Spring Game Updates!

This forum is for Football related topics only. Other topics will be moved to the appropriate forum.
aggies22
Aggie Insider, Pick'em Champ - '18 Kickoff, '19 Weekly
Posts: 19233
Joined: November 3rd, 2010, 8:17 pm
Location: Smithfield, Utah
Has thanked: 23202 times
Been thanked: 14831 times
Contact:

Re: Spring Game Updates!

Post by aggies22 » April 17th, 2019, 11:34 am

AggiesForever wrote:
April 17th, 2019, 9:58 am
Aglicious wrote:
April 16th, 2019, 2:28 pm
[*]was your comment "unrelated" in parenthesis regarding the Shaw's about their current class and position or about their relationship to one another? I only wondered because I read it to mean the latter and they are most certainly brothers.
I "thought" I was told by `22 they are not related. That was the meaning of that "unrelated" reference to the Shaw's, Ty and Karter. Sorry if it was inaccurate.
Hmmmm. I thought I said they were brothers. Sorry for the mix-up AF!



User avatar
JSHarvey
Posts: 2242
Joined: April 2nd, 2013, 12:45 pm
Location: Sandy, UT
Has thanked: 3496 times
Been thanked: 350 times

Re: Spring Game Updates!

Post by JSHarvey » April 17th, 2019, 11:42 am

Just wanted to post to say THANK YOU to AggiesForever for that write up!!!

:-)


"The purpose of education is not to validate ignorance but to overcome it." Lawrence Krauss

"Thinking is the hardest work there is, that's why so few people do it!" Henry Ford

AggieUprising50
Posts: 949
Joined: January 31st, 2015, 4:31 pm
Has thanked: 128 times
Been thanked: 375 times

Re: Spring Game Updates!

Post by AggieUprising50 » April 17th, 2019, 1:51 pm

aggies22 wrote:
April 17th, 2019, 8:01 am
tipitup wrote:
April 17th, 2019, 7:56 am
22 do you have another depth chart coming up?
I have a solid post-spring offensive depth chart but with the unlucky amount of injuries to several defensive linemen getting a good bead on the defense was impossible. Several linebackers ended the spring filling in along the defensive line. Late June I will begin releasing my preseason previews and that will have all incoming players included in a "projected" pre-camp depth chart. If anyone would like to discuss my take on the current or future depth chart I'm game!
What's your post-spring offensive depth chart look like?



taniataylor
Posts: 2203
Joined: June 24th, 2016, 9:21 am
Location: Monrovia, Ca
Has thanked: 296 times
Been thanked: 1676 times

Re: Spring Game Updates!

Post by taniataylor » April 17th, 2019, 11:41 pm

aggies22 wrote:
April 17th, 2019, 8:34 am
AggiesForever wrote:
April 16th, 2019, 10:46 am
This spring game was the most vanilla spring game I have ever watched. From a fan perspective, it wasn't very fun. I told NavyBlueAggie that spring games are for the players, not the fans. Its for the players evaluation and fun, not for us. As such, fans need to approach watching the game in a different way than to be entertained. You need to go to get questions answered. From a team perspective, they learned some things:

1. Can Savon Scarver run anything besides a fly route? He actually did, catching 4 passes for 61 yards, none of which was a fly or jet route. One was a throw to the end zone where he had to high point the ball over a defender. He caught a pass across the middle, and a couple of other "non standard" throws. Scarver playing more like a reciever and less like a "kick returner playing receiver" is very important this year. This is a big opportunity for him to prove he can do that. If he can't become a true receving threat for us, we're in trouble.

2. Who is going to be this years "Ron'Quavion Tarver" and catch all the shots to the endzone? Devin Heckstall is a big 6-5 receiver brought in last year who really didn't do a lot. Part of that was because Tarver was playing ahead of him, and they had an abundance of the skilled, veteran receivers.. But part also was that, like many juco transfers, he just wasn't ready. Saturday, he looked like he wants to play. He made a high-pointe catch for a TD, as well as a few other catches, so that was good to see. Jordan Love expressed confidence in him to pick up where Tarver left off. There's another outside receiver named Sam Lockett (6-0, 195), who was last years "scout team player of the year," i.e. redshirt playing on the scout team. He played well on Saturday and a lot of positive things were said about him.

