http://www.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/stories/082904aat.html
Football Opens 2004 Season At Alabama On September 4
Weekly Football Release #1 - 08/29/04
Aug. 29, 2004
LOGAN, Utah -
Game #1 at Alabama
Sat., Sept. 4, 5:05 p.m. (Mountain)
Bryant-Denny Stadium (83,818)
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Radio: 610 AM (Logan)
94.5 FM (Logan)
860 AM (Salt Lake City)
98.3 FM (Salt Lake City)
106.3 FM (Ogden/SLC)
104.7 FM (Utah County/SLC)
105.5 FM (Randolph)
www.UtahStateAggies.com
TV: Pay Per View (ESPN Game Plan)
Tickets: 1-888-U-STATE-1
(435) 797-0305
www.UtahStateAggies.com
QUICKLY -- Utah State (0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt) will open its 107th season of football at
one of the elite programs in college football history when the Aggies travel to
Alabama (0-0, 0-0 SEC) on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 5:05 p.m. mountain time... This is the
fifth season of the Mick Dennehy era at USU as well as the Aggies' second and final
season in the Sun Belt Conference before becoming a member of the Western Athletic
Conference beginning in 2005... USU is opening its season on the road for the second
straight year and fifth time in the last six years (hosted Utah to start the 2002
campaign)... USU has lost six straight season openers since winning 21-14 at Utah to
start the 1997 season... This will be just the third time in the last nine years that
the Aggies have not started their season against Utah (USU opened the 1999 season at
Georgia and the 2000 season at Texas Tech)... USU is 1-2 in known games on Sept. 4...
The Sept. 4 game is the latest calendar start for the Aggies since opening the 1999
season at Georgia on Sept. 4 (lost 38-7)... USU is 1-0 in games played in Alabama all
time having won at Troy 19-16 in overtime in 2002.
ON THE AIR -- All Utah State football games are carried on the Aggie Radio Network
with Al "abama" Lewis calling the play-by-play and "Crimson" Craig Hislop providing
analysis. Saturday's game will be televised on a pay-per-view basis and viewers should
consult ESPN Game Plan to pick up the game.
USU TRAVEL PLANS -- Utah State will fly a chartered plane to Birmingham and will stay
at the Hilton Birmingham Perimeter Park Friday night. Mike Strauss (C: 435-770-3131)
and Doug Hoffman (C: 435-881-8011) will be on hand to assist you in your coverage of
the Aggies. The team will have a walk through at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Friday at
3:05 p.m. Coach Mick Dennehy will be available for the media at the beginning of
practice which will be open for the first 15 minutes.
80,000-PLUS -- Utah State's trip to 83,818-seat Bryant-Denny Stadium could produce the
third largest crowd to ever witness a Utah State football game in person. Here is a
look at the five largest crowds USU has played in front of in its history, with three
of the games coming in the Mick Dennehy era:
Attn. Opponent Year Result
87,756 at LSU 2001 L 14-31
86,117 at Georgia 1999 L 7-38
78,176 at Nebraska 2002 L 13-44
77,284 at Nebraska 2003 L 7-31
76,115 at Nebraska 1991 L 28-59
UP NEXT -- Utah State will return to Logan to host its season and conference opener
against Idaho on Sept. 11 at 6:05 p.m. It will mark USU's earliest conference game
since opening the 1995 season with a Big West game at Arkansas State. Idaho is at
Boise State on Sept. 4.
SEASON CAPTAINS -- For the second straight season, Utah State has selected season
captains. QB Travis Cox (#4) will represent the offense, LB Robert Watts (#30) will
represent the defense and CB/KOR Jerome Dennis (#20) will represent the special teams
units. Each week the USU coaches will select a game captain to join the regular season
captains.
