Utah State Aggies
WAC
Utah State was five points away from a perfect season. They lost by just two points at Wisconsin and fell by a score of 3-6 at BYU. More importantly, the Aggies and Coach Gary Anderson went undefeated in conference play. That may not mean what it used to in the WAC, but beating San Jose State and Louisiana Tech on the road is impressive.
2012 Record: 10-2, 6-0
Coach: Gary Anderson
Coach Bowl Record: 0-1
Big Wins: 9/7 Utah (27-20), 11/17 at Louisiana Tech (48-41)
Bad Losses: 9/15 at Wisconsin (14-16), 10/5 at BYU (3-6)
Strengths:
Beating squads like San Jose State and Louisiana Tech takes a monumental defensive effort. The secondary has been worked week in and week out, but have come out on top more often than not. Cornerback Will Davis was a part-time starter in 2011, but turned into a star in 2012. Davis picked off five passes and tallied an amazing 16 pass break-ups. Nevin Lawson is an experienced corner, so it is not that simple to just avoid Davis’ side of the ball. That is especially true with safeties McKade Brady and Brian Suite, as well as linebacker Kyler Fackrell roaming around. The secondary gets a big boost from the pressure brought by the front seven. There is not one single great pass rusher on this team, although ends Jordan Nielsen and Connor Williams have their moments, but it is truly a team effort. Coach Anderson can bring pressure from all over the field due to his trust in the cornerbacks. Linebackers Zach Vigil and Bojay Filimoeatu spend a lot of time in the quarterback’s face.
Weaknesses:
The Aggies offense is hardly a weakness, but compared to the defense, they could be better. Quarterback Chuckie Keeton has had a great season, throwing for 3,144 yards and 27 touchdowns, while rushing for 527 yards with seven more scores. Keeton is a dynamic playmaker who can do it all. Trying to contain Keeton is tough enough, but the huge multitude of receivers makes the Aggies even tougher to defend. Matt Austin, Chuck Jacobs, Cameron Webb and Kellen Bartlett are all dangerous receivers. But none of them led the team. That honor goes to running back Kerwynn Williams, who caught 43 passes for 663 yards. Of course, that is just a small chunk of Williams’ touches. He carried the ball 200 times for 1,277 scores and a dozen touchdowns. Combined, Williams accounted for 17 touchdowns. When the offense struggles, which it only did against Wisconsin and BYU, the Aggies have lost this season. The defense can only do so much, like hold the Cougars to six points in a loss, so the pressure falls on the shoulders of Keeton and company to get the job done.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Kerwynn Williams, RB, 1,277 yards
Passing: Chuckie Keeton, QB, 3,144 yards
Receiving: Kerwynn Williams, RB, 663 yards
Tackles: Jake Doughty, LB, 101
Sacks: Zach Vigil, LB, 5.5
Interceptions: Will Davis, CB, 5
2012 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 191.67 (37th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Passing Offense: 268.00 (38, 3)
Total Offense: 459.67 (27, 2)
Scoring Offense: 34.42 (35, 3)
Rushing Defense: 111.42 (13, 1)
Pass Defense: 211.25 (37, 1)
Total Defense: 322.67 (16, 1)
Scoring Defense: 15.42 (8, 1)
Turnover Margin: -0.08 (61, 3)
Sacks: 3.25 (8, 2)
Sacks Allowed: 1.50 (36, 2)
Recent Bowl Appearances:
2011 Idaho Potato Bowl Ohio (23-24)
1997 Humanitarian Bowl Cincinnati (19-35)
1993 Las Vegas Bowl Ball State (42-33)
1961 Gotham Bowl Baylor (9-24)
1960 Sun Bowl New Mexico State (13-20)
*all team stats through 11/24
