The first order of business for Utah State's new-look defense at Utah on Thursday night: stop Matt Asiata .
Because the Utes will start a quarterback without any major college experience, the Aggies expect to see plenty of Asiata, Utah's bruising back who rushed for 707 yards and 12 touchdowns last year.
"He's an NFL running back, in my opinion," said Utah State coach Gary Andersen . "... When he lowers his head, he definitely packs a punch. You don't want to spend your whole evening trying to tackle Matt Asiata high, because if you do, I guarantee he'll make you pay."
In last season's 58-10 win over Utah State, Asiata rushed 11 times for 56 yards and three touchdowns. This time around, however, he will face a revamped Aggie defense.
In fact, three of the four projected starters on Utah State's defensive line are junior college transfers, including two who rocketed up the depth chart and won their jobs in preseason camp -- tackle Daniel Gurrola (6foot-2, 275 pounds) and end Devin Johnson (6-3, 231).
"Danny was a late, late find from junior college," Andersen said. "He's a little undersized. But he's a very tough, hard-nosed kid. He works very hard. ... He brings that toughness and athleticism that we're looking for."
And Johnson?
"He is a very talented young man who was highly recruited out of high school," Andersen said.
"... He's a very, very talented athlete. He should give us a presence on the edge."
Ags ready physically
The Aggies went through a normal 90-minute practice Monday before scaling back their preparations for the opener.
"... The key right now for us is to make sure we let the kids feel a little bit relaxed, put them in a position to be able to get their legs back 100 percent so they are completely prepared -- mentally and physically," Andersen said.
Utah State came through the preseason without any major injuries.
"We have some nicks and bruises, some things here and there, but we should lock in fairly healthy," Andersen said.
"It just goes to show the kids did a fantastic job in the offseason conditioning themselves. We haven't had a bunch of cramps, a bunch of pulls, none of those little things that kind of hinder you. We haven't had that."
All for one ...
Asked what he considered the No. 1 strength of his team heading into the opener, Andersen said it was a togetherness that had been missing when he arrived in January.
"It may sound a little corny, but these kids didn't know each other," he said. "... We want to live hard on the family concept. We're going to take care of each other. These kids learned a lot about each other as we came through camp and I think right now it's a pretty tight-knit crew."
Because the Utes will start a quarterback without any major college experience, the Aggies expect to see plenty of Asiata, Utah's bruising back who rushed for 707 yards and 12 touchdowns last year.
"He's an NFL running back, in my opinion," said Utah State coach Gary Andersen . "... When he lowers his head, he definitely packs a punch. You don't want to spend your whole evening trying to tackle Matt Asiata high, because if you do, I guarantee he'll make you pay."
In last season's 58-10 win over Utah State, Asiata rushed 11 times for 56 yards and three touchdowns. This time around, however, he will face a revamped Aggie defense.
In fact, three of the four projected starters on Utah State's defensive line are junior college transfers, including two who rocketed up the depth chart and won their jobs in preseason camp -- tackle Daniel Gurrola (6foot-2, 275 pounds) and end Devin Johnson (6-3, 231).
"Danny was a late, late find from junior college," Andersen said. "He's a little undersized. But he's a very tough, hard-nosed kid. He works very hard. ... He brings that toughness and athleticism that we're looking for."
And Johnson?
"He is a very talented young man who was highly recruited out of high school," Andersen said.
"... He's a very, very talented athlete. He should give us a presence on the edge."
Ags ready physically
The Aggies went through a normal 90-minute practice Monday before scaling back their preparations for the opener.
"... The key right now for us is to make sure we let the kids feel a little bit relaxed, put them in a position to be able to get their legs back 100 percent so they are completely prepared -- mentally and physically," Andersen said.
Utah State came through the preseason without any major injuries.
"We have some nicks and bruises, some things here and there, but we should lock in fairly healthy," Andersen said.
"It just goes to show the kids did a fantastic job in the offseason conditioning themselves. We haven't had a bunch of cramps, a bunch of pulls, none of those little things that kind of hinder you. We haven't had that."
All for one ...
Asked what he considered the No. 1 strength of his team heading into the opener, Andersen said it was a togetherness that had been missing when he arrived in January.
"It may sound a little corny, but these kids didn't know each other," he said. "... We want to live hard on the family concept. We're going to take care of each other. These kids learned a lot about each other as we came through camp and I think right now it's a pretty tight-knit crew."
