This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Logan • Tucked inside the right pocket of Stew Morrill was a card with a script, telling him when and how he wanted to cram 12 players into Utah State's opening exhibition against UC San Diego on Friday night.
Morrill, never known for shuffling guys in and out of games, has never done this before. But losing six seniors and meshing nine new players on a roster will cause coaches to get creative. Morrill included.
"We have so much inexperience, we have to get better," Morrill said.
The Aggies won 74-42 in front of 9,519 at the Spectrum. But the score can almost be thrown out. UC San Diego was that outmanned.
The positives came from USU finally being able to run plays against someone other than themselves. The positives came from the Aggies displaying their trademark defense, and from Preston Medlin and Adam Thoesby playing extremely well in limited minutes.
Both scored 10 points, hitting four three-pointers between them and knocking down perimeter jumpers. They showed the ability to provide scoring from the wings that wasn't there last year. They looked like potential complements to Brockeith Pane and Brady Jardine.
"It was good to come out and hit some shots," Medlin said. "Our offense creates options for everyone on the team. It's just a matter of knocking them down when they present themselves."
There were some troubling trends. Utah State shot a horrid 7-20 from the free-throw line, a statistic that usually leads to losses in close games. The Aggies also struggled rebounding the ball. The one thing UC San Diego offered was size, and USU couldn't keep its opponent off the glass in some stretches.
Still, the Aggies forced 21 turnovers, put four players in double figures, and broke out brand new uniforms for the first time in years.
With 12 players seeing time, and nobody playing more than 25 minutes, Utah State put forth encouraging signs that this may not be a rebuilding year after all.
"The purpose of this game was to get us to play someone other than ourselves," Morrill said. "When we get the chance to evaluate film, we'll know a bit more. We played hard tonight. We made some mistakes, but I'm glad we played hard."
Twitter: @tonyaggieville —
Storylines Creativity contributes to win
R Utah State rolls to a 38-17 halftime advantage.
• Brady Jardine leads the Aggies with 11 points and seven rebounds.
• USU faces Adams State next Saturday.