Countdown to Kickoff

Utah State [University] football concluded its second scrimmage of fall camp on Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium Wednesday afternoon [Aug. 14] with positive plays on both sides of the ball as first year head coach Matt Wells ran his team through roughly 80 snaps.

In all, Utah State's offense had four scoring drives, which consisted of three touchdowns and one field goal, while the Aggie defense recorded seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss to go along with a blocked field goal.

Junior quarterback Chuckie Keeton led Utah State's offense as he completed 12-of-20 passes for 172 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, while sophomore wide receiver Bruce Natson caught four passes for 47 yards and one touchdown.

Defensively, sophomore linebacker Kyler Fackrell had four tackles for loss, which included three sacks, and redshirt freshman linebacker Nick Vigil had two tackles for loss, including one sack.

Offensively, Utah State scored a touchdown on its initial drive of the scrimmage as it went 75 yards in six plays culminating with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Keeton to senior tight end D.J. Tialavea. Three series later, USU drove 61 yards in 10 plays before settling for a 21-yard field goal from junior placekicker Nick Diaz.

USU's final two scores of the scrimmage both came in red zone scenarios as Keeton hit senior wide receiver Travis Reynolds on a 25-yard scoring strike on the first play of that series, followed by a 12-yard pass from Keeton to Natson on the second play of a drive that begin at the defense's 12-yardline.

Other defensive standouts Wednesday include a blocked field goal by senior defensive end Paul Piukala, while junior cornerbacks Marwin Evans, Jeremy Morris and Rashard Stewart each posted three tackles, as did redshirt freshman cornerback Marquan Ellison, junior linebacker Brayden Stembridge and Vigil.

Utah State, which is in its second week of fall camp, will practice Thursday [Aug. 15] from 2:40 to 4:40 p.m., on the USU practice fields before another two-a-day practice Friday. Utah State will conclude its second week of fall camp with a situational scrimmage as part of Aggie Football Family Fun Day, sponsored by Macey's, Saturday, Aug. 17, beginning at 6 p.m.

All practices during fall camp, which concludes Saturday, Aug. 24, are open to the public.

Utah State, who is entering its first season in the Mountain West after spending the past eight years in the WAC, will open the 2013 season Thursday, Aug. 29, at Utah and play its first Mountain West game the following weekend at Air Force Saturday, Sept. 7. USU's first home game of the 2013 campaign is Saturday, Sept. 14, against Weber State, while its first home Mountain West game is Saturday, Oct. 12, against Boise State.

Fans can follow the Aggie football program on Twitter. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.

Utah State Football Practice Dates, Times and Location

Date	Time	Location
Thur., Aug. 15	2:40 - 4:40 p.m.	Practice Field
Fri., Aug. 16	9:15 - 11:15 a.m./4:55 - 6:25 p.m.	Practice Field
*Football Family Fun Day Sat., Aug. 17	6 p.m.	Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium, Scrimmage #3
Mon., Aug. 19	9:15 - 11:15 a.m./3:55 - 5:25 p.m.	Practice Field
Tues., Aug. 20	2:40 - 4:40 p.m.	Practice Field
Wed., Aug. 21	2:40 - 4:40 p.m.	Practice Field
Thur., Aug. 22	9:15 - 11:15 a.m. / 3:55 - 5:25 p.m.	Practice Field
Fri., Aug. 23	2:40 - 4:40 p.m.	Practice Field
Sat., Aug. 24	Noon - 2:00 p.m.	Romney Stadium
End of Camp