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Logan • Coming out of high school in Clovis, Calif., Brock Carmen bet on himself.
He won.
Carmen is a senior linebacker at Utah State, which opens its Mountain West Conference season Saturday night against Air Force.
Last week, Carmen made his first start for the Aggies. In their 34-20 win over Arkansas State, he finished with a career-high 12 tackles and was named the Mountain West's Defensive Player of the Week.
"The linemen did [a] great job," Carmen said. "I was able to run and make tackles. I just tried to hustle to the ball. When you hustle to the ball, good things tend to happen."
Said coach Matt Wells: "Brock had a really good game. … Hopefully he can maintain that the rest of the year."
Carmen's road to Cache Valley began when, with few options, he rolled the dice and decided to walk-on at close-to-home Fresno State.
"Honestly, I didn't have a lot of offers," he said. "So I took a chance … because it was my hometown school."
Carmen's goal?
He hoped to earn a scholarship, which he eventually did. It just didn't happen at Fresno.
Carmen spent two seasons with the Bulldogs — redshirting one and not playing another — before he transferred to Riverside (Calif.) City College.
As a sophomore, Carmen helped lead his team into the 2014 Southern California Football Association championship game against perennial junior college power Mount San Antonio. Riverside won the regular-season meeting between the rivals, 28-24. But Mount San Antonio prevailed in the title game, 35-14.
"It was tough losing," Carmen recalled, "but it was fun. I remember it being a tough, hard-hitting football game."
Utah State's coaches were watching. They offered Carmen a scholarship and he accepted.
"I thought it was a good opportunity for me, being a linebacker," Carmen said. "Utah State is known for hard-nosed defense, especially the linebackers."
Last year's top-heavy collection of linebackers prevented Carmen from doing much more than contributing on special teams. He played in 13 games, made 12 tackles and blocked a punt during a 58-27 win over Wyoming.
Still, Carmen called the chance to play behind future NFL draft picks Kyler Fackrell and Nick Vigil and two-year starter LT Filiaga "… a good experience. Those guys were so knowledgeable in the way they approached everything about the game — from watching film to practice. When it was time, I wanted to step in and implement some of the things I learned from them."
So far, so good.
Through three games, Carmen is tied for second among Aggie defenders in tackles with 19. He's one of six linebackers with at least 10 tackles, meaning Wells' plan to replace individual stars Fackrell, Vigil and Filiaga with depth and versatility seems to be working.
"Brock is a guy that can play inside and outside for us," Wells said. "We'll keep moving him around. … He's waited his turn behind some multi-year starters, he had a really good offseason, and I'm proud of his effort and performance so far."
The next hurdle for Carmen & Co. comes against Air Force. The Falcons are 2-0, with wins over Abilene Christian (37-21) and Georgia State (48-14). They lead the Mountain West in scoring (42.5) and total offense (566.5). They are the No. 1 rushing offense in the country, averaging 432.5 yards per game.
"They give you a ton of challenges," Carmen said. "You have to be physical, fast and super-disciplined against them. If you aren't — if everyone on the defense doesn't do their job — they are going to gash you. So you have to go in with the right mindset."
Last year, Air Force outscored Utah State 35-28 at Falcon Stadium.
"I remember the really cool atmosphere," Carmen said. "Playing there is different than anywhere in the country. … They just got their passing game going and we struggled to shut it down. It was a hard-fought game."
Twitter: @sluhm —
About Brock Carmen
• The senior linebacker has gone from a walk-on at Fresno State to a starter at Utah State.
• In his first career start, Carmen had 12 tackles in the Aggies' 34-20 win over Arkansas State last Friday night.
• Carmen and USU play Air Force on Saturday at 8:15 p.m. The Falcons are the No. 1 rushing team in the country. —
Utah State vs. Air Force
P At Maverik Stadium, Logan
Saturday, 8:15 p.m.
TV • ESPNU