LOGAN, Utah – Utah State interim head coach Nate Dreiling couldn't wait for today. Saturday was the first scrimmage for his Aggie football team and their eighth practice of fall camp.
Overall, the team practiced for roughly 90 minutes on Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium.
"It was awesome, and the intensity was good," said Dreiling. "The offense was and is currently way ahead of the defense. They did a good job throwing the ball and running the ball. They just have so many weapons and I think Spencer (Petras) and Bryson (Barnes), and all the guys that went in, did a great job of facilitating who needs to touch it. So, hats off to them. Defensively, we need to tackle a little bit better and get our feet set. The offense did a good job with tempo, which forces you to communicate fast, so we have to catch up in that regard."
The scrimmage began with the No. 1 offense vs. the No. 1 defense, but a lot of the reps on the day went to the other players as the coaching staff is looking to solidify the depth chart.
"We have some back-end guys that we're just playing it safe with and a bunch of older guys that don't need these reps," added Dreiling. "We feel good about where our top ones are at. Now it's figuring out who's going to be the next guy up, and who's going to be the two and three that we're rotating in, so that was the plan for the back end on the defense. I'm really impressed with some of these young guys. Everyone's getting their chance and now you get to learn from the film and keep getting better."
The offense controlled most of the first 45 minutes of the scrimmage, while the defense responded during the second 45 minutes with some outstanding play.
"The offense came out firing right away, which is awesome, and the defense faced adversity," said Dreiling. "They came back, and in the red zone, we held them to four straight field goals which is huge. Red zone defense is a main priority for us, keep making them snap it and once they get inside of the red zone, make them kick it. So that was great. More importantly, we can't wait to play good defense until we get into the red zone, so we have to prevent them from coming down there. It was good to see them handle adversity."
Scrimmage Notables
• Junior QB
Bryson Barnes (Milford, Utah/Milford HS/Utah) had several nice deep throws, including touchdown passes of 40 yards to graduate senior WR
Colby Bowman (Orange, Calif./St. John Bosco HS/Stanford), 20 yards to junior WR
Jack Hestera (Cedar Park, Texas/Cedar Park HS/Charlotte), and 10 yards to redshirt freshman WR
Jackson Olsen (Millville, Utah/Ridgeline HS).
• Utah State's run game looked impressive. Senior
Rahsul Faison (Pottstown, Pa./Salisbury (CT) HS/Snow College) and junior
Robert Briggs Jr. (Bellville, Texas/Bellville HS) both showed elusiveness and power, as did freshman
Hershel Turner Jr. (Richmond, Calif./Mt. Diablo HS), who scored on a 10-yard run. Another running back flashed during the scrimmage in freshman
Tre Kofe (Idaho Falls, Idaho/Corner Canyon (UT) HS), who scored on a 20-yard run.
• Junior DE
Marlin Dean (Elberton, Ga./IMG Academy/Butler CC) was consistently in the backfield and had a sack and a pass breakup that resulted in an interception for sophomore DT
Isaiah Bruce (Lena, Ill./Lena-Winslow HS/Iowa Central CC).
• Junior DE
Enoka Migao (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral HS) blocked a field goal.
Quotables
Junior Running Back Robert Briggs Jr.
On how the offense performed during the scrimmage…
"I thought we did pretty good. It all starts with the offensive linemen, and they came out and did a fantastic job. The offensive line is always doing its job, and all we need is a little crease and we just start it off from there. The receivers came out doing their job, the quarterbacks looked pretty good, and everyone came together. We just played as a team."
Thoughts on the depth at running back…
"I think we have up to eight running backs right now. Everybody looks like they could play, and everyone is looking good so far. It's the first scrimmage and I'm looking for more to come."
On the offensive line and their roles…
"Those are my guys, and I have a good connection with them. It always starts with them, so if you don't have a good connection with your offensive linemen, it will never work. All the running backs and all the O-line get along. We are always on the same page, so it just works out perfectly. Everybody is experienced and it looked like we have played together before, so I'm loving it."
On his long run during the first play of the scrimmage…
"It felt great. I am ready to get back to the season, play with my team and have some fun."
Junior Safety Ike Larsen
On how the defense performed during the scrimmage…
"It wasn't bad. The offense came out firing and we responded. It wasn't pretty and it wasn't our best ball that we can play, but we will go watch it and see what we can get better at so we can be better next time."
The difference between the first half of the scrimmage and the second half when the defense played better…
"Just passion for the game. The coaches can't rile us up every time, we have to rely on each other. Just buying into our teammates and what we are doing, and we took off from there. I don't want to say we did awesome; I think we did good. Like I said we are going to go watch and see what we can do better."
About playing well in the red zone and what adjustments were made…
"No adjustments were really made. We've been practicing the red zone for about six months now, since coach Dreiling has been here. Towards the end of the scrimmage, we started being better with our techniques, so it's just us playing like we know how to play."
About the strengths of the defense vs. what the defense needs to work on…
"We had a lot of missed tackles today, including myself. So, we have to get better at that. And then coming out fast and strong. For the past four days, the offense has been kicking our butts, so we have to bounce back. We know how we can play, so I think it will be good."
About the new guys on the team…
"It's been great. Coach Dreiling has been doing a great job bringing people in who love the game and are just great people in general. That's what you look for when you're bringing in new guys. Coach has done a great job and everybody else has done a great job adapting to the new program."
Fall Schedule
Fans are invited to watch Utah State's second and final scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday, Aug. 17, at noon, as part of its annual Family Football Fun Day on Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium.
Utah State opens the 2024 season on Saturday, Aug. 31, as it hosts Robert Morris and begins Mountain West play at Boise State on Saturday, Oct. 5.
Ticket Information
Season tickets and mini-plans for the 2024 season are on sale now. Purchase your tickets today to guarantee your seat for the return of the 'Battle of the Brothers' on Saturday, September 14th. To purchase visit utahstateaggies.com or call the ticket office at 435-797-0305.
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