Aggie football has productive, soggy scrimmage Monday

LOGAN, Utah – Dodging on again, off again rain downpours, Utah State football had a productive controlled scrimmage on Monday afternoon at Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium to kick off its final week of spring camp. USU went through just under 70 plays Monday afternoon, working mostly on short-yardage and redzone situations, as well as mixing in different special team situations. “We wanted to get very close to 60 reps and spend a lot of time in the redzone. That is what we got out of the scrimmage, so mission accomplished as far as what we put together as a staff. Overall, it was a very positive day,” USU head coach Gary Andersen said. Offensive highlights including two short-yardage touchdowns from sophomore running back Robert Marshall, part of his eight carries for 38 yards, while junior running back Joey DeMartino added 37 yards on three rushes and junior running back Kerwynn Williams logged 34 yards on eight carries. The USU offense had two TD passes dropped, as well as several other missed chances in the passing game, as junior quarterback Adam Kennedy had just three completions on 10 attempts for 33 yards while redshirt-freshman Alex Hart had two completions for 17 yards. Defensive standouts included sophomore linebacker Jake Doughty logging seven tackles, while five different players had three stops each. Senior linebacker Reuben Willis and junior defensive lineman Al Lapuaho each logged a sack, while junior safety Dontel Watkins tallied two pass break-ups, and junior safety McKade Brady and sophomore cornerback Nevin Lawson posted one pass break-up apiece. Junior cornerback Quinton Byrd posted a fumble recovery, thwarting one of the offense’s drives. Redshirt-freshman Joe Hill had a 72-yard punt return for a TD to highlight the special teams’ efforts, while redshirt-freshman Jaron Bentrude was 6-of-6 on field goals, hitting three 39-yarders and sophomore Nick Diaz was 4-of-7 on field goals, booting a 44-yarder. “The kicking game was much improved on a day where it wasn’t great conditions to be able to snap and kick the football,” Andersen said. “I thought that was drastically improved from a week ago. We got a start on special teams with the return teams for punt and kick. We haven’t had a lot of practice on that so it should be a great teaching time for Joe Hill and Cam Webb, who did a nice job returning punts. They have both looked good throughout the spring and were able to make some nice moves and bust a couple today.” Monday’s scrimmage was the last tune-up before Saturday’s Spring Game, and the Aggies will practice on Wednesday and Friday in final preparation for Saturday. Several activities surround Utah State football’s spring game on Saturday, April 23, including everything from an Aggie softball game to a HURD scrimmage, to football alumni gathering and capped off with the Spring Game featuring celebrity guest head coaches. Admission to the Spring Game as well as all the events surrounding it except the alumni golf tournament are free to the public. The weekend will kick off with a USU Football alumni reunion golf tournament. Check in for the tournament held at Logan River Golf Course begins at 11 a.m. with a shotgun start at Noon. Lunch will be provided. Following the tournament, there will be a dinner at the Logan Golf and Country Club at 6 p.m. There will also be a reception following the dinner that is open to all Aggie Football Alums, regardless of attendance at golf tournament and/or dinner. For more information or registration for the golf tournament, contact Kevin Rice, Associate Athletic Director – Development at 435-797-1860 (office), 801-597-4906 (cell) or [email protected]. The second-annual HURD Bowl will start at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium. The HURD is planning on eight teams playing with the championship game slated for 1 p.m. HURD members and other students interested can sign up at the HURD Bowl booth in the bottom floor of the TSC. For more information, contact Alex Putnam at [email protected]. Utah State softball will conclude its three-game Western Athletic Conference series with a single game at Noon on Saturday at LaRee and LeGrand Johnson Field. The Aggies face the Bulldogs of Fresno State in a doubleheader on Friday starting at 1 p.m. before concluding the series on Saturday. At 1 p.m. on Saturday, there will be a tour of the Jim and Carol Laub Athletics-Academics Complex for the USU Football alumni group. The weekend is topped off as Utah State football will wrap up spring drills with the Blue-White Spring Game at 2 p.m. at Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium. Utah State University President Stan Albrecht and University Provost Raymond Coward will be the celebrity guest head coaches for the Spring Game. The USU Ticket Office will be open at the South Ticket Office at Romney Stadium from 1 – 4 p.m. for Aggie football season ticket renewals as well as taking new orders. Fans can also renew online 24 hours a day at www.UtahStateAggies.com and clicking on the “buy/renew tickets” under the “tickets” drop down menu. For more ticket information, contact the USU Ticket Office at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, or by phone by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or (435) 797-0305. Fans can follow the Aggie football program at twitter.com/USUFootball or on the USU football blog at usufootball.wordpress.com. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on facebook at Utah State University Athletics. USU Football Remaining Spring Practice Schedule Wed., April 20 – 2:45 – 4:30 p.m. Fri., April 22 – 2:45 – 4:30 p.m. Sat., April 23 – 2 p.m. – Spring Game -USU-

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