LOGAN, Utah – Utah State interim head coach Nate Dreiling ran his team through its final scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday. Overall, the team practiced for roughly 75 minutes on Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium before inclement weather moved into the area.
"I thought it was a fun day. Hats off to the fans showing up. The weather got a little sketchy with the lightning," said Dreiling. "The defense probably won today overall, as they forced some big turnovers. The offense knows that we feel like we can move the ball pretty much at will, but if we get in our own way, it's going to be hard to win football games.
"At the start of the scrimmage, all the starters played the first couple of series. After that, it was really a scrimmage to build depth and look for second and third-string guys. I was proud of some of the twos and threes on defense and how they stepped up and went above the line, and now we know we can trust those guys to play. I'm excited to see what the season looks like."
Scrimmage Notables
• Graduate junior quarterback
Jacob Conover (Chandler, Ariz./Chandler HS/Arizona State) connected with sophomore wide receiver
Grant Page (Boulder, Colo./Fairview HS/Colorado) on a 40-yard completion. Conover then threw a 1-yard scoring strike to graduate senior wide receiver
Colby Bowman (Orange, Calif./St. John Bosco HS/Stanford).
• Freshman running back
Hershel Turner Jr. (Richmond, Calif./Mt. Diablo HS) scored for the second-straight scrimmage on a 1-yard run.
• Sophomore safety
Malik McConico (Ocala, Fla./Vanguard HS/Hutchinson CC) had the defensive play of the day as he recovered a fumble and returned it 80 yards for the score.
• Redshirt junior cornerback
DJ Graham II (Fort Worth, Texas/Keller Central HS/Oklahoma) intercepted a pass and returned it 15 yards.
• Sophomore inside linebacker
Bronson Olevao Jr. (Salt Lake City, Utah/Highland HS) and freshman defensive end
William Holmes (Detroit, Mich./Western International HS) both recorded sacks.
• Senior placekicker
Elliott Nimrod (Bentonville, Ark./Bentonville HS/Arkansas State) connected on a 52-yard field goal.
• Senior punter
Stephen Kotsanlee (Melbourne, Australia/Box Hill HS) had a 70-yard punt.
Quotables
Interim Head Coach Nate Dreiling
Thoughts on the first-string offense and defense…
"We have a veteran group with the first strings on offense and defense. We wanted to make sure we got out of this thing healthy because it's the last day of fall camp. We just made them thud tackle and have two minutes in there to know that they had a handle. After that, it was let everyone else prove themselves, prove their worth and go out and play some good football."
What are the biggest takeaways from fall camp…
"Offensively, I feel like if we can protect the football, which we have with our first-string guys, we will be very challenging to stop. They are so talented; they move so fast and there is really not a weakness. Defensively, I think we have finally caught up to the offense. We took a couple punches early on in fall camp, but we have made our way and kept progressing. Now I feel like we have a pretty balanced football team that will help us."
What will be the focus over the next two weeks…
"One is to stay healthy, and two, become situational masters. We have to learn how to finish games. There should be no scenario that is a first-time scenario on game day. We are going to make sure we hit all of those for our players. Ultimately, we are going to stay healthy, get our legs back and get ready to make our run at the Mountain West."
Graduate Senior Quarterback Spencer Petras
Thoughts on fall camp…
"I think it's been a good fall camp. We have had a lot of competitive days. It's been a tun of fun, and every year of fall camp it's a new year with a new team. Obviously, we have had spring ball, but we have a lot of new faces since then. Just seeing how our team is coming together is fun and exciting. It's great now because we are at that transitionary period where we still have a couple more real camp practices, but our focus is going to shift soon. It's just a fun time of year."
On his chemistry with the wide receivers…
"It's been great. Today, we just had one little drive, and it wasn't super clean, but it's been good. We have a lot of skilled guys, and I'm fired up to see the guys who have stepped up. New faces will be playing a lot more than they have played in the past. I think the sky's the limit for our group, as long as we execute and keep our focus on what's important. If we can keep that mindset, I think we will have an awesome year."
On younger guys that will have roles on the team…
"I don't want to give away a tun. I think the guys that have been rolling with the one's have been doing a great job.
Jack Hestera is a guy that sticks out to me. He got here in June and has been making play after play in fall camp. He is still trying to catch up, with learning our verbiage and making sure there is no mental errors. Every day he is getting better and making those plays."
On what this year means to him personally…
"This game is the greatest game in the world. Every player has a pretty short window, in the grand scheme of life, and we never know when that window is going to close. Having the chance to play football again, especially with an offense, school, and team like this is a blessing. It's quite the opportunity and I'm excited."
On what the team needs to work on before the first game…
"The biggest thing is once we get into an actual game plan mode, just making sure that there are no more miscommunications. That's always the challenge in fall camp, because during fall camp you have a million different plays you can run and there's a lot of thinking involved. Once you get into an actual game plan, the list of plays you're going to run is a lot tighter and you're practicing them all week. That will be the biggest thing, learning how to transition there and making sure we are all on the same page. If we can do that, which I know we can, I think we will have a great year."
On what he has seen from the offensive line…
"I think they are making improvement daily. The thing that has jumped out at me from spring to now is that we are able to run the ball really well. I think a lot of that is them. They are using the experience that they have gained, and have continued to develop physical. When we are all on the same page, which we are most of the time, things look good upfront. It's been cool to see."
Junior Defensive Tackle Gabriel Iniguez Jr.
Thoughts on fall camp…
"Fall camp has been real fun. We have just been getting after it every day, putting in that work. We are treating it like a business, where we come in making deposits every day and having fun. We have been growing as a group, and we have been getting better at our communication. We have been flying around together as a group and trusting one another. It's been real fun."
Thoughts on the defensive line…
"I've been loving our room. We've been getting after it, treating it like a business and family. The whole room is back now, and we have just been flourishing. Everybody's been coming to work, and I feel like we are about to have one of the greatest lines in the Mountain West. We have just been getting after it, and I really appreciate my guys out there that have been coming to work every day. That's the biggest thing. We are bringing energy, getting close and being in our playbook. I feel like we are the tip of the sphere for this whole team."
On what his biggest adjustment has been coming from New Mexico State to Utah State…
"Learning new faces and learning new names. Just getting everyone together and creating a family environment. We have been working very hard, and the difference between New Mexico State and Utah State is nothing big. One of the biggest things is just meeting people and bringing us together as a whole."
On taking a leadership role with this team…
"Definitely. I'm doing anything I can do to help them understand. I've been through the mistakes, so I've been able to clean things up, so they don't have to go through some of the same mistakes I've made. Anybody who needs help I try to help. I try to get everyone going and try showing them what some stuff looks like."
On the progress the defense has made during fall camp…
"That first scrimmage kind of hurt, because we came out here and had a slow start. We went back to the drawing board, and got better at our communication and overall, just knowing our playbook. We just had to trust the teammate next to you. Today was 10 times better than the first scrimmage, and I really appreciate the defense coming together and responding to the first bad scrimmage."
What are the biggest strides the defense has made…
"The main thing is communication. The biggest thing for us is getting our feet and eyes set, so that would the biggest stride. During spring ball, we were having a tough time with the offense, but as long as we get our feet and eyes set, we will be good."
Fall Schedule
Utah State opens the 2024 season on Saturday, Aug. 31, as it hosts Robert Morris at 6 p.m., 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.
Parking
All Single-Game Parking sales will be cashless, starting this year. Those can be purchased in advance for $10
online, or for $15 on gamedays at the F lot entrances.
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