COACH MICK DENNEHY -- Utah State will enter its fifth year under head coach Mick
Dennehy (Montana, 1973), who was hired on Dec. 3, 1999. He compiled a 39-12 record
(76.5 percent) in four years at Montana. His five wins in his first year at Utah State
tied for the best mark by a first-year Aggie coach since Phil Krueger won seven games
in 1973 (Dennehy is the seventh coach since then). In 2001 he guided the Aggies in
their first Independent schedule since 1977. The Aggies played four top-25 teams and
five bowl teams in 2001. Realizing the improvement USU was making on and off the
field, Dennehy was rewarded with a two-year contract extension on Nov. 30, 2001 which
will keep him in Logan through 2005. In 2002, Dennehy's team faced four bowl teams en
route to a 4-7 mark. Last year the Aggies met two ranked teams in the preseason and
started conference play 3-1 before losing its last three league games by a total of
just 21 points. Prior to assuming the head coaching role at Montana, he served as the
school's offensive coordinator for five seasons, producing one of the nation's top
offenses. In Dennehy's nine years overall at Montana, the Grizzlies ranked in the top
four in the country in passing offense every year and in the top five in scoring and
total offense in five of his last seven seasons. Before going to Montana, Dennehy
revived the program at Western Montana, which had dropped football in 1987. In three
years he improved the team from a 1-6 record to a 5-3 mark.
Year School Overall Pct. Conf. Pct. Notes
1988 West. Montana 1-6 .143 1-5/5th .167 Revived Program
1989 West. Montana 4-4 .500 2-4/4th .333
1990 West. Montana 5-3 .625 3-3/3rd .500
1996 Montana 14-1 .933 8-0/1st 1.000 Nat'l Runners-up
1997 Montana 8-4 .667 6-2/2nd .750 0-1 in playoffs
1998 Montana 8-4 .667 6-2/1st .750 Big Sky Champ.
1999 Montana 9-3 .750 7-1/1st .875 Big Sky Champ.
2000 Utah State 5-6 .455 4-1/2nd .800 1 win from bowl
2001 Utah State 4-7 .364 N/A N/A Played 4 top 25
2002 Utah State 4-7 .364 N/A N/A 4 '01 bowl opp.
2003 Utah State 3-9 .250 3-4/t4th .429 1st yr. in Sun Belt
Western Montana (3 yrs.) 10-13 .435 6-12 .333 Revived Program
Montana (4 years) 39-12 .765 27-5 .844 Four playoffs
Utah State (4 years) 16-29 .356 7-5 .583 50th career win
Totals (11 years) 65-54 .546 40-22 .645 3-4 in playoffs
USU-ALABAMA SERIES -- Saturday's meeting will be the first between the Aggies and
Crimson Tide on the football field. USU is making its first of two trips to the state
of Alabama as the Aggies will play at Troy, a fellow member of the Sun Belt
Conference, on Oct. 2. The Aggies are 1-7 all-time against current members of the
Southeastern Conference. USU is 1-2 against Kentucky, 0-1 vs. Georgia and 0-2 vs. both
Arkansas and Louisiana State. USU's last meeting with a member of the conference was a
31-14 loss at then 13th-ranked LSU in 2001. USU's lone win against an SEC team was a
35-6 win at Kentucky in 1970.
THE FIRST OF MANY ON THE ROAD -- This season Utah State will travel an incredible
23,338 round trip miles to play its seven road games. The Aggies will make six trips
to the southeast part of the country with two visits to the state of Alabama and one
each to South Carolina (Clemson), Tennessee (Middle Tennessee), Louisiana (UL-Monroe)
and Arkansas (Arkansas State). USU will also play at Las Vegas, Nev. Here is a look at
the miles USU has traveled in the Mick Dennehy era:
Year Games Miles Avg./G Notes
2000 6 9,204 1,534 Last year in Big West Conference
2001 6 15,408 2,568 Played road games in four different time zones
2002 6 15,706 2,618 Five trips to central time zone
2003 7 12,606 1,800 Five of seven trips in the Mountain region
2004 7 23,338 3,334 Six of seven trips into SE part of the country
(NOTE: USU was in Big West in 2000, Independent in 2001-02 and Sun Belt in 2003-04)
LONG WAY FROM HOME - Utah State's trip to Alabama marks the second-longest trip for
the Aggies to open a season in school history. The only time USU traveled farther to
begin a year was its 1999 trip to Georgia.
