With Legas & Williams Day-To-Day, Davenport & Larson Next Men Up

LOGAN, Utah – Round and round it goes, where it stops, nobody knows. Injuries have forced the Aggies onto the dreaded QB carousel in 2022.

Entering last weekend’s game against Colorado State already down a quarterback after second-year starter Logan Bonner underwent foot surgery earlier in October, USU lost junior Cooper Legas to a concussion n the first quarter. Legas finished the drive after hitting his head on the turf but, according to head coach Blake Anderson, couldn’t remember the rest of the drive once he made it to the sidelines.

No problem, former Wyoming Cowboy QB Levi Williams came on in relief of Legas. With 18 games and 12 starts under his belt, Williams was plenty capable of running the Aggie offense.

Then Williams suffered an injury to his right ankle on a second quarter scramble. After getting the ankle re-taped, Williams tried to go but didn’t have the mobility necessary to execute the offense and protect himself.

And with that, Blake Anderson tabbed true freshman Bishop Davenport to take the snaps.

“He’s been in meetings so there are a few game plan type things that he was aware of. He knew what they were but he didn’t have any reps.”

When Bishop ran on to the field, a coach told Logan 'Hey we lost that game'.

Bonner said, 'Yeah, and I threw a pick to end the game, too. But he doesn't need to know that.

2/2

— Scott Garrard (@ScottyGZone) October 17, 2022

Such is the state of the Utah State quarterback room. Resorting to fabrications in order to instill confidence in the next guy.

For the record, the game Bonner mentioned against SMU back in 2017? That was Bonner’s second appearance of the year and he finished 7-of-17 for 50 yards in a blowout loss.

With Legas still in concussion protocol and Williams’ availability in question, it’s anybody’s guess as to who will take the snaps from Chandler Dolphin in Laramie this weekend.

About Bishop Davenport

A 6’2 freshman out of Spring, Texas, Davenport was considered one of the jewels of Utah State’s 2022 recruiting class.

Davenport was rated a three-star recruit by ESPN.com and 247Sports.com. He was named the Texas District 14-6A co-Offensive MVP and a first-team quarterback as a prep senior in 2021.

Davenport threw for 7,433 yards during his prep career, as he was 486-of-714 (.681) passing with 77 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,667 yards on 232 carries (7.2 ypr) with 16 touchdowns as he had five 100-yard rushing games for Spring High School.

Crazy weekend for this young man. Thursday morning Freshmen QB Bishop Davenport was putting in work with the rest of our Developmental group – Saturday Night he, unexpectedly, had to step in and lead us to a conference win on the road. #StayReadyYouDontHaveToGetReady pic.twitter.com/e8LaW1dSaV

— Paul Jackson (@CoachPJackson) October 16, 2022

Pressed into action at Colorado State, Davenport did enough to help the Aggies get a much needed 17-13 win.

Finishing 3-of-9 through the air for 41 yards, Davenport also ran for 29 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries in his first appearance.

“He made good decisions so there’s a lot more we can do with him,” Anderson said of the freshman quarterback. “He is very capable. He understands the system well. But in the heat of the moment, we were extremely limited because he just hasn’t had reps.”

About Levi Williams

A redshirt-sophomore, Williams spent three seasons at Wyoming (2019-21), playing in 18 games with 12 starts.

The 6’5, 230 pound Williams was 150-of-278 (.540) passing for 2,210 yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while rushing for 763 yards on 168 carries (4.5 ypr) and 13 touchdowns for the Cowboys last season.

● QB Spotlight ●

Levi Williams – Utah State

• Williams transfers in from Wyoming. I don't expect him to start over Bonner but he will be an experienced backup. In his career he's thrown for 2,210 yards 13 TDs & rushed for 763 yards 13 TDs. pic.twitter.com/BLdMeBDG8R

— NCAAF Nation (@NCAAFNation247) June 7, 2022

For Williams, the decision to transfer wasn’t just about football as his fiance was already taking classes in Logan.

“It was obvious he was leaving. And with his fiancee being here on campus, I think there was some some incentive on his part to be a part of our roster,” Anderson said of the fourth year quarterback. “We just felt like Levi was too good of a kid and too good of an athlete. He had played so well against us that we’d be crazy not to to take him. He’s been a great addition.”

Williams has appeared in five games for the Aggies this season. He is 4-of-15 for 27 yards. On the ground, Williams has carried eight times for 46 yards.

About Cooper Legas

Aggie fans are probably most familiar with the 6’1 junior quarterback out of Orem, UT.

A three-star recruit coming out of high school. Legas threw for 9,770 yards, ran for 2,770 yards and accounted for 124 touchdowns, leading Orem to back-to-back state championships.

.@cooperlegas ➡️ @cobbs_brian ➡️ @USUFootball lead‼️#AtThePEAK | #MWFB | #AggiesAllTheWaypic.twitter.com/4eHkWFbsKo

— Mountain West (@MountainWest) September 30, 2022

Legas began building his Utah State resume last season, taking over for an injured Logan Bonner during the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl and throwing a touchdown on the first pass of his career.

After opening the season as the backup, Legas made his first career start against BYU in late September. Playing against his hometown team, Legas finished 19-0f-31 for 188 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

The following week, Legas picked up his first win as a starter when he threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns against Air Force.

Legas also has 155 yards on the ground this season.

Legas has the ability to create with his legs, but Anderson would like to see him be more judicious about the hits he takes.

“We’re trying to encourage all those guys to be smart about when to run with your shoulder down and when to slide or get out of bounds. All of that stuff we’ll have to address but we cannot be afraid to run the offense.”

About Garrett Larson

When Davenport was your ‘break in case of emergency’ option, what do you call the next man up? A nuclear option? A last resort? Either way, that person is Garrett Larson.

A 6’3 sophomore out of Farmington, UT, Larson is still looking for his first appearance in an Aggie uniform.

Go Aggies! #AggieUp 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/66QRwZYRtV

— Garrett Larson (@g_larson14) January 30, 2019

The former Davis Dart earned Utah Class 6A all-area and all-region honors as he completed 160-of-298 (.537) passes for 1,877 yards with 15 touchdowns as a prep senior. Larson was named a captain and team MVP for a Davis squad that lost in the quarterfinals of the state playoffs.

Larson redshirted during the 2020 season and did not appear in a game last year.

Up Next

Utah State (3-4, 2-1) head east to Laramie, Wyoming where they will face former Aggie Andrew Peasley and the Wyoming Cowboys (4-3, 2-1) on Saturday, October 22. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. (MST).

Every Utah State football game can be heard on the KSL Sports Zone with Scott Garrard and former Aggie quarterback Kevin White on the call.

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