Safety Gavin Jones Verbals to USU

“Their defensive scheme is a lot like I’ve always played in and that’s a man coverage, very aggressive defense,” said Jones, who served an LDS Church mission to Mongolia. “I want to continue playing in that kind of defense.”

At 6′ 3″ and 185 lbs, Gavin Jones is not your typical corner back, a position normally dominated by short speedsters. However, in today’s day of spread offenses and big receivers, Jones might prove to be a defensive luxury for the Aggies.

Jones, corner/safety, should provide immediate help for the Aggie’s secondary. The departures of corner back, Kejon Murphy, and safety, James Brindley, both veterans and leaders, will leave some holes to be filled for next year. Jones, team captain at Snow College, could assume a leadership role on defense.

Gavin hopes to help contribute in turning the Aggie’s into a winning football team again. He has always played on winning teams and has helped in securing wins with big plays in crunch time. For example: in the first game of the season Gavin blocked a field goal to help preserve a late game lead against the Scottsdale Artichokes.

Whether he contributes as a safety, cornerback, on special teams or a combination of the three, Aggies should be excited to see him wearing a blue and white Aggie uniform next season.

Aggie Noise:

Herald Journal: More commits for Ags: Two DBs and a quarterback and Another 2nd-half loss: Utah St. held scoreless after intermission and Bendall’s return is welcome

Desret News: Snow College’s Gavin Jones commits to USU

TrueBlueA: The Top 5 Spectrum Videos

Salt Lake Tribune: USU football: Ags have half the answer

Cache Valley Daily: Fresno State rallies past Utah State 31-27

Football

The Aggies once again proved that they can play with anyone. The defense was very effective in limiting the damage of the nation’s leading rusher Ryan Mathews, well, for the first three quarters at least. The offense marched down the field time and again, but struggled to capitalize in the red-zone. Andersen again seems to lack confidence in the offensive line to get a push in 4th and short situations electing to use the leg of Peter Caldwell to give the Aggies better field position.

Ultimately, my opinion is the same with this team. We are well coached. We always have a good game plan. We always start off well. The team will never give up, but need to get bigger and stronger to be able to finish teams off. In order to win the offense will have to outscore the other team in the second half. For the offense to produce in the second half, Borel will need to be more effective at hitting his second, third, or fourth option in the plays. More experience will get us there. Borel is the right guy, and he shows it with a 100% effort every play. Next year will be our year.

Basketball

This year might be our year. We are deep. We have experience. We have size. We are skilled. We are athletic. These five guys surprised me last night:

Jared Quayle looked a full step faster than he did last season. He ran circles around the opposing point guard all night long. He didn’t assert himself offensively, but we all know the ability is there. His line: 9 points on 3 of 6 shooting including a pair of threes, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 turnovers, and 4 steals in 23 minutes of play.

Preston Medlin can score the basketball. He demonstrated a well rounded offensive attack by knocking down spot up jumpers, pull up jumpers, and a drive to the basket. The best part is his ability to find shots within the system. Preston could earn quality minutes this year. His line: 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting with a three, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover in 22 minutes of play.

Tyrone White looks like a basketball player. At 6′ 6″ he is long and surprisingly athletic. He handles the ball well and can take it to the bucket. He demonstrated an ability to knock down the open three pointer, as well as the ability to defend well. He looked surprisingly mature and composed on the court last night. His line: 11 points on 3 of 6 shooting including a whopping 3 from long range, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover in 21 minutes of play.

Brady Jardine is coming along well. It is rare that the most athletic player on your team is a 6′ 8″ post player but Jardine proved this to be true with a tomahawk dunk on a fast break in the first half. He goal tended a shot that was still above the box. The most impressive plays by Jardine, though, were the ones where he exhibited patience and control. His athleticism has it’s advantages at the right time, but he showed that he has been working on the fundamentals too. His line: 4 points on 2 of 4 shooting, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 2 blocks, 2 steals in only 13 minutes of play.

Nate Bendall is stronger than Gary Wilkinson which allows him to be better at converting around the basket. He is a strong rebounder. He can block shots. He has great hands. He can hit free-throws. He plays well within the system. Does this guy have any limitations? Well, he hasn’t shown an ability to shoot from the outside. Fortunately, Tai Wesley did last night. These two are going to enjoy playing alongside each other for the next two years. Nate’s line: 17 points on 7 of 7 shooting and 3 of 3 free-throws, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal in only 17 minutes of play.