ROAD WOES -- Utah State enters the Alabama game having lost eight straight games away
from Logan, including all seven a year ago. USU's last win on the road was a 19-16
overtime win at Troy (in the state of Alabama) on Nov. 16, 2002. In fact, the Aggies
have lost 14 of their last 15 road games.
12 STARTERS BACK -- USU returns 12 starters, including four 2003 second-team all-Sun
Belt Conference picks in QB Travis Cox (led SBC in passing (232.6) and total offense
(237.0)), DL Ronald Tupea (led SBC in sacks with six), LB Robert Watts (118 tackles
were second in SBC) and FS Terrance Washington (second in SBC in interceptions with
five and second-team Freshman All-American by College Football News).
STARTING EXPERIENCE, A NEW EXPERIENCE -- Only 23 players on the USU roster have
started at least one game in their Aggie careers and in fact, only six current Aggies
have started at least 10 games in their USU careers. DL Ronald Tupea leads the way
with 30 starts, followed by LB Robert Watts (25), OT Donald Penn (21), LB John Chick
(20), QB Travis Cox (12) and OL Elliott Tupea (10).
NEW STARTERS -- Based on this week's depth chart, seven Aggies could be making their
first career starts, including six on the offensive side of the ball. First starts
could come for LG Victor Eti, RG Malik Cin, RT Justin Schlimgen, WR Kevin Robinson, WR
Rod McNeal and TB Chris Forbes. Eti and Cin both lettered last year and the other four
players are new to the team this season. The only new defensive starter would be SS
Joe Lindsay, who saw extensive action as the team's nickel back last year.
FRESHMEN RB STARTS --True freshman Chris Forbes is expected to start at tailback for
the Aggies in the season opener. The last time an Aggie freshman started at tailback
was 1996 when Demario Brown became the team's starter in the eighth game of the year
against Boise State. Forbes should also become just the second USU freshman to start a
season-opener at any position in the last 16 years as John Chick started on the
defensive line in the 2002 opener at Utah (Pratt Lyons started at defensive tackle in
the 1993 season opener).
RUNNING BACK DEBUTS -- No current Aggie has ever started at running back and in fact
only one running back on the roster, the injured Tyrone McKinney, has recorded a carry
in a Division I game (he played in six games in 2003 and rushed 10 times for 33
yards). Saturday's projected first-time starter is true freshman Chris Forbes. Here is
a look at how some recent Aggie tailbacks have fared in their first career starts:
Player Opponent, Year (Game #) Att.-Yds. Result
Richard Watson Boise State, 2002 (#5) 24-74 L 38-63
James Samuel Nebraska, 2002 (#2) 9-37 L 13-44
David Fiefia Utah, 2002 (#1) 2-(-4) L 3-23
Emmett White Texas Tech, 2000 (#1) 20-143 L 16-38
John Roberts Colorado, 1998 (#3) 18-34 L 6-25
Melvin Blue Idaho State, 1997 (#2) 26-142 W 41-7
Demario Brown Boise State, 1996 (#8) 21-166 W 39-14
DID YOU KNOW? -- Eight of the nine teams in the Sun Belt Conference open on the road
this week, including four teams playing at Southeastern Conference opponents.
UL-Lafayette is the only league school to host a game as the Rajun Cajuns host
Northwestern State on Saturday.
