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Show Friday, Aug. 28, 2009 Page 13 FridaySports Kane is Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com By ADAM NETTINA staff writer Quarterback Kane Wilson is no stranger to leading his team to victory on the football field. As a two-time league MVP at El Dorado High School in California, the 6-foot-4-inch, 215-pound Wilson has seen his fair share of high stakes gridiron action, including guiding his team to a 13-1 record and league championship as a junior. Yet when Wilson joins his Utah State teammates on the trip to Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City Thursday night, it’ll be with the knowledge that he is one play away from having to take the wheel of the Aggie offense against the much-heralded University of Utah defense. And while first-year Aggie offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin doesn’t expect to call on his freshman quarterback against the 19th-ranked Utes, the former New Mexico assistant admits that if something were to happen to starter Diondre Borel, the job of managing the new-look Aggie offense would likely fall on Wilson’s shoulders. “Diondre is the guy,” Baldwin said in reference to Borel who started the last nine games of the 2008 season. Able “Hopefully we can play the (backups) because we will have done a good job, but if it happens the other way, Kane will be ready to play.” The “other way” Baldwin referred to is the nightmare scenario no college coach wants to deal with: losing the team’s best player and on-field leader in the first game of the season because of injury. In today’s college game – where spread offenses like Baldwin’s call upon the quarterback to run out of the zone-read play – injuries are an inevitable part of the season. Such a scenario makes having a trained backup quarterback not just a luxury for teams like Utah State, but rather a necessity. Enter Wilson, emerging as the team’s likely backup following the final scrimmage of the preseason last Saturday. Becoming the backup is no small accomplishment for Wilson, who was sitting in a high school classroom in Placentia, California, just three months ago. The transition to the college level hasn’t been easy for the gunslinger, who like many freshmen, has had to adjust to the steep learning curve and increased speed of the game. “The speed of (the game) is incredibly different,” Wilson said. “Just the offenses – the offensive concepts are way more intense. I never ran shotgun (in high school) and I never ran the spread, so it is a big jump-up for me. I just have to get my mental reps right when I’m not in and do everything right when I am in and just focus all the time.” While he admits adjusting to coach Baldwin’s offense had been difficult at times, Wilson has shown tremendous improvement in running the spread. During Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage, Wilson showed a live arm – throwing for 53 yards – while also displaying good decision making and quickness as a runner. Baldwin said that even though Wilson still makes careless mistakes from time to time, the freshman quarterback has been one of the team’s biggest surprises of the preseason. “Kane is a young freshman, and sometimes those freshmen make freshmen mistakes,” Baldwin said. “He came onto campus with a lot of expectations as a quarterback with a strong arm and the ability to run the football, and as each - See KANE, page 16 42 South Main, Logan, Utah Hoodies, Hats, T-Shirts Polos, Beanies, Kids Apparel, Blankets Back Packs, and more! TouchBase USU Soccer on the road in El Paso For the first time since 2006, the Utah State women’s soccer team will take on a Big 12 opponent, when the Aggies face Texas Tech on Aug. 28 at the Miner Classic in El Paso, Texas, at 5 p.m. USU will also take Stephen F. Austin on Aug. 30 at 11 a.m. The Red Raiders are the first of two Big 12 matches on the Aggies’ schedule this season as USU will also face Oklahoma State. Texas Tech is the first ever Big 12 opponent for Utah State. This is the first meeting between the Aggies and both the Red Raiders and the Ladyjacks. USU is 1-0-0 after defeating Northern Arizona Aug. 21 in Logan, 2-0. Sophomores Summer Tillotson and Shantel Flanary scored the first two goals of the season for the Aggies, while fellow sophomore Danielle Shorts registered her first collegiate assist. Volleyball season begins Friday night Utah State’s women’s volleyball team will begin the 2009 season in Ogden, Utah, at the Best Western Canyon Pines Weber State Invitational hosted by Weber State on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 28-29. The Aggies will open the tournament at 7:30 p.m. Friday against the Wildcats. Live stats for every match during the tournament will be available via Weber State’s Web site at www.weberwildcats.com. Utah State is 30-19 alltime against Weber State, which includes an 11-8 road record. USU has won nine of its last 10 matches against the Wildcats, including six straight on the road. Utah State is 1518 all-time in season openers, including wins in two of its last four years. USU is also 32-40 (.444) in regular season tournaments over the last nine years, which includes a 26-22 (.542) record on neutral courts. FREE TATOOS FREE USU TATOO PACKET EXPIRES DECEMBER 30, 2009 $5.00 OFF 08.24 ANY USU HOODED SWEATSHIRT IN THE STORE! EXPIRES DECEMBER 30, 2009 08.24 |
