Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Utah State Aggies season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Utah State Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 11-2 overall, 7-1 in Mountain West
Head Coach: Gary Andersen, 5th year (2009-2012), 26-24
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE UTAH STATE OFFENSE
– A whole lot of parts are missing from the Mountain West’s top offense, but the basics are there to keep it all going. Can the passing game be as efficient and can the attack be as impressive under a new coaching staff? There won’t be a return to the offensive style under Gary Andersen’s first stint with the program, but the passing game won’t be quite as effective. It starts with …
– The offensive line has to reload immediately. Four of the five starters are done from the group that paved the way for over 200 rushing yards and was so good in pass protection.
– Even with Darwin Thompson leaving early, the ground game will be just fine with senior Gerold Bright returning after running for 888 yards and ten scores, and with a promising base of untested reserves ready to be in the rotation. But …
– Jordan Love is one of the nation’s best returning quarterbacks, with accuracy, quick-hitting passes, and the mastery of the O to always keep it moving. However, he loses his top five targets.
The 5-8, 180-pound Jordan Nathan is the team’s top returning target with 28 catches and three scores. He’s a quick playmaker who should be able to handle more work, but junior Savon Scarver and 6-5 senior Devin Heckstall have to be instant stars. Losing TE Dax Raymond doesn’t help, but junior Carson Terrell caught ten passes.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE UTAH STATE DEFENSE
– The offense might have lost most of the top guys, but seven starters return to a defense that allowed 380 yards and 22 points per game. The pass rush was good, the run defense was terrific, and the secondary was among the best in the Mountain West.
– Three of the top four and six of the top nine tacklers are gone, but the linebacking corps should be okay with the return of 131-tackle star David Woodward on the inside and with top pass rusher Tipa Galeai playing a hybrid edge rusher role on the outside. The former TCU transfer will end up working on one end, and a mix of veterans – likely starting with senior Jacoby Wildman – will add bulk on the other.
– The tackles will be terrific. 295-pound Christopher Unga is a rock on the nose, and he’s not alone. It’s a very deep, good sized group in the interior to mix up alignments a bit more – the bulk is in place to run a true 4-3.
– The corner combination of DJ Williams and Cameron Haney will be among the Mountain West’s best, unless Williams moves to one of the safety gigs. JUCO transfer Cash Gilliam is almost certain to get the call at one safety job, and overall it’s a deep secondary that will mix and match parts throughout fall camp to get the best four or five options on the field.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP UTAH STATE PLAYERS
Best Utah State Offensive Player
QB Jordan Love, Jr.
The 6-4, 220-pounder had a good freshman season, and then he cranked it all up a several notches with a brilliant sophomore campaign that made him one of the nation’s most efficient quarterbacks and a real, live pro prospect.
He’s got the size, mobility – he ran for seven scores – and midrange accuracy. A smart, quick decision maker, he completed 64% of his throws for 3,567 yards and 32 touchdowns with just six picks – he just didn’t make big mistakes. Expect more of the same.
2. PK Dominik Eberle, Sr.
3. KR/WR Savon Scarver, Jr.
4. WR Jordan Nathan, Jr.
5. RB Gerold Bright. Sr.
Best Utah State Defensive Player
LB David Woodward, Jr.
The defense might lose a ton of talent, but the main man is back. The 6-2, 230-pound Woodward got his feet wet for a few years before taking over on the inside and leading the way with 134 tackles with five sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss and two picks – and he missed a game.
Tough against the power offenses, and with the quickness and timing to get behind the line, he can has the range and talent to have another stat-sheet stuffing season.
2. DE Tipa Galeai, Sr.
3. DT Fua Leilua, Sr.
4. CB/S DJ Williams, Sr.
5. DT Christopher Unga, Sr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Utah State Offense
Even with four new starters, the offensive line has to be a machine for the ground game. The speed, effectiveness, and improvement on O started with a veteran front that gave Jordan Love and company time to work and paved the way for 5.5 yards per carry.
Granted, the two losses came to two great run defenses, but the Aggies lost both games – Michigan State and Boise State – in the two times it ran for fewer than 100 yards. Over the last four years, the Aggies are 0-14 when they don’t hit the century mark.
Biggest Key To The Utah State Defense
Keep the takeaways coming. The Aggies led the nation with 32 forced turnovers with three or more five games. Takeaways was a key to the D under Gary Andersen in his first time around, and they became a key part of the puzzle over the last few seasons.
The 2016 team couldn’t do much of anything to be disruptive, and the season was a disaster. The intensity stepped up, and the Aggies went from creating ten takeaways to 21, to the big 2018 season with a +14 turnover margin.
Key Player To A Successful Season
WR Jordan Nathan, Jr.
There’s a whole lot of missing production with the top four wide receivers done. Nathan was the team’s sixth-leading receiver with 297 yards on 28 catches, but who’ll replace Ron’qavion Tarver’s 66 catches and the 77 combined grabs for Jalen Greene and Aaren Vaughns?
Savon Scarver caught nine passes and was a special kickoff returner – he has to be a part of the passing equation, too. It’ll be Nathan who has to be Mr. Reliable in the slot.
Key Game To The Utah State Season
Boise State, Nov. 23
Utah State had an amazing 2018 season. Did it beat Boise State? No. Did it play for the Mountain West title? No. Can it with the Mountain and get to the conference championship game without a win at home over the Broncos? No. The Aggies have lost 15 of the last 16 in the series – win, or likely watch Boise State go back to the title game.
– Utah State Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Utah State Fun Stats
– 1st Quarter Scoring: Utah State 172 – Opponents 53
– Sacks: Utah State 32 for 221 yards – Opponents 10 for 70 yards
– Interceptions Thrown: Opponents 22 – Utah State 6
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. UTAH STATE WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
Utah State was really, really good, but it also helped that it beat a whole lot of nothing.
Yeah, the Aggies pushed Michigan State in the season opener, and yeah, they lost a tight battle to Boise State, but that’s sort of the point – they lost to the good teams.
The 11-win season led to Matt Wells getting the Texas Tech job, and now Gary Andersen has to recreate the magic from when he first turned the miserable program into a real, live player.
The skill parts around QB Jordan Love, though, aren’t nearly as strong, the O line has to replace four starters, and the defense loses just enough to be annoying.
Andersen is the right fit, the special teams will be amazing, Love is special, and there’s enough still there to get back to a bowl game, but …
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 7
Will the Aggies be good enough to beat Wake Forest on the road to kick things off? Yeah, maybe, and they’ll beat Stony Brook to follow. However, they have to deal with a road game at San Diego State, go to Fresno State, and they have to play LSU in Death Valley.
Throw in the home games against Nevada, Boise State and BYU, and don’t overlook the dates against Air Force and New Mexico on the road and Wyoming and Colorado State at home, and …
It adds up to a slight step back seven-win regular season.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