Keep in mind that the competition will get much better in the coming weeks. I think these guys are looking forward to showing what they can do against quality opponents. For now my feeling is that we are going to have a good, very good, Utah State basketball team.

Aggie Noise

Official USU website: Aggie Men Roll To 85-51 Exhibition Win Against Northwest Nazarene and Aggies Nipped By Bulldogs, 31-27, Saturday

Cache Valley Daily: Fresno State rallies past Utah State 31-27 and USU opens season with big win over Northwest Nazarene (with photo gallery)

Herald Journal: Ags throttle NNU

Desret News: Utah State football: Aggies let another one slip away and Utah State basketball: Aggies cruise to exhibition win

Aggieville: exhibition report

The odds are stacked against the Aggies in this one, the last vegas line I saw favored the Bulldogs by 17, and not without good reason. The Bulldogs have been smokin’ hot with three straight wins by 20 points or more. They field the nation’s #1 rusher, Ryan Mathews, who averages 161.6 yards per game on the ground. The ‘dogs are bigger, stronger and faster than the Aggies at most positions. It’s no wonder that many have written this one down as a victory for Fresno State already.

Well, I’m not mailing it in just yet. Maybe I’m an eternal optimist or the biggest homer in the history of Utah State athletics, but I think there is hope to be found … somewhere.

Ponder this for a moment: the Bulldogs are a good team but they aren’t the best team the Aggies have faced so far this season. BYU and Utah are better teams than the Bulldogs. Nevada and Texas A&M could be considered better too. Certainly, each of the teams mentioned above provided similar challenges to the Aggies earlier in the season.

So, what’s my point? The Aggies were competitive in all of the games listed above, especially the Nevada game. Each of those games has contributed to the preparation of the USU football team for the game tomorrow. The Aggies have grown up a bit during their difficult schedule and it showed last week when we beat Louisiana Tech. Our guys were able to finish one out and have tasted victory, which is an addictive substance.

Every single game has shown an Aggie team with a well prepared game plan and a fighting, winning attitude. Tomorrow will be no different as our coaches attempt to exploit their weaknesses and create mismatches. Coaching and execution will keep the Aggies in the game and Fresno State has been unable to put away the close ones this year.

If the Aggies can keep it close and the ‘dogs shoot themselves in the foot, the Aggies can pull out a victory on Holloween.

Aggie Noise:

Herald Journal: Game film has changed big time and Aggies set to begin season

Salt Lake Tribune: USU football: Hamstring injury fells senior safety

Deseret News: Utah State football: Curse of the Aggies

The Statesman: Ags preparing for No. 1 rusher

Aggieville: Alex Hart thoughts

Vandal Nation: WAC preview: #2 Utah State a fearsome threat, as always

Walter McClenton - Safety (Soph)

Walter McClenton was recently awarded the America First Credit Union Utah State Student-Athlete of the Week for the week of Oct. 19-25 for his stellar performance filling in for injured senior James Brindley. This may have been the first of many accolades the rising star earns during his USU career.

James Brindley has been a stalwart safety and a team leader all season. His injury left many people wondering how we were going to be able to fill the void. Before that, forward looking fans wondered how we were going to replace the graduating safety next year. Enter Walter McClenton. Not only did he fill the void Saturday, he matched Brindley’s season high with 14 tackles. He also recorded a sack and forced a fumble. Not bad for a sophomore who only saw limited action in just two games last season.

McClenton was a four year starter at his Arlington, Texas high school. He red-shirted in 2007 after a season ending injury, and played a small back-up roll last season. Saturday’s game, against Fresno State, may see his number called again depending on Brindley’s health. It goes without saying that the Aggie defense is searching for bright spots after injuries to several key players. If not this Saturday, the 2010 season will provide a great opportunity for McClenton to consistently wreak havoc on opposing offenses, and us forward looking fans can rest a little easier.