PERCENT RETURNING -- Here is a look at USU's returners statistically:
Passing Yards 2866 of 2904 98.7 percent
Receiving Yards 354 of 2904 12.2 percent
Interceptions 9 of 14 64.3 percent
Tackles 578 of 981 58.9 percent
Punt Return Yds. 92 of 365 25.2 percent
Kickoff Return Yds. 304 of 887 34.3 percent
Scoring 94 of 264 35.6 percent
DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT -- Last year under then first-year defensive coordinator Dave
Kotulski, USU switched from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 alignment. Here is a look at USU's
monumental defensive improvement from 2002 to 2003:
Category 2003 NCAA 2002 NCAA Improvement (NCAA Ranking)
Rushing 167.3 (73rd) 234.8 (112th) 67.5 yards (39 places)
Passing 192.8 (25th) 236.3 (87th) 43.5 yards (62 places)
Total 360.1 (45th) 471.1 (111th) 111.0 yards (66 places)
Scoring 26.3 (65th) 39.3 (111th) 13.0 points (46 places)
DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT II -- Utah State's improvement of 66 places in total defense
last year was tied for the second best improvement in Division I last year. San Diego
State, which ranked 95th (410.85 yards per game) in 2002, vaulted to eighth (289.75)
in the country last year, an improvement of 87 places. USU went from 111th (471.09) to
45th (360.08), an improvement of 66 places. Syracuse also improved 66 places going
from 113th (475.67) to 47th (360.33).
OFFENSIVE NOTES -- In last year's season opener USU scored 20 points in a 40-20 loss
at Utah, for its most points in a season opener in the last six years (scored 21 in a
21-14 win at Utah in 1997)... USU has scored in 50 straight games since being shutout
at Kansas State in 1999... In 2003 USU averaged just 350.3 yards per game, its fewest
since 1998... However, USU produced 400 yards of total offense in three of its last
four games... In 2003 USU rushed for 108.3 yards per game, an improvement of nearly 24
yards per contest (84.5 in 2002)... USU rushed for 100 yards in each of the final four
games of last season, its longest such streak since the middle of 2001.
DEFENSIVE NOTES -- USU improved dramatically last year and ranked 25th in the NCAA in
passing defense (192.75 per game), 45th in total defense (360.08), 65th in scoring
defense (26.25) and 73rd in rushing defense (167.33)... The 167.33 rushing yards
allowed were the fewest in the last four years... The 192.75 passing yards allowed
were the fewest in the last 17 years... The 360.08 total yards allowed were the fewest
in the last five seasons... The 26.25 points allowed were the fewest in the last six
years... USU did not allow a passing touchdown in the last three games or in four of
the last five games... USU recorded its first shutout (49-0 against Arkansas State)
since 1995... USU's 14 interceptions were its most in the last six years... Eight
different players had interceptions... USU had three players with at least 90 tackles
for the first time since 2000.
SPECIAL TEAM NOTES -- USU attempted just eight field goals last season and made
four... After missing nine games last year due to a blood clot in his shoulder, Jerome
Dennis is back to help the return game. He was seventh in the NCAA in 2002 with a 27.7
kickoff return average.
DID YOU KNOW? -- Former Utah State players on NFL preseason rosters include two of
last year's players in TE Chris Cooley (Washington) and OG Trevor Hutton
(Indianapolis). Others are WR Kevin Curtis (St. Louis), CB Ade Jimoh (Washington), P/K
Micah Knorr (Denver), LB Tony Newson (St. Louis), OT Jim Newton (Indianapolis), TE
Casey Poppinga (Seattle), and OL Rich Tylski (Carolina).
STARTER NOTE-ABLE (2003 starts/career starts)
Offense
LT - Donald Penn (12/21)... Started nine games at right tackle as a freshman
and all 12 at left tackle as a sophomore.
LG - Victor Eti (0/0)... Played enough as a backup to earn a letter... Was an
offensive tackle as a freshman and then played guard as a sophomore in JC.
OC - Elliott Tupea (10/10)... Started the first four games at tackle last
season before giving way to Brenen Burningham for two games... Returned to start the
final six contests... Was slated to start at guard before moving to center this week.
