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Show StatesmanSports Page 10 Friday, Sept. 2, 2011 From Page 8 Skill position athletes making good things happen for Aggie offense less of which man gets the nod. "I think in the overall scheme of things," Kennedy said. "It won't have too much of an effect on our offense as a whole." There is not as high of a need for USU to have an all-powerful standout at quarterback this year, he said. The team just needs someone to run the offense and get the ball to one of the many offensive weapons at running back and wide receiver. "It definitely takes a lot of pressure off of me," Keeton said. "I know I have reliable receivers and I know our running backs can run the ball as much as they want to throughout the game, and we can still come out on top." Running Back: The day has come: Robert Turbin has returned. The 5-foot-10, 216-pound junior from Fremont, California, sustained a knee injury last season. In 2009, he ranked third in the WAC and 20th in the Football Bowl Series with 108 yards per game. "I'm good, I'm 100 percent," Turbin said. "I love the game of football and it was hard not to play. I've been keeping count of how many days it's been since I've played in my last football game — Nov. 29, 2009." When the Utah State squad takes the field against Auburn on Sept. 3, Turbin will reach a count of 644 days. Turbin wasn't the only one injured last year. Senior Michael Smith hurt his foot in the third game of the season and was awarded a redshirt for the lost season. This year, look for both to make a big impact in the backfield. Junior Kerwynn Williams will also make good things happen for the Aggies whether he is running back kickoffs for touchdowns, lining up as a slot receiver or taking handoffs. The multiple-threat athlete from Las Vegas set the FBS record for single-season kick return yards, racking up 1,444 yards last year. Wide Receivers: The Aggies scored a meager eight touchdowns through the air and averaged nearly 180 yards passing, per game. With the addition of Chuck Jacobs, a transfer from Laney Junior College, and the return of Matt Austin, who was injured in the game against Oklahoma last year, the receiver corps will be vastly improved from the 2010 season. Jacobs joined the USU football team days before fall training camp started and won the No. 1 receiver spot. "It's very challenging," Jacobs said of competing for the starting position. "It's more of a fast pace and everything is will be How well do they run their routes, and how much communication will they have with the quarterback? In addition to Jacobs and Austin, look for junior Dontel Watkins and sophomore Travis Van Leeuwen to make an impact in the games. "We all bring something different to the team," Jacobs said of the receivers. "We've got the speed guys; me, Stan and a few other guys. Matt is bigger and more of a physical receiver who can catch the ball in traffic. It's pretty good, we all challenge each other in different ways." — tavin.stucki@aggiemail.usu. edu Aggies seek fifth straight win over U. MEREDITH KINNEY sports senior writer FRESHMAN FORWARD LAUREN ROUNDY in the match against Portland State on Aug. 21,2011. The Aggies won 2-I en route to the best start in school history, 4-0-0 CARL R. WILSON photo on the fly. I came in, and they kinda threw me into the fire. I learned everything very quick." This season might be the deepest the Aggies have been in the wideout position, in several years. Anderson said Austin is a receiver worth noting on the field. "Matt Austin... played very well against Oklahoma last year," Anderson said. "He was a dynamic player, did some nice things for us. He's been hurt twice in our program and both were very unfortunate injuries." The key to success for the passing game in Logan will be execution. The receivers are good enough to go up and catch a ball in the air or outrun a cornerback, but the question Temperatures approached 90 degrees on the Chuck and Gloria Bell soccer field, Tuesday. Despite the heat waves rolling off the grass, the Utah State soccer team held their most difficult practice of the week. As the practice came to an end, the girls lined up on the endline without any complaints. After each sprint they pushed harder. After each whistle, Head Coach Heather Cairns said, loudly, "This is for Utah." The undefeated Aggies will play in front of a home crowd Friday afternoon when instate rivals, the University of Utah, travel to Logan. The USU players agreed, they couldn't be more excited to face the Utes on the Aggies home pitch. "I'm so excited. This is our year to beat them," Aggie forward Kendra Pemberton said. If recent history repeats itself, Pemberton may be right. The Aggies are only 2-10 against Utah all time but have split wins the past two years. Last year the meeting between the two ended with a 2-1 Utah victory. Last season's match up found the Aggies playing catch-up after a first half largely controlled by the Utes. Utah struck first on their home pitch in the 45th minute. Utah State didn't give up easily though. They tied the game with a goal off the foot of Aggie all-time goal leader, Lauren Hanson. The game winning goal came in the 78th minute when U. striker Morgan Skeen scored her first goal of the season. Skeen deflected the ball off of an Aggie player and into the net for the game winning score. The 2010 game was a heartbreaking loss for the Aggies, but this year the women have shaken it off and are feeling much more optimistic about the match up at home. "We're excited to have them on our home field, and have our home crowd behind us," Cairns said. Players like striker Shantel Flanary have grown up playing youth soccer in Utah. There are only three Aggies on the roster who didn't attend high school in Utah. "I love it," Cairns said. "It's an in-state rivalry. Our kids have grown up playing with their kids. It's a great rivalry." Utah is currently looking for it's first win of the season. The Utes are 0-2-1 in 2011, drawing with Cal State Fullerton and losing to BYU and Nevada. The U. is battling both injuries and suspensions to many starters. With their depleted depth, the Utes are looking for younger players to step up. In the University of Utah's loss to the University of Nevada, Aug. 28, all 10 of the starting field players were underclassmen, including five true freshmen. The Utes return defender Lauren Dudley to the back line against the Aggies. The senior was suspended for receiving a pair of yellow cards in Utah's 4-0 loss to a BYU team ranked 8th in the West region Aug. 23. Dudley will provide a threat to Flanary who has scored in all four of USU's games this season. In goal for the Aggies will be senior Molli Merrill. Merill has a .75 goals against average (GAA) and nine saves on the season. Merrill's biggest threat might have been Lauren Porter, but the senior center back is out with a knee injury suffered during the BYU game. Look for Jen Ericson who has taken a team-high 5 shots to step up in Porter's absence. Leading the defense for the Utes is senior goalkeeper Hannah Turpin. Turpin has a 2.00 GAA but has nine saves on the season. The University of Utah has not scored a goal this season, but have hit the crossbar five times in their first three games. Utah State looks to extend their winning streak to 5 games at the Chuck and Gloria Bell field at 4 p.m., Friday, Sept. 2. — meredith.kinney@aggiemail.usu.edu Welcome back U S U Students! we're your apartment furnishing headquarters Reclining Sofa starting at $399 Love Seat starting at $285 Twin Mattress Sets starting at small desks pillows desk chairs sheets mattress pads Nobody cares like Edwards since 1880 • www.edwardsfurniture.com open Mon-Wed & Sat 9am-6pm • Thur-Fri 9am-8pm FURNITURE 26 S Main, Logan 752-4526 1670 S Hwy 165, Providence 753-1126 |