Utah State fall camp notes

With their game against Tennessee just three weeks away, head coach Matt Wells and the Utah State Aggies continue fall camp. There have been some questions on both sides of the ball, such as the health of Chuckie Keeton's knee and the defense as a whole. Here's what we know so far from the first five days of camp.

Keeton looks healthy so far

One of the major questions coming into this fall camp is how Keeton's knee will hold up. He has addressed the issue, saying the knee feels fine and that he should be ready to go come Week 1. And the evidence is there. Keeton does have a rushing touchdown so far this camp from 45 yards out  in 11-on-11 drills and has completed two passes for touchdowns as well. Having a healthy Keeton and a very talented Darell Garretson at backup means the Aggies should be in very good shape this season at quarterback.

Wide Receivers starting to show promise

Another thing to keep an eye on is the wide receiver position. The Aggies lost most of their firepower from last season, and questions have arisen as to just how good this receiving corps will be this season. The main focus will be on junior wide receiver Bruce Natson. Also a big threat returning punts, Natson will look to improve on his numbers from last season where he nearly had just over 800 total yards. Other key players to be on the lookout for are freshman Damoun Patterson and junior Brandon Swindall. Both of these players have big play ability, each having touchdowns of 20 yards or more in 11-on-11 drills.

Defense looking to make another big splash

If there is one thing on this team that gets talked about more than Chuckie Keeton, it is the Aggie defense. They have statistically been one of the best defenses in the country the past few years, finishing 12th in the country in overall defense last year. The two main workhorses to watch are junior linebacker Kyler Fackrell and senior linebacker Zach Vigil. These guys are just two of the five returning starters on defense and will be the anchor of the D-Line, especially since both of them have been named to preseason award watch lists.

Player to Watch: Devin Centers

Centers has been the breakout player so far this fall camp. A sophomore from Chandler, Ariz., he has already been a force at cornerback the past few days, intercepting 4 passes, all of which came from Keeton. He played in 13 games last season but did not record an interception. If he can turn that around, and he and the rest of the CB's can get hot, this could be a defense not to play around with.

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Fall camp for the Aggies will continue through August 23rd and all practices are open to the public.