Not playing was Siaosi Mariner, the 6-2 193 starting WR from Utah, who will come to USU as a grad transfer. He wants a fresh start after a key tipped pass in the PAC12 title game bounced off his leg and was intercepted by a Washington DB and returned for the winning TD. He is still in school at Utah, but will be here all summer working out with Jordan Love. Big things are expected.

3. How about our other receivers? What did we see? Jordan Nathan, Taylor Compton, and Devin Thompkins are all players who played last year and are returning with a lot expected of them. More of them are the typically smaller receivers who tend to play in up-tempo offenses, and are fast but there's not a lot of size. But they can all catch the ball, and that is the most important thing. I got a good look at Tim Patrick, the highly ballyhooed kid from the San Diego area, who was recruited by everybody as an "athlete." At 6-0 190, USU is trying to turn him into a receiver. He's pretty fast and athletic, and they have high hopes for him.

We have an abundance of talent at Tight End and they all played good on Saturday, particularly Carson Terrell, 6-3 260 JC transfer Mosese Manu, and 6-6 245 RS Freshman Bryce Mortensen of local HS Sky View. They all caught the ball and blocked well Saturday. Joining them this fall will be graduate transfer Caleb Repp, a 6-5 230 DE from Utah, who has followed Andersen to Logan and will be returned to the TE position at USU. He was first a tight end when he went to Utah, but was converted. Andersen's staff believes his real talent is receiving.

4. Who are the running backs? I have to say losing Darwin Thompson was big. He was primed to have a monsterous season this year. But he's gone, so we have Gerald Bright, and JC all-American Jaylen Warren, who was named the 2018 NJCAA National Offensive Player of the Year (Like Thompson the year before) at Snow. Warren hasn't showed up yet because he has to finish the year at Snow College. So all eyes were on his possible replacements. One who stepped up was Enoch Nawahine, a redshirt freshman from Kahuku High School via Boise State, where he walked on last year. He was going to go on a mission and then decided not to, but didn't see a future at BSU so he walked on here. Once he got back into shape (kind of quit working out with a mission coming, then didn't go), he was really good. Runs really hard and is very quick. If he'll stay and workout all summer and add 15-20 pounds, he can really help us. Between Bright, Warren and Nawahine, I think we're in pretty good shape. Logan HS product 5-10 200 Chase Nelson has been moved from defensive back to RB, and was running 2nd team through most of the spring. Has decent speed and is intelligent-- won't make stupid mistakes. But he fumbled the ball twice on big hits, so his stock may have tumbled.

On another note, 6-1 215 Morian Walker, Jr. started out spring camp fast, and I think we can sure use his size and speed. But I've heard that OC Sanford isn't big on big downhill backs-- they want guys who are multifaceted and can run AND catch the ball out of the backfield, more like Michael Smith and Kerwynn Williams of the past. Walker apparently was not proving to be adept in the latter role and there is some thinking that he'll transfer now. I hope not. We'll have a need for him at some point this year.

5. Who is our offensive line going to be? We lost 4 starters on the offensive line, but they were playing about 11 guys, so lots of people played a lot of minutes. Right now it looks like the two starting tackles are locked down with Alfred Edwards at LT, and RS Fr Jacob South (Anacortes, WA) winning the right tackle spot. South came in and won the job this year, kind of like Edwards did last year, but will have to play to keep his spot as RS JC Transfers Andy Koch and Kyler Hack are right on his tail and both want to play after sitting out last year. Hack could end up swinging inside to Guard as well. What do they say? Competition breeds performance?

Also back after playing a ton last year is Demytrick Ali'ifua at center, so we have good confidence in that spot, but I'm not sure who his back-up is at the moment. The guard positions are being manned by the Shaw's (unrelated-- RS Freshman Karter Shaw at left guard and Junior Tyler Shaw at right guard). Tyler has paid his dues and is ready to play. Karter is backed up by another redshirt, Wyatt Bowles of Syracuse HS, who was very highly talented and regarded coming out of HS, and former starter Mo Uasike, who is really pushing to get back into the lineup. Behind them all are veterans Chandler Dolphin, Henry Avendano, Siotame Uluave, and freshman Aric Davidson, who played well this spring and could help out at either tackle and guard. I think despite the graduations, we won't skip a beat this year.

6. What about the defense? The defensive line was really beat up and so it was hard to tell much from what they had out there playing, which was mostly people playing out of positions. Tipa Galeai has been out most of the spring, but he played Saturday-- mostly just going through the motions it seemed like to get some work in. Devin Anderson played, too. Fua Leilua has been out all spring, so he didn't play at all. Dalton Baker played a little DE. There were a whole bunch of back ups who played a ton on Saturday and looked decent, but its really difficult to know what we'll be like with so many guys out or nursing injuries. So look to the fall on for the defensive line, who if everybody is back and healthy should be solid.