RG - Malik Cin (0/0)... Was expected to start at center before suffering a leg
injury which has kept him out of a lot of fall practice... Played as a reserve last
year.
RT - Justin Schlimgen (0/0)... Joined the team in the spring from junior
college and will make his first career start.
TE - Jason Stephens (2/2)... Started the first two games of last year and
caught a 10-yard pass in last year's opener against Utah... His eight receptions a
year ago are third among all Aggie returnees.
TE - Patrick McNutt (3/4)... Missed the last six games a year ago due to an
injury after starting in three of the first six contests... Has just one career catch
(two yards vs. Wyoming).
FB - Trent Nate (2/3)... A three-year lettermen, who has seen a lot of action
as a reserve and on special teams... Does not have any offensive statistics.
WR - Kevin Robinson (0/0)... The younger brother of Aggie secondary coach John
Rushing... Participated in spring drills and has looked very good in fall practice.
WR - Raymond Hicks (7/7)... Had 13 receptions for 183 yards and one touchdown
in nine games last year... USU's leading returning receiver.
WR - Rod McNeal (0/0)... New to the program this year... Has good speed and
should be a factor this year at wide receiver as well as in the return game.
WR Tony Pennyman (1/1)... Contributed last year and caught at least one pass
in each of the last three games... Had 10 receptions a year ago, with three coming
against Arkansas State.
QB - Travis Cox (12/12)... Second-team all-Sun Belt Conference last year...
USU's co-offensive player of the year with TE Chris Cooley, who is now with the
Washington Redskins... Started all 12 games last season and led the Sun Belt
Conference in passing (232.6) and total offense (237.0)... Threw for 2,791 yards and
18 touchdowns to just seven interceptions in first season as a starter.
TB Chris Forbes (0/0)... True freshman who is expected to start in his first
collegiate game... Was highly recruited out of Miami, but an injury scared many
schools away.
Defense
LT - Ronald Tupea (12/30)... Played nose guard a year ago and will slide
outside a bit this year... Second-team all-Sun Belt Conference... USU's outstanding
defensive lineman... Started all 12 games on the defensive line... Had 35 tackles with
eight for loss, including six sacks... A three-year starter.
NG - Ryan DeQuillettes (5/6)... Started five straight games a year ago until
Senior Day... Made 15 tackles last year from his inside position.
RT - Michael Gates (3/3)... Started the first three games a year ago due to
John Chick's injury... Has gained a lot of confidence and has played well this fall.
STUD - John Chick (9/20)... Moved to the stud position after playing defensive
tackle last year... Was named USU's outstanding sophomore... Missed the first three
games of last year with a broken thumb... Had four sacks in first four games back (one
in each contest)... Finished the year with 33 tackles.
SAM - Jared Johnstun (1/1)... Had a solid spring to move into starting role...
Had eight tackles against Arizona State last year.
MAC - Robert Watts (12/25)... Second-team all-Sun Belt Conference... USU's
outstanding linebacker... Earned team's Golden Helmet award as hardest hitter...
Served as a team captain... Led USU with 118 tackles... Had five games with at least
10 tackles, including a season-high 17 against Troy State.
WILL - Nate Fredrick (9/9)... A consistent player all last season, finishing
with 46 tackles, eighth on the team... Had a season-high eight tackles against New
Mexico State.
LC - Jerome Dennis (3/5)... Started the first three games of last season before a
blood clot was found in his shoulder stopping his season... Returned an interception
75 yards for a touchdown against BYU in 2002.
SS Joe Lindsay (0/0)... Will be making his first start after playing as the
nickel back in 2003... Had an interception and forced a fumble against Arkansas State
last year.
