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BYU Football: Scouting the Schedule – Utah State

By Shaun Gordon

PROVO, UT - OCTOBER 3: Wide receiver Devonte Robinson #3 and LaJuan Hunt #21 of the Utah State Aggies celebrate a touchdown during their 35-20 win over the previously unbeaten Brigham Young Cougars, at LaVell Edwards Stadium on October 3, 2014 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images )
PROVO, UT - OCTOBER 3: Wide receiver Devonte Robinson #3 and LaJuan Hunt #21 of the Utah State Aggies celebrate a touchdown during their 35-20 win over the previously unbeaten Brigham Young Cougars, at LaVell Edwards Stadium on October 3, 2014 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images ) /
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PROVO, UT – OCTOBER 3: Devonte Robinson #3 of the Utah State Aggies catches a second-quarter touchdown pass during a game against Brigham Young Cougars at LaVell Edwards Stadium on October 3, 2014 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images )
PROVO, UT – OCTOBER 3: Devonte Robinson #3 of the Utah State Aggies catches a second-quarter touchdown pass during a game against Brigham Young Cougars at LaVell Edwards Stadium on October 3, 2014 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images ) /

The Offense

Quarterback

Jordan Love will be the signal caller again for Utah State as a sophomore. His numbers were only pedestrian in 2017, but the offense sparked when he took over as quarterback. He finished the season with 1,631 passing yards and 8 touchdowns, but only completed 55% of his passes and threw six interceptions.

He’s mobile, but not a monster threat with his legs. BYU will look to keep him in the pocket and make him throw the ball accurately.

There’s no experience behind Love. Freshman Henry Colombi looks poised to become the primary backup, and if Love goes down with injury Colombi will be thrown into the fire.

Running Back

The loss of Hunt hurts the running game, but the Aggies acted quickly to bring in junior college runner Darwin Thompson (Jr.). He’ll battle for the starting spot with Gerold Bright (Jr.), who rushed for 257 yards and 2 touchdowns last season. Both will likely see plenty of touches as the season progresses.

Tre Miller (So.) also got rushing opportunities last season, and he’ll provide insurance for injury or poor performance.

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Wide Receiver/Tight End

Wideout is an area of concern for Utah State going into 2018. They bring back their top three receivers, but only Ron’quavion Tarver (Sr.) provided consistent production last year. He caught 48 passes for 569 yards and 7 touchdowns, which was more scores than the rest of the wideouts combined.

Jordan Nathan (So.) and Savon Scarver (So.) will look to up their production in 2018, and they’ll get the other starting nods. DJ Nelson (Sr.) and Chad Artist (Jr.) will provide depth.

While the wideout production is in question, the tight end production isn’t. Dax Raymond (Jr.) is one of the top tight ends in the country, finishing last season with 456 yards and a touchdown. He’ll be an even bigger part of the offense in 2018.

Carson Terrell (So.) caught 10 passes last year, and he’ll be a capable backup and second tight end for the Aggies.

Offensive Line

The entire starting offensive line is back from 2017, and the Aggies hope that the extra year of experience will bring improved results.

Roman Andrus (Sr.) and Sean Taylor (Sr.) will man the tackle spots, while Moroni Iniguez (Jr.) and Rob Castaneda (Sr.) will start at the two guard positions. Senior Quin Ficklin, a BYU transfer, will return at center.

One name to watch out for is freshman Alfred Edwards. He impressed during spring ball, and he’ll push Andrus and Taylor for playing time at one of the tackle spots.

If this offensive line stays healthy, they’ll be a solid anchor for the offense.

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