LOGAN, Utah - Brock Carmen faced his former team when Utah State played host to Fresno State on Oct. 22.

And while the Aggies' senior linebacker admitted "it was exciting," to face the team he grew up wanting to play for, all that mattered to him was starting the second half of the season on a good note.

"You just want to go make plays and get the W, which is more important than anything," Carmen said. "We needed to get a win, so that was really the main goal."

That's exactly what occurred as Carmen recorded three tackles in the Aggies' 38-20 victory over the Bulldogs.

Carmen, who is from Clovis, Calif., began his collegiate career at Fresno State, where he redshirted in 2012, but did not see any action in 2013.

"They were the hometown school, so that is where I wanted to go, but things took a turn and I ended up here, which I couldn't be happier with," Carmen said. "It definitely all worked out for the best."

It sure did. Utah State is certainly glad to have him on its sideline.

"Brock plays inside and he plays outside," said linebackers coach Dave Kotulski. "He plays multiple positions for us. He's battled some injuries while he's been here, but he keeps on competing all the time to get better. That's what he's done on a consistent basis. He has good intelligence and is a guy the players feel very comfortable with and a guy that I'm very happy to have."

Prior to landing at Utah State, Carmen enrolled at Riverside (Calif.) City College. As a sophomore in 2014, he appeared in eight games and ranked eighth on the team in tackles with 39, including 9.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He also had one forced fumble, one interception and three pass breakups as the Tigers went 10-2.

Once the Aggies came calling, Carmen knew that's where he wanted to go.

"The tradition of defense here has just been so good, especially at linebacker," said Carmen, when asked why he chose Utah State following his stint at Riverside. "It was a great opportunity for me and once they offered me, I committed quickly. The tradition here is great and Logan is a really cool place to live."

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Carmen played in all 13 games for the Aggies a year ago. He finished with 12 tackles, including a season-high five stops at Air Force.

Carmen faced his former team for the first time in the fifth game of the 2015 campaign, a 56-14 rout by the Aggies. The former Clovis North High School standout intercepted a pass and returned it 19 yards in the fourth quarter, setting up a 5-yard touchdown run by quarterback Damion Hobbs to give the visitors a 50-14 advantage.

"It was fun, but it's just like any other game," Carmen recalled of last year's contest against Fresno State. "You want to help no matter who you're playing against. Obviously, it was fun to be able to make a cool play against my old team."

Carmen has appeared in all 10 games for the Aggies this season, starting four of them. He ranks tied for third on the team with 48 tackles, including 5.0 tackles for loss and a team-best 3.0 sacks.

"Brock brings a lot to the linebacker corps," fellow senior linebacker Anthony Williams said. "I feel comfortable when Brock is on the field."

Carmen's best game of the season was against Arkansas State as he tallied 12 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, and two quarterback hurries, all of which are career highs. Following that performance, Carmen was tabbed to the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week, as well as the College Sports Madness MW Defensive Player of the Week.

"He's a guy that you can coach and teach," Kotulski said. "He's worked hard to get better on a daily basis on the field. You can't be happier with his overall attitude toward this program."

The son of Chris and Lora Carmen is majoring in interdisciplinary studies and on track to graduate in May of 2017.