Utah State Performs Well on Both Sides During Final Scrimmage of Fall Camp Saturday Afternoon

LOGAN, Utah – Utah State football held its final scrimmage of fall camp Saturday afternoon on Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium as part of the 12th annual Aggie Football Fun Day, sponsored by Maceys.

In all, fifth-year head coach Matt Wells ran his team through roughly 90 plays, which included special teams and red zone situations.

“The defense played really well at the beginning of the scrimmage,” said Wells. “There were a lot of drives, a few three-and-outs, and they really held their ground and forced what would have been punts. The two backed-up situations were won by the offense, and I shut those down. Those could have been 99-and-a-half-yard drives. That was a great job by the offense. Then, the red zones were all won by the offense. It was a great job by them in terms of scoring touchdowns, converting third-and-ones and even a fourth-and-one at the end. I’d say the beginning was dominated by the defense, but the offense came through at the end.”

Offensively, senior quarterback Kent Myers was 10-of-14 passing for 87 yards, while sophomore wide receiver Gerold Bright had two receptions for 39 yards and junior running back Eltoro Allen carried the ball 12 times for 44 yards and two touchdowns.

In all, Utah State amassed 247 yards of total offense as four quarterbacks combined to go 16-of-29 passing for 139 yards, while 10 rushers carried the ball 39 times for 108 yards.

“Offensive-wise, we did well,” said Myers. “There is a lot of stuff that we can work on, but overall, we moved the ball. We only had one turnover out of four quarterbacks. We don’t want to have any turnovers. Other than that, we just have to keep competing and get better this week.”

Defensively, Utah State forced the Aggie offense to kick three field goals, and only gave up two touchdowns, both of which were during red zone drills that started at the 25- and 12-yard line. USU’s defense also recorded four sacks and had five pass breakups, to go along with one interception during the afternoon.

Cache Valley native and sophomore defensive end Jacoby Wildman (Logan HS) led the defense with seven tackles, while fellow Cache Valley native Gaje Ferguson (Mountain Crest HS) had five stops. Senior cornerback Jalen Davis forced the only turnover during the scrimmage with an interception.

“Overall, we put on a very good defensive showing,” said Wildman. “We all stepped it up. Credit to the front guys. The nose guards, especially, took up a lot of blocks for us. I know Christopher ‘Unga took up blocks for me and helped me make a couple plays, so credit to him. In the backfield we played well and had a pick. Overall, it was a good showing.”

Utah State’s defense yielded only three points in the first seven drives on Saturday, before the offense got going and scored on four of its final six drives, while also successfully moving the ball out of its own 1-yard line on consecutive series.

Utah State’s first two scores came via the leg of sophomore placekicker Dominik Eberle, who converted field goals from 49 and 33 yards to cap a 14-play, 33-yard drive and a 9-play 34-yard drive, respectively.

Allen then scored a pair of rushing touchdowns during two separate red zone scenarios as he scored on a 6-yard run and later on a 3-yard run. USU’s final points came on a 29-yard field goal by sophomore placekicker Michael Smith.

Besides the scrimmage, Aggie Football Family Fun Day featured activities on the concourse, including sales by Locker 42, along with games for fans of all ages. Utah State fans could also purchase season tickets for the 2017 campaign.

Following the scrimmage, fans were allowed on the field to meet and get autographs from USU football players and coaches, as well as participate in games and activities.

All practice reports during fall camp are being brought to you by R&O Construction.

Saturday was the 14th of 24 practices for the Aggies leading up to their season-opening game at No. 10 Wisconsin on Friday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m. (MT) in a game that will be nationally televised on ESPN. Utah State will host Idaho State on Thursday, Sept. 6, at 6 p.m., in its home opener, and begin Mountain West play on Saturday, Sept. 23, at San José State at 5:30 p.m. (MT).

For ticket information, fans can contact the USU Athletics Ticket Office over the phone by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or 435-797-0305 during regular hours of operation. Fans can also buy their tickets in person at the USU Ticket Office inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum or online by clicking on the “Buy Tickets” tab at www.UtahStateAggies.com.

Fans can become season ticket holders for as low as $110. New for 2017 are Value Season Ticket Plans, which include four adult season tickets on the east side of the stadium starting at $450. Youth season tickets are available for just $60 and Family Plans, consisting of two adult tickets and three youth tickets, can be purchased for as low as $340.

Fans can follow the Aggie football program at twitter.com/USUFootball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.