This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Logan • The catchphrase with the Utah State Aggies this season is "wrap your arms around the next guy," when referring to the way the Aggies support the players stepping in for injured teammates.
Well, the Aggies have done a lot of wrapping lately. But no one seems to notice or care that the guys getting hugged are skinnier and younger than the ones before them.
The Aggies, who play at Hawaii on Saturday, hold the distinction of being the only team in the country that has lost seven starters to season-ending injuries this year.
The injuries include quarterbacks Chuckie Keeton, Darell Garretson and Craig Harrison, leaving freshman Kent Myers as the starter for the remainder of the season — if he can remain healthy, that is.
The situation has become so ridiculous, coach Matt Wells burst into laughter during his press conference this week as he pointed out neither Myers nor his backup, freshman D.J. Nelson, had even gotten snaps with the first team until last week.
Wrap your arms around that thought.
"It's adversity in a major, major way," he said.
Yet he and the Aggies continue to win and continue to stay positive. How in the heck are they doing it?
Sure, the schedule has been relatively kind with Air Force (5-2) and Colorado State (7-1) being the only league opponents they've faced with winning records, while the combined overall records of their next four opponents is just 10-20.
But regardless of the quality of foes, that the Aggies have been able to succeed like they did last year and now this season with key injuries is a remarkable feat.
According to the school's research, Vanderbilt is the only other team in the nation that has started four different quarterbacks and USU is the only one with two freshman quarterbacks on the depth chart.
Wells chalked up the success to his team's overall attitude.
"It's just unbelievable to me to see them just not flinch, and the leadership by the captains," he said. "The thing that goes unnoticed, but not by me, is the job that our assistant coaches have done. I'm just proud of what they've done and continue to do to hold this thing together. We'll continue to play at a high level and be very, very competitive. We have no other choice."
What is interesting about all the injuries is that there isn't a pattern in the pattern of frequent incidents. Keeton hurt his knee when he planted his foot, Garretson broke his wrist when a tackler rolled over his hand and Harrison's injury occurred as his knee was twisted under a tackler. If there was a pattern of injuries, such as concussions, Wells could spend some energy figuring out what was causing all the problems. But these? Who knows why the Aggies seem jinxed.
"I've never seen anything like it," he admitted.
Safety Brian Suite just shrugged his shoulders at the situation. He and his teammates have just learned nothing is guaranteed in football, and that includes not only the outcomes of games but also the name of the player starting alongside you.
"Things happen," he said. "It's a violent sport and guys can get hurt. At this level, everyone is here for a reason, and we have complete faith in the next guy."
Perhaps one reason the Aggies have been successful is that not only has their attitude not changed, but the gameplan hasn't changed much either. The Aggies did expect more of a passing attack with Garretson under center, but have reverted to emphasizing the run with Harrison and now Myers.
But the key to the success was while they knew what they needed to do to win games with those guys, their opponents didn't.
It wasn't like there was a ton of tape on Harrison or Myers, and the Rebels definitely didn't plan to face Myers, UNLV coach Bobby Hauck said.
"When their freshman came in, we didn't know what they were going to do," he admitted.
What the Aggies did was remain unfazed and make plays while "we didn't," Hauck said.
That really is the key to their success, linebacker LT Filiaga said. The Aggies have known so much adversity, they probably wouldn't know what to do without it.
"It's a matter of resilience," he said. "It's not like our team hasn't been in this situation before."
Still, give credit to the coaching staff for their resiliency, as well. Wells has called the situation "fun," as it has pushed him and his staff to get creative in their schemes. He has used the wildcat formation and linebackers such as Nick and Zach Vigil on the offensive side of the ball and said he'll play defensive ends at tight ends if he has to do so to win.
"Nobody thinks we can do it," he said. "They didn't think we could do it when Chuckie got hurt, when Darell got hurt. We'll be the first team in the nation to win games with four different quarterbacks, maybe five at one point, I don't know."
Twitter: @lyawodraska —
Beat-up Aggies
The Aggies have suffered a rash of season-ending injuries the last two seasons. Here is a look at the injured players:
2014
QB • Craig Harrison (knee), Chuckie Keeton (knee), Darell Garretson (wrist)
LB • Tavaris McMillian (shoulder), Kyler Fackrell (knee), Alex Huerta (shoulder)
WR • Brandon Swindall (achilles)
2013
QB • Chuckie Keeton (knee)
RB • Joe Hill (knee)
WR • Travis Reynolds (knee)
TE • D.J. Tialavea (foot)
OG • Kyle Whimpey (knee) —
Utah State at Hawaii
O Saturday, 9 p.m.
Live stream • Mountain West Network