Not many Aggie fans may know who Nate Larsen is, but that doesn't bother the modest, quiet senior defensive lineman. His coaches and teammates know how valuable he is and that appears to be all that matters to him.

"He is definitely your no-name defensive lineman, but he shouldn't be by the way he plays," said fellow lineman Ryan Duncan. "He is tenacious, never gives up and he has a great nose for the ball.

"I wish we had more time with him," said Kraig Paulson, USU's defensive coordinator and line coach. "He is a quality person and he has his priorities straight. He does so much leadership wise."

Larsen has quietly waited for his turn to shine at Utah State, but when that turn came, so did an injury that has put a little bit of a damper on his final season in an Aggie uniform.

The 6-3, 265-pound defensive tackle saw action as a backup in each of his first three seasons after transferring from Southern Utah, where he redshirted in 1994 before going on an LDS mission. Larsen has had to bide his time playing behind defensive standouts such as Walter Fiefia, Adam Jones, Lindsay Hassell, John Latu, Vaea Fiefia, and Doug Madoski during his career.

Larsen entered the fall as a starter at defensive tackle and made his first collegiate start in the opener against Texas Tech. Larsen made three tackles in that game, a total un-surpassed by any other lineman and then looked forward to his second career start against his original school Southern Utah.

In the first series of plays, after he had already made one tackle, Larsen injured a knee and did not return to the field until last Saturday's game at North Texas.

"It was a tough blow to get hurt," Larsen said. "It has been something that I have been looking forward to and playing for for four years to be a starter. I was able to start the Texas Tech game, but after the first couple of plays against Southern Utah I was out. It will be fun to get back."

It was even more painful that the injury occurred against Southern Utah.

"I was looking forward to that game, so it was even tougher to get hurt in that one," he said.

While Larsen was disappointed to miss nearly four games of his senior season, he was not discouraged. The hard-worker had been biding his time for four years, but still possess a positive attitude in light of his injury.

"I had great people in front of me the whole time I have been here, in Walter Fiefia, Vaea Fiefia, Lindsay Hassel and everybody," Larsen explained. "I have had great examples to follow and learn from. It is my chance to step up. I want to follow in their footsteps and be a starter and be a leader."

Sitting out was not enjoyable physically or mentally.

"It has been pretty vigorous," Larsen said of his rehabilitation. "About as hard as practice. There was therapy in the morning and then I still lifted weights and then worked with (strength) coach (Shawn) Griswold in the afternoons during practice, working on my agility and trying to get the motion back. It was pretty tough. Watching practice, that was the hardest part. You want to get in and get things done, but you just can't."

Still Larsen has great hopes for the rest of the season, not only for himself, but for the team.

"I know that we have a chance," Larsen said when asked about Big West Championship probabilities. "We have had a lot of injuries, but we still have a lot of people with a lot of desire. We still have a chance to get a Big West Championship and I know that we can get it done."

USU's chances have improved with his return to the field.

"The biggest thing about Nate is that he plays full speed," Paulson said. "It is a consistent level of play. As a tackle, you have a chance to have people break through the middle. It gives you a chance for something big to happen, like a tackle for loss. Physically that is his greatest asset, that he doesn't know any speed other than full speed. Mentally, he knows his assignments and where to lineup and that is greatly appreciated."

"I like to go out there and do all that I can to get things done," Larsen said. "I try to use the best techniques that I can so that I can put myself in the proper place to make plays. My strengths are knowing where I need to go and getting there."

And as his senior season nears its completion, Larsen looks back with positive memories.

"It has just been fun to get out there and play and letter for four years and go to the big stadiums against the big teams," he said. "Also the state rivals are fun because you are playing against friends."

Larsen, who was an academic all-Big West selection in 1998, will graduate with degrees in marketing and finance at the end of this semester. He said he would like to work in pharmaceutical sales after graduation.