Linebacker was another story. They came to play and looked great. Kevin Metzenheimer has stepped up at linebacker and appears to give us another really good player to go along with David Woodward. Plus incoming freshman Christian LaVelle, who changed from Arizona State to us, looks really good. RS Freshman Elijah Shelton was really good on Saturday, as well. Some thought he was the player of the scrimmage. Plus we have several others guys who have played in Maika Magalei, and Daniel Langi. So the linebackers appear to be a solid bunch.

The defensive backs also looked really good, intercepting several passes. Braxton Gunther returned one about 70 yards for a TD. Gunther is really fast. Plus, we return J'Marcus Ingram at one corner, Cameron Haney at the other, with JD Williams at the nickleback. Add in sophomores Zahodri Jackson, Andrei Grayson and Isiah Haywood, and our DB's look to be a very strong unit. I thought overall they played really great.

We never saw much from the special teams because there was no live action. But let me say we have Aaron Dalton back for his senior year to punt after being injured last year, and Dom Eberle is back to do the place kicking. With Scarver and Nathan to do the return work, we don't need anybody else.

Quarterback is Jordan Love, with Henry Colombi and Aaron Peasley. A bunch of freshman will come in this fall but we don't need to worry about them for now. We have our horse and we'll ride him!

I felt generally good about the spring game, mostly glad there were no major major injuries. Summer workouts will be the separator for many of these positional battles as the guys who get themselves ready will have the edge this fall. I'm excited. Can't wait for it to get here!
Solid write-up AF! It's like we sat next to each other or something? :) I do have a few things to add.

Question 1: I agree, Savon Scarver needs to take a step forward in the receiving category.

Question 2: I'm not so sure we'll see a ton of Devin Heckstall in the fall. I am projecting Siaosi Mariner to be the starter at that spot and he's already third on my depth chart, so he's got some work ahead of him. Alex Wheat 2.0 comes to mind.

Question 3: The receivers as a unit have a ton to prove in August. The only proven commodity we have right now is Jordan Nathan and I expect him to return to his starting role at slot receiver in the fall.

There are a lot of questions at tight end behind Carson Terrell. Travis Bowman and Logan Lee are good players but they both have struggled to stay healthy in the past and both missed time during the spring. Bryce Mortenson is coming off an injury that cost him his 2018 season and Mosese Manu is trying to find his way after returning from a mission. I'm reserving judgment on Caleb Repp. If we had signed him out of high school we would all be pumped so we'll see where he fits in the grand scheme of things.

Question 4: Enoch Nawahine is on scholarship and I like what he can do but he could really use a redshirt year. With the new redshirt rule, he will play in 2019 but not beyond 4 games. I'm not sold on Riley Burt. Chase Nelson ended the spring second on the depth chart. Jaylen Warren needs to come in ready to run.

Question 5: Andy Koch is a redshirt freshman. Kyler Hack is a redshirt sophomore. Both kids turned down P5 offers last year to sign with USU. Ty and Karter Shaw are absolutely brothers. Aric Davison will play guard to start and possibly center down the road. He will never see time as a tackle. I addressed questions about Mo Uasike in a post above.
This is a true statement. Jordan will be returning to the slot


Jordan Nathan's #1 Fan Copyright pending due to YBAs shenanigans

slcagg
Posts: 14098
Joined: December 15th, 2010, 6:29 pm
Has thanked: 4383 times
Been thanked: 4018 times

Re: Spring Game Updates!

Post by slcagg » April 19th, 2019, 8:52 am

Great write up thanks guys. How did the safeties look?



User avatar
AggiesForever
Pick'em Champ - '15 Kickoff
Posts: 2331
Joined: January 1st, 1997, 12:00 am
Has thanked: 1310 times
Been thanked: 677 times

Re: Spring Game Updates!

Post by AggiesForever » April 19th, 2019, 7:46 pm

slcagg wrote:
April 19th, 2019, 8:52 am
Great write up thanks guys. How did the safeties look?
Secondary looked very good. When Shaq Bond is ready to go this fall, they should look even better, in my view.
These users thanked the author AggiesForever for the post (total 2):
slcaggoleblu111



Locked Previous topicNext topic