SALT LAKE CITY – Being forced indoors for Utah State football’s first fall scrimmage wasn’t ideal but the Aggies made the most of the opportunity anyway.

A heavy rain storm prevented fans from getting their first look at the 2022 Aggie football team but it didn’t stop head coach Blake Anderson and his team from getting in a much needed workout ahead of their season opening against UConn that is just three weeks away.

🚨SCRIMMAGE CANCELLED🚨

Due to severe weather & lightning, today’s scrimmage will be held inside & CLOSED to the public. pic.twitter.com/5azzu6Sy34

— USU Football (@USUFootball) August 6, 2022

“Being inside was not what we wanted, but I thought we got a good practice in,” said Anderson. “The energy was really good. I didn’t think the execution was great, but as expected, we have a lot of new guys that are trying to find their way and I think this can be really good film for us to teach off of and make some improvements over the next week.”

Due to working indoors, the Aggies focused their work between the 30’s. They did not run any red zone plays during the workout.

We Played Live Football Today✅#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/pMcBdvCPli

— USU Football (@USUFootball) August 7, 2022

Graduate senior QB Logan Bonner saw the least amount of action, finishing 5-of-10 passing for 73 yards. Junior QB Cooper Legas’ 193 yards on 13-0f-20 passing led the Aggies. Wyoming transfer and sophomore Levi Williams finished 11-of-22 for 173 yards.

With seven catches for 96 yards, redshirt freshman NyNy Davis led all pass catchers. Graduate junior Xavier Williams and junior Terrell Vaughn each caught four balls while redshirt freshman tight end Parker Buchanan caught three passes for 34 yards.

Out of the backfield, John Gentry finished with 50 yards on seven carries while Robert Briggs got the bulk of the carries with 10 attempts and 36 yards. Pailate Makakona picked up 45 yards on six attempts. Six different Aggie running backs saw action in the scrimmage.

Anderson was happy with the defenses ability to create big plays after struggling earlier in camp.

“The defense stood out today,” added Anderson. “They had a rough day a couple days ago and we challenged them and they came back with the right attitude. I thought, collectively, they got better as the day went on.”

The Aggie D-line playing with a lot of juice and energy during fall camp.#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/Y6RRSp9xTr

— USU Football (@USUFootball) August 3, 2022

Graduate junior defensive end and Nevada transfer Daniel Grzesiak finished with seven tackles for a loss, including five sacks. Junior defensive end Byron Vaughns and senior defensive tackle Hale Motu’aopuaka combined for another five sacks and eight tackles.

The Aggies defense forced three turnovers. Interceptions from graduate senior safety Hunter Reynolds and freshman inside linebacker Josh Williams while Sione Moa forced a fumble that redshirt senior cornerback Xavion Steele recovered.

Utah State continues its fall camp schedule next week and hold it second and final open scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 13, as part of Football Family Fun Day, at 2 p.m.

Utah State will open the 2022 season on Saturday, August 27 against UConn in a game that will be nationally televised on Fox Sports 1 at 2 p.m. (MST). That game and every Utah State football game can be heard on the KSL Sports Zone.

For Aggie football ticket information, fans can contact the USU Athletics Ticket Office over the phone by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or 435-797-0305 during regular hours of operation. Fans can also buy their tickets in person at the USU Ticket Office inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum or online by clicking on the “Buy Tickets” tab at www.UtahStateAggies.com. All Utah State football games can be heard on The Zone Sports Network.

 

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