FS - Terrance Washington (8/8)... Second-team Freshman All-American by College
Football News last year... Second-team all-Sun Belt Conference... USU's outstanding
freshman... His 93 tackles were third on the team and he led the Aggies with five
interceptions... He ranked among the top 10 freshmen in the country in tackles per
game and was second among the nation's first-year players in interceptions (29th
overall).
RC - Cornelius Lamb (7/7)... Started the last seven games of the year...
Finished the season with 26 tackles... Had two interceptions and two passes broken
up... Fifteen of his 26 tackles on the year came in the last three games.
Special Teams
P/PK - Ben Chaet... USU's special teams MVP a year ago... Averaged 40.3 yards
per punt while dropping 18 punts inside the 20-yard line and recording 11 50-plus yard
punts... Also made three of four field goals on the season as USU attempted just eight
field goals on the year... Connected on eight of nine PATs as well.
PK - Justin Hamblin... Served as the placekicker at the beginning of the year
and made one of four attempts... Was 20 of 21 on PATs.
2003 SEASON NOTE-ABLE
. USU played its first season in the Sun Belt Conference and will play one more year
in the league before playing in the Western Athletic Conference in 2005.
. USU was picked to finish sixth in the Sun Belt Conference and tied for fourth place.
. USU won three of its first four conference games with the lone loss in that stretch
coming against three-time league champion North Texas.
. USU played two teams that were ranked at game time in #23 Nebraska and #16 Arizona
State.
. USU played its first 12-game regular season.
. USU played seven road games on the year, its most away from home since 1991.
. USU's non-conference opponents were a combined 33-23 in 2003 with three of the five
posting at least eight wins on the year.
. The season opener has been a good barometer for the Aggies' success that year as in
the last 18 years a win has meant a winning season, while a loss had led to a sub-.500
year with two exceptions (lost in 1990 and went 5-5-1, and went 6-6 after a win in
1997).
USU NOTE-ABLE IN DENNEHY ERA
. USU is 4-19 in night games.
. USU is 15-20 in games played on natural grass.
. USU is 4-21 on the road with those four wins coming against North Texas (2000), New
Mexico State (2000), Connecticut (2001) and Troy (2002).
DID YOU KNOW? -- Four of Utah State's first five games will be televised, including
the season opener at Alabama, which is available on pay-per-view through ESPN Game
Plan.
SEASON NOTE-ABLE
. After playing its home games on natural grass for 106 seasons, USU installed a new
artificial turf playing surface this summer. The turf was put in by Sprinturf. In
addition as soon as the 2004 season is completed, a new three level pressbox with
luxury suites will be built and ready for the 2005 season and a new north endzone
facility is planned for the very near future.
. USU returns 12 starters, including four 2003 second-team all-Sun Belt Conference
picks in QB Travis Cox (led SBC in passing and total offense), DL Ronald Tupea (led
SBC in sacks), LB Robert Watts (118 tackles were second in SBC) and FS Terrance
Washington (second in SBC in interceptions and second-team Freshman All-American by
College Football News).
. CB Jerome Dennis returns to the team after missing most of the 2003 season (played
first three games) before a blood clot was discovered in his shoulder. Dennis was
voted a team captain before last season and was a starter at cornerback. In 2002 he
was seventh in the nation in kickoff return average (27.7 yards).
. QB Travis Cox needs just 594 passing yards to reach the top 10 list at USU and 2,186
yards to become the seventh Aggie quarterback to throw for 5,000 in a career (he threw
for 2,791 last year). His 56.4 career completion percentage is second in USU history
behind only the 60.7 mark put up by Keith Myers in 1976-77.
. LB Robert Watts needs 83 tackles to break into the USU career top 10 tackles list.
Watts enters the year with 231 career tackles, including 118 last season.
. Due to scheduling conflicts, USU will not meet Louisiana-Lafayette for the second
time in its two year participation in the Sun Belt Conference. USU will meet three
teams that played in bowl games last year as Utah played in the Liberty Bowl, North
Texas the New Orleans Bowl and Clemson the Peach Bowl.
