This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Logan • If Utah State football fans didn't know Wyatt Houston's name before last week's game against Wyoming, they know it now.
A junior tight end, Houston had the most eye-popping performance of his career during the Aggies' 58-27 victory over the Cowboys. He caught four passes for a career-high 66 yards and two touchdowns.
"There were a lot of plays in the game plan that gave me opportunities," Houston said. "I guess you could say the stars aligned. Multiple times, they were in the right coverage at the right time … and it just worked out."
Houston put himself on the radar of New Mexico's defense heading into Saturday's Mountain West Conference showdown with the Lobos in Albuquerque.
"They've got a good defensive line, some physical linebackers and they're athletic," Houston said. "They're going to be a good opponent. They're going to want to come out and take us down. … They've got the same goals as we do right now, so they'll give us their best shot."
As a freshman at West Linn (Ore.) High School, Houston played tight end on a team that finished 9-3 and reached the Class 6A quarterfinals in the state playoffs. Before his sophomore year, however, he transferred to Horizon Christian, a Class 3A school in nearby Tualatin.
To many outsiders, Houston's move didn't make sense. They suggested he would "never make it" to college as a football player after switching to a much smaller school.
At the time, Houston told the Oregonian newspaper, "I'm not going to name any names. But I heard it from a lot of people."
At Horizon Christian, he made another move.
Houston became a quarterback who, over the next three seasons, passed for 5,019 yards and 63 touchdowns. He also rushed 259 times for 1,313 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Despite his sparkling statistics, however, only a handful of colleges were interested in him. Fewer wanted the 6-foot-4, 240-pound strongman as a quarterback.
Instead, he was recruited as a tight end. Eventually, he picked Utah State. When he did, Houston became the first player in the history of Horizon Christian to sign a Division I letter of intent.
At the time, his high school coach, George Crace said, "I call him the 'Stone Cold Warrior.' He'll look right at you and then go right through you, so Utah State is getting a fierce competitor.
"You don't have to say a lot [to him]. He just goes out and competes. … He's a great character kid. He's a hard worker, he sets goals and he's tremendously focused."
When Houston arrived at Utah State in 2013, he planned to redshirt. But injuries forced him onto the field halfway through the season. He responded with seven receptions — two for touchdowns — in seven games.
Last season, Houston caught 19 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns. He began to form a chemistry with Utah State sophomore quarterback Kent Myers that grows every week.
"I always tell Kent, 'I'm going to be here. If you get in trouble, I'm there,' " Houston said. "… Mostly, though, I just listen to the coaches' game plan. I don't try to tell him, 'Hey, this play is going to work or that play is going to work.' The coaches do the game plan and I do what they tell me to do and things work out."
Twitter: @sluhm —
By the numbers
Utah State tight end Wyatt Houston's season-by-season stats:
Year Gms Rec Yds Avg TDs Long
2013 7 7 118 16.9 2 44
2014 14 19 178 9.4 2 30
2015 8 13 161 12.4 3 34 —
Utah State at New Mexico
P Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
TV • CBS Sports Network