Aggie Noise:

USU Official Site: Walter McClenton Collects America First Credit Union Utah State Student-Athlete Of The Week Accolades

Cache Valley Daily: Scrimmage signals start of season and Jaycee Carroll, Gary Wilkinson update

Herald Journal: Fans get first look and Murphy battling back from concussion

Salt Lake Tribune: USU football: Preparation, persistence pays for kicker

Deseret News: Utah State basketball: Wesley leads all scorers in Aggies’ scrimmage and ‘Dogs won’t take Utah State Aggies lightly

The Statesman: COLUMN: Section F, a different point of view

“We’re hoping our new guys can step up and be an integral part with Pooh hurt,” Morrill said. “Pooh is going to miss some games, so we will look to play some freshmen and new guys. That’s just the way it is.”

 The scrimmage begins at 7 o’clock but the doors open at 6:30. In the past it has paid off to show up early to see the players display their athleticism by throwing down acrobatic dunks.

Friday night brings the first exhibition game of the season as the Aggies host Northwest Nazarene. The game starts at 7 o’clock and will provide trick-or-treating for kids who wear a costume.

The exhibition games give the new guys a chance to show what they can do in a real game situation. It may give us a better idea of who Coach Morrill will be using in Pooh’s absence to start the season.

Saturday, the Aggies travel to Fresno, California to face the Bulldogs of Fresno State. This game is going to be a real challenge for the Aggies. The Bulldogs have size, depth, and strength; those are three things that the Aggies are lacking.

Ryan Matthews leads the Nation in rushing yards this season. His three touchdown performance against Boise State proved just how talented he is. The Aggies are going to have to swarm him to keep this game close.

I’ll go more into depth on this match-up later in the week.

Aggie Noise:

Herald Journal: Aggies host annual scrimmage tonight and USU needs to play better in 4th

Deseret News: Utah State basketball: Aggies plan annual scrimmage tonight and Utah State football: USU’s Borel has progressed at QB and Utah State football: Ags land 2 more commitments

Aggeiville: two new commits

Fortunately, we get to face them at home. There is significance in that. Our lone victory this season was at home and La. Tech has yet to win a game on the road this year. We have the support of the fans at home, which can give a team the extra push they need.

USU needs to reclaim their home field advantage before trying to take the next step of being successful on the road. Beating the Bulldogs would be a big win for the Aggies. It is a win that could provide the confidence needed for the Aggies to make a run to end the season. The best part is, the game is winnable.

If you can see past the win/loss column you would find an Aggie team that has fought hard against every team they’ve played this year. More than that, they’ve looked like they belong on the field with every team they’ve played so far. The Aggies have always been in the game late with a chance to win. One of these weeks it’s got to happen; somethings gotta give. When it does, the Aggies will start stringing together wins.

Aggie Noise:

True Blue A: La Tech vs. USU Prediction: EA Sports Style

Cache Valley Daily blog: Offsides call ‘under review’

Aggieville: Andersen’s pledge

Having said that, I have been doing a lot of thinking about what this team needs to win right now. This throws out the options of recruiting better talent and improving strength over the off-season. The solutions I’m looking for are the kind that can have an immediate affect. Things like player improvement from week to week and coaching changes.

The coaching has been there. Our team has been able to put points on the board and slow down opposing defenses well enough to keep us in the game. Each week the team has a game plan that focuses on attacking the other team’s weaknesses. I think the coaches are doing their jobs.

From the first six games of the season, we know that the defense will allow somewhere between 30 and 40 points per game against a good team. I don’t think this is going to improve this year. The defense will need to increase strength and upgrade a few positions in the off season.

If our defense is going to give up between 30 and 40 points per game with little chance of improvement, our offense is going to have to score 40 or more points per game to win. As the leader of our offense, this burden falls on the shoulders of Diondre Borel. So far, he has yet to get the job done.

Our offense has yet to score 40 points in a game, but that doesn’t mean it can’t. We have seen the ability of this offense to score in a hurry. We have decent wide receivers and a strong running back core. Until Borel becomes better at running this offense we won’t be able to beat the good teams and we will finish in the bottom three of the WAC once again.

Borel has shown improvement each week, but there are two key areas where he needs to step up:

Borel calls his own number too often. Last week he ran the ball 21 times against just 7 for Robert Turbin, one of the best running backs in the WAC. On the season, Borel has run the ball 93 times for 223 yards against Turbin’s 91 times for 640 yards. There are option plays in our offense that give Borel the choice of handing the ball to the running back or keeping it for himself. The keeper plays are detrimental for two reasons, Borel is taking an unnecessary beating on his body and his production is far less than that of our running backs. These option plays should go to the running back 75% of the time or more.