. USU is 47-26-2 all-time against current members of the Sun Belt Conference and does
not have a losing record against any of the league opponents.
. Last year USU tied for fourth in the conference with a 3-4 record. It marked just
the third time in the last 15 years of conference play that USU had a losing league
mark. In its last 15 years of league play USU has finished first or second eight
times.
. This will be USU's second and final season in the Sun Belt Conference as the Aggies
will begin competition in the Western Athletic Conference in 2005. Here is a look at
USU's conference history (1916-37 - Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, 1938-61 -
Mountain States Conference, 1962-77 - Independent, 1978-2000 - Big West Conference,
2001-02 - Independent, 2003-04 - Sun Belt Conference, 2005- Western Athletic
Conference.
. USU has nine players on preseason NFL rosters as of the middle of July, including TE
Chris Cooley (Washington), WR Kevin Curtis (St. Louis), OL Trevor Hutton
(Indianapolis), CB Ade Jimoh (Washington), P Micah Knorr (Denver), LB Tony Newson
(Kansas City), OL Jim Newton (Indianapolis), TE Casey Poppinga (Seattle), and OL Rich
Tylski (Carolina).
.Three former Utah State football players in the NFL have brothers that are on the
Aggie football team this season. Kevin Curtis, who finished his USU career as the
school's all-time leading receiver in 2002 is with the St. Louis Rams and his brother
Chris is a walkon to this year's USU team and will most likely redshirt. Chris Cooley,
who set several school tight end receiving records last year, is with the Washington
Redskins and his brother Tanner signed with the Aggies last spring. He will most
likely redshirt as well. Casey Poppinga, who was a starter at tight end for USU for
three seasons from 2000-02, is with the Seattle Seahawks. His brother Kelly is
fighting for a starting spot at linebacker for the Aggies this fall.
. For each of the last nine years Utah State has had at least one member of the Fiefia
family earn a letter. Walter Fiefia earned letters as a defensive tackle from 1995-98,
while his brother Vaea lettered in 1995, 97-99. Their cousin David lettered from
2000-03. This year, look for Walter and Vaea's younger brother Emosi, a redshirt
freshman, to make it 10 consecutive seasons. Walter, Vaea and Emosi all played at
Mountain Crest High School, while David was from Hunter High School in West Valley
City.
. More sibling combinations: Brothers Ronald and Elliott Tupea are starters on the
defensive and offensive lines respectively... Wide receiver Kevin Robinson is the
brother of USU secondary coach John Rushing... Wide receiver Tarrell Richards had his
sister Taylor sign to play women's basketball at USU this season... They are from
Hunter High School in West Valley City... Tight end Jason Stephens' wife Carolyn, is a
member of the USU women's tennis team... Linebacker John Chick's younger sister
Jessica is a freshman on this year's Aggie volleyball team.
. Following their fathers: Aggie quarterback Travis Cox's father Dan, led USU in
rushing back in 1976... Steven Jacson II, a redshirt freshman offensive lineman, is
following in his father's footsteps. His dad Steven lettered at USU in the early
1980s.
. Three current Aggies earned their degrees this off season in cornerback Jerome
Dennis, offensive lineman Victor Eti and linebacker Jared Johnstun. All three are
listed as starters for this season.
. USU played four games on artificial turf last season with games at Utah, at
Nebraska, at North Texas and at Idaho. This season the Aggies will play on the fake
stuff seven times, including four times at home as well as at UNLV, at Troy, and at
Middle Tennessee. The only times the Aggies will play on natural grass this season are
at Alabama, at Clemson, at Louisiana-Monroe and at Arkansas State.
. Utah State will face two teams in ESPN/USA Today's preseason top 25 in number 16
Clemson and number 21 Utah. The Aggies will also face Alabama, which is the equivalent
of number 46. In his first four years, Mick Dennehy's Aggies have played seven ranked
teams.
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