LOGAN, Utah – Utah State football wrapped up its fourth week of spring practice with its second scrimmage held Friday afternoon on a sun-drenched Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium.
 
In all, fourth year head coach Blake Anderson ran his team though roughly a 90-minute scrimmage and was pleased with the improvement he saw from the offense.
 
"We ran a lot of things the other day in the scrimmage that we wanted to take a look at, and we didn't execute very well," said Anderson. "We simplified things a little bit today and really put an emphasis on executing better and I thought we did that. We still had two critical mistakes, putting the ball on the ground and an interception, and we can't have those kinds of self-inflicted wounds. The energy was good. We played faster, we ran the ball more physically and I thought we spread the ball around well. A lot of different people touched the ball and that's when we're at our best, when we get everybody involved." 
 
Offensively, Utah State scored touchdowns on six of its first seven drives and had 13 total touchdowns in 23 series. Senior running back Davon Booth led that side of the ball with three touchdowns, while senior wide receiver Jalen Royals and redshirt freshman running back Corbin Cottle both scored two touchdowns.
 
Defensively, Utah State forced two turnovers on the day with an interception in the end zone on the opening series and a fumble recovery in the red zone. The Aggie defense also stopped five of seven drives during one stretch in the middle of the scrimmage and later had four straight stops.
 
Booth rushed for 69 yards on eight carries and had scoring runs of four and two yards. He also caught three passes for 29 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown.
 
Cottle led the rushing attack for the Aggies as he gained 82 yards on 15 carries and had scoring runs of four and seven yards.
 
Graduate senior Spencer Petras, a transfer from Iowa, was 16-of-20 passing for 145 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Aggie quarterbacks. His first scoring strike was to Royals from 16 yards out and his second touchdown was on a 20-yard completion to Booth.
 
Royals finished the scrimmage with two receptions for 69 yards and two touchdowns in limited action as he also hauled in a 57-yard reception from graduate senior quarterback Cooper Legas. Legas threw for 95 yards on the day with six completions.
 
In all, 17 different Aggies caught passes during the scrimmage. Senior tight end Josh Sterzer had a team-high five receptions for 59 yards, while redshirt junior Kahanu Davis had a team-best 74 receiving yards on two catches, which included a 55-yard scoring strike from sophomore quarterback McCae Hillstead. Hillstead threw for 109 yards on the day and added a rushing touchdown.
 
Junior quarterback Bryson Barnes, a transfer from Utah, also accounted for two touchdowns on the day as he completed a 35-yard pass to redshirt junior wide receiver Arcelles Johnson and scored on an 8-yard run.
 
Defensively, senior safety Jordan Vincent, a transfer from New Mexico State, had 11 a team-high 11 tackles, while graduate junior inside linebacker Will Shaffer, a transfer from Arizona State, added eight tackles. Fellow graduate junior inside linebacker Jadon Pearson, a transfer from Utah, had six stops.
 
Utah State's defense added four sacks and seven tackles for loss during the scrimmage, to go along with five pass breakups and the two turnovers.
 
"It's been a solid camp and we've shown steady progress on offense. As the o-line goes, everything goes, and we're seeing steady improvement there. And we've stayed relatively healthy.
 
"Defensively, it's a huge challenge considering all the new pieces and all the new bodies, but also with the pace that we play it. It just puts a lot of pressure on them. We just heard some of the guys talking about relationships being built. The communication is good, and the energy level is good. You can see the way they're competing on the field. They just need time. I've been pleased with how they've handled themselves. Hopefully we can get everybody healthy, we're pretty beat up over there, especially up front. When we can get everybody healthy and add a few pieces to the puzzle in the summer, I'd like to think we will be super competitive over there in the fall," added Anderson.
 
Utah State will conclude spring camp with four practices next week, which will include its annual Blue vs. White Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 20, at 1 p.m.
 
Season ticket renewals are currently being accepted. To renew, fans should visit www.utahstateaggies.com, or do so in person or by phone through the USU Ticket Office during regular business hours (435-797-0305). New season ticket orders can also be made.
 
Utah State opens the 2024 season at home against Robert Morris on Saturday, Aug. 31. USU begins Mountain West play at Boise State on Saturday, Oct. 5.
 
Fans can follow the Aggie football program at twitter.com/USUFootball or on Facebook at Utah State Football, as well as on Instagram at instagram.com/USUFootball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.