Borel has improved in the passing game, as evidenced by his play against Nevada, but he can still improve. The spread offense is designed to give you several receivers to choose from. Borel tends to key in on one receiver and scrambles if the pass isn’t there. While the offensive line is the cause of some scrambles, there are hot routes available to counter a good rush. Often there are players wide open in the flat waiting to bail out the QB that get completely ignored. One statistic that looks good on the surface is Borel’s 9:1 touchdown to interception ratio. This ratio tells me that Diondre could take a few more chances, especially considering the Aggies have had to attempt several late game comebacks. Either Borel isn’t seeing his receivers or he is too gun shy.

When Borel can improve upon these two issues our offense will be very explosive. 40 points per game would be an achievable benchmark. Our defense would have less pressure on them and could play more aggressively. We would be able to beat good teams on a regular basis.

It may not seem fair to ask so much from Diondre Borel, seeing as this offense is new to him, but fair doesn’t have anything to do with it. When you are the quarterback of a football team you better be prepared for criticism. Besides, I wouldn’t demand so much from him if I didn’t think he had the ability to produce. We are lucky to have a quarterback as talented as Diondre to lead our team. I wish him the best as he tries to lead the Aggies to victory, and when he does I will give him all of the credit that he deserves.

Clearly, the Aggies are making improvements. Maybe not quite as clear is what needs to be fixed and who is to blame for the losses? It is important to note that Gary Andersen, as a head coach should, has placed the blame on himself. It’s up to you and I to dig a little deeper.

In Las Cruces there were two enormous contributing factors to the loss. First, the special teams gave up 91 punt return yards in four attempts. This was remedied against Nevada where the Wolfpack gained only 4 yards in 2 tries. Second, against NMSU we were backed up 128 yards on 12 penalties. Versus Nevada we cut that in half by committing only 6 penalties for 60 yards. Correcting these two problems took an Aggie team from being demoralized by NMSU to competitive with Nevada. But I think we should’ve beaten NMSU even with the issues we had.

In comparing the Offensive output from the Nevada game to the New Mexico state game there are some stats that stand out. Utah State gained almost the exact same yardage against Nevada (427) as NMSU (429). But this stat alone is very misleading.

Take, for example, the points USU put on the board in each game. USU only tallied 17 points against NMSU, but almost doubled that score against UNR with 32. 

Now take the way USU gained their yards in each game. Against NMSU, USU came with a rushing attack that yielded 258 yards on the ground compared with 171 in the air. This was accomplished with 45 runs  and 26 passes. Against UNR, USU ran the ball 34 times for only 74 yards, and passed 42 times for 353 yards. Clearly, the coaching staff approached the two games with a different offensive game plan in mind catered to the opponent we were facing.

Defensively, USU gave up 230 total yards and 10 first downs to NMSU. Contrast that with the 502 total yards and 20 first downs we gave up to Nevada. There is a huge disparity here, yet both games resulted in a 3 point loss. I give Nevada credit here for having a stellar running game that just wore us down by the end of the game.

Instead of boring you with more numbers and statistics, I want to revert back to the topic at hand. Where does the blame fall?

Three areas:

The offensive line, the defensive line, and the quarter back.

On both sides of the ball we are losing the battle in the trenches. Our guys aren’t big enough or strong enough. There’s nothing that can be done about this problem this year. Recruiting and strength training will improve this area over time and I have confidence in our coaches to make sure this is the case.

As for the quarter back issue, I have some explaining to do about my opinion. Currently, I am building my case and will have it ready soon. Until then…

Aggie Noise:

Cache Valley Daily: Wolfpack bite Aggies late, USU loses 35-32

Herald Journal: Heartbreak aplenty: Nevada rally gives Aggies another loss and Ags still can’t finish the job

Salt Lake Tribune: USU defense rolled, eventually, by Pack’s ground game and USU blows chances, loses to Nevada

USU Official Site: Utah State’s Rally Comes Up Short In 35-32 Loss To Nevada Saturday

Deseret News: Utah State football: Aggies let opportunity to win slip away

It’s happening again, the same thing that happens every year at this time… Aggie fans, and the media alike, skip over the end of the football season as if it were the opening act for Utah State basketball team. This didn’t bother me as much under the Brent Guy regime because, well, our team stunk. Not only that, but there was little hope in the Aggies building a viable football program over the long haul.

