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When Utah State takes the field vs the Utah Utes on Friday, Aggie fans will be holding their breath and hoping to see an improved offensive performance compared to what they witnessed in last week's 12-point, 250-yard win vs Southern Utah. Aggie fans have been very critical of the performance of the offensive line in that game, but Matt Wells was quick to remind fans that the blame should fall on the offense as a unit.
One major reason for the offensive woes was the lack of depth at the WR position. The position group was considered a major strength coming into the season, but the loss of Jojo Natson (dismissed from team) and Hunter Sharp (suspension) and injuries to Brandon Swindall (hamstring), Zach Van Leeuwen (concussion), Tyler Fox, and Devonte Robinson (cramps) left Chuckie Keeton with precious few targets to throw to.
In fact, at one point in last Thursday's contest, the Aggies were down to three healthy/eligible receivers. The bad news for Keeton and the Aggies is that Sharp's suspension extends through Friday night's game and that Natson won't be back in an Aggie uniform any time soon.
The good news is that Swindall and Robinson should be at 100% and Van Leeuwen could play as long as he's cleared. Will this be enough to make a difference for the Aggies? In the past, Matt Wells has proved that he can be creative in moving the football and creating offensive production. With that in mind, look for Kennedy Williams to play more WR, Keeton to continue to target the TEs more than in the past, and possibly even have a redshirt pulled from one of the freshmen WRs.
The coaches also experimented with the idea of QB Kent Myers at WR during the spring, and he showed promise. We won't find out what the coaches have in mind until Friday night, but one thing is certain: Wells and offensive coordinator Josh Heupel weren't satisfied with the lack of scoring last week and will make whatever adjustments they feel gives their team the best chance to beat the Utes.
Here is the depth chart:
| Pos | No | Player 1 | No | Player 2 | No | Player 3 | No | Player 4 | No | Player 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OFFENSE | ||||||||||
| WR-X | 3 | Robinson, Devonte SR/TR | 3 | Van Leeuwen, Zach RS FR | ||||||
| WR-T | 82 | Rodriguez, Andrew SR/TR | 26 | Williams, Kennedy JR/1 | ||||||
| TE-Y | 83 | Houston, Wyatt JR/1 | 87 | Raymond, Dax FR | 44 | Horne, Landon JR/TR | ||||
| LT | 65 | Albrecht, Austin RS JR | 73 | Brooksby, Preston JR TR | ||||||
| LG | 72 | Mosley, Tyshon RS SO | 54 | Wysocki, Ben JR TR | ||||||
| OC | 59 | Stephens, Austin RS JR | 64 | Ioane, Jarom RS SO | ||||||
| RG | 75 | Fisilau, Taani SR/2 | 66 | Uluave, KJ RS FR | ||||||
| RT | 76 | Simonich, Jake RS JR/1 | 78 | Boyer, Cody RS FR | ||||||
| WR-Z | 11 | Swindall, Brandon SR/2 | 88 | Roberts, Braelon RS SO | 80 | Fox, Tyler RS FR | ||||
| QB | 16 | Keeton, Chuckie RS SR/3 | 2 | Myers, Kent SO | 8 | Hobbs, Damion SO/TR | 6 | Nelson, DJ RS FR | ||
| RB | 21 | Hunt, LaJuan SO/TR | 32 | Mays, Devante JR TR | 7 | Lindsey, Tonny JR/TR | ||||
| DEFENSE | ||||||||||
| DE | 95 | Ali'ifua, Ricky JR/1 | 91 | Taufa, Siua JR/TR | 19 | Togiai, Ian SO | ||||
| NG | 51 | Moala, David SR/TR | 56 | Schuster, Gasetoto RS FR | 96 | Unga, Chris FR | ||||
| DE | 97 | Nielsen, Jordan SR/2 | 52 | Taylor, John SR/TR | 98 | Faimalo, Edmund SR/TR | ||||
| OLB | 9 | Fackrell, Kyler SR/2 | 12 | Huerta, Alex RS SO | ||||||
| ILB | 5 | Filiaga, LT SR/TR | 16 | Williams, Anthony SR/TR | 48 | Christiansen, Chase RS FR | ||||
| ILB | 41 | Vigil, Nick RS JR/1 | 45 | Baldomero, Jarom SR/1 | 42 | Harold, La'Bradford SR/2 | ||||
| OLB | 39 | Green, Torrey SR/1 | 23 | Okonkwo, Michael SR/2 | ||||||
| CB | 13 | Davis, Jalen SO | 1 | Gray, Daniel RS JR | 22 | Hayes, Bryant SR/TR | ||||
| FS | 37 | Centers, Devin RS JR/1 | 27 | Rocquemore, Jontrell RS FR | ||||||
| SS | 24 | Evans, Marwin RS SR | 2 | Ellison, Marquan RS JR/1 | ||||||
| CB | 22 | Hayes, Bryant SR/TR | 15 | Floyd, Tyler SR/TR | 31 | Painter, Jentz RS JR | ||||
| SPECIAL TEAMS | ||||||||||
| P | 89 | Dalton, Aaron RS FR | 36 | Thompson, Jake JR/1 | ||||||
| PK | 36 | Thompson, Jake JR/1 | 63 | Warren, Brock RS JR | ||||||
| LS | 58 | Galea'i, Salanoa SR/TR | 47 | Hutchinson, Mark SR | ||||||
| H | 6 | Nelson, DJ RS FR | 89 | Dalton, Aaron RS FR | ||||||
| PR | 13 | Davis, Jalen SO | 82 | Rodriguez, Andrew SR/TR | ||||||
| KR | 26 | Williams, Kennedy JR/1 | 13 | Davis, Jalen SO | ||||||