first and second teams, Davis had four receptions for 91 yards and two touchdowns, while Vaughn had six receptions for 80 yards and two touchdowns.

"I think (Davis) has made some good strides for us," Anderson said. "I don't know if he's Deven Thompkins, but he can fill in some of the holes that DT left. I think between him, Vaughn and Kyle Van Leeuwen … I think all those guys together collectively maybe can take up the slack where DT leaves off."

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