Things have changed. Our administrators have made a commitment to football. They fired Brent Guy and hired Gary Andersen. Gary Andersen has brought in an offense that is entertaining to watch, and a defense that is improving each week. He has utilized players much more effectively than Guy ever did. Andersen had a great recruiting class in a shortened recruiting period, and should only continue to bring in more talent each year. While the win column may not prove it, there is genuine reason to hope for a healthy, competitive football program at USU in the near future.

It is for this reason that I hope to see Aggies continue to show our football team support. The basketball team has earned our support already, and it is easy to become more interested in the speculation of their season than the end of the season for a 1-4 football team. The basketball team certainly deserves our support,  but so does the football team. There should be plenty of support to go around for both teams.

There is a program in our conference, I won’t name names, that has a very good football team. The fans are exceptionally proud of this football team and show with their support. This same school has had success on the basketball court in recent years too. Unfortunately, the fans have not been so supportive of their basketball team even when they finished tied for first place in the conference a few years ago.

I fear that a similar situation could arise in Logan. If we don’t show our support for the football team now, when will we?

Please, go watch the game tomorrow. The team needs all of the support they can get to pull off an upset against a hot Nevada team (110 points in their last two games). Take a friend and cheer for our Aggies. Fan support helps to build strong programs. We need you.

Aggie Noise:

Deseret News: Utah St. football: Ags happy to finally be back home 

Utah State basketball: Aggies open practice shorthanded

USU Official Site: Aggie Men Begin 2009-10 Season With First Official Practice Friday

Salt Lake Tribune: Ags not a full strength as practice starts

Aggieville: The non-conference schedule and The season is upon us and Diondre Borel

Herald Journal: Ags want to get ‘swagger back’ and USU duo begins season injured

Cache Valley Daily: Grass Valley trio keeps on playing

The Statesman: COLUMN: Section F, a different point of view

For decades Aggie fans have complained about the lack of media coverage from the Salt Lake media, and probably for good reason. The Aggies have always played second fiddle to U of U and BYU when it comes to media coverage. There is only so much space on the sports page of a printed news paper, and for so long the Aggies were banished to the fifth page next to high school girls soccer updates with no pictures and a lame title.

But things have started looking up for the Aggies. We’ve gotten more coverage from the SL media. The articles that are written seem to be longer and more in depth. The new online media isn’t limited to a finite number of pages but has room for everyone in the news and the Aggies are starting to make some noise.

I have been impressed with a number of articles written by SL media writers about the Aggies this season. One of my favorite USU bloggers is Jared Eborn who writes for the USU blog associated with Deseret News. The blog started in February of 2008 with Jay Hinton as the writer. Jared Eborn took over in July of 2008 and has been posting consistantly ever since. His articles are worth the read.

So why all of the attention recently? I think there are several factors that play into this. I’ve listed them below in what I believe to be the order of influence:

1. The success of USU basketball. Stew Morrill is steadily gaining national respect for the USU basketball program. The SLC media is beginning to come around too.
2. The hiring of Gary Andersen. Andersen was adored by the SLC media as well as many U of U fans. He brings a lot of SLC sports interest to USU.
3. One significant factor in this was the star-like attention that Jaycee Carroll received his senior season (deservedly so). He was a media darling in his own right.
4. The hiring of Scott Barnes. I struggled with where to rank this one but I decided to leave it here because he hasn’t been around for long. However, that shouldn’t take away from the great work he’s done.

 With the announcement of our new TV contract and the creation of a new USU blog by a major media outlet, this has been a good week for USU public relations. My charge to USU fans is this, support these new media outlets. Subscribe to the Aggieville RSS feed. Read Jared Eborn’s blog posts. Tune into CW 30 for games you can’t attend live. Leave the TV on CW 30 when you can attend live games. As we show a demand for these services, we will continue to get better coverage. Better coverage means more brand recognition, which not only benefits athletic recruiting but academic recruiting. Let’s do our part in helping Utah State continue to take it to the next level.

Aggie Noise:

Herald Journal: Home cookin’ or not, penalties inexcusable

Salt Lake Tribune: Ags forced to use starters on special teams

USU official site: Aggie Football Coach’s Luncheon In Salt Lake City Thursday

ESPN: Nevada at Utah State

Wacsports.com: This Week in WAC Football-Oct. 13

KSL.com: Utah State: Opponents recap