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In a corner of the historic photo, as the Utah State Aggies pose in the end zone with the last trophy awarded for a Western Athletic Conference football championship, 4-year-old Wyatt Wells is shown wearing his No. 16 jersey and being held by his father, then USU's offensive coordinator.
Nobody as of that sunny afternoon in November 2012 could have guessed what was ahead for Matt Wells, who would become USU's head coach a month later, or quarterback Chuckie Keeton, the original No. 16, whose life would never be the same, either. This week, when Wells announced that Keeton would miss four to six weeks of action with a sprained knee, the news really was nothing new.
The Aggies have gone through this three years in a row, dealing with the loss of their franchise QB. That's why the latest development is stunning, making everyone wonder again how Keeton could be treated so harshly by a game he loves, but also is being viewed in Cache Valley as standard-issue stuff for Wells and the Aggies.
As judged by what he has done on and off the field, Keeton undoubtedly deserves better. The NCAA gave him a medical waiver, just so he could come back and suffer his fourth injury in five years. What's fair about that? And this series of setbacks surely is even tougher personally than professionally for Wells, considering the bond between him and Keeton, who took the field at Auburn in 2011 in Wells' first game as USU's quarterbacks coach.
The Aggies will regroup. That's what they do. The crazy thing about Keeton's college career is that amid everything he has meant to the program, the Aggies have done better without him. That's partly a function of the schedule, with Keeton facing tougher opponents early in the season. The numbers are remarkable, though: Keeton is 20-13 as a starter; his four replacements are a combined 18-6.
USU earned the school's first bowl bid behind Adam Kennedy in 2011, won a Mountain West division title with Darell Garretson (who transferred to Oregon State) in '13 and stayed in the race until the last day with Kent Myers in '14.
After injuries to three quarterbacks last season, Myers went 5-1 as USU's starter, losing only to Boise State. The reality is that Myers beat downtrodden opponents Hawaii, Wyoming, New Mexico and San Jose State, before defeating Texas-El Paso in the New Mexico Bowl. This year, as Myers takes over, the Aggies presumably will play Colorado State, Fresno State, Boise State and San Diego State without Keeton. Even with Boise State and Fresno State having their own QB issues, this will be a much bigger challenge for Myers, Wells and new offensive coordinator Josh Heupel.
The irony of Wells' time in Logan is that Keeton's absences have resulted in the coach's greatest acclaim, for his knack of keeping the team together, finding creative offensive solutions and salvaging the season. Regardless of how another season of adversity plays out for Wells and the Aggies, though, I'll always wonder what Keeton could have done if not for his initial knee injury, sustained against BYU in October 2013.
He has never been the same player since that Friday night, although he showed glimpses of the Chuckie of old during a loss at Utah this month. Then came an injury to his other knee last weekend at Washington, where he finished the game but generally struggled in a 31-17 defeat.
Personally, I'll take the blame for framing this season as an opportunity for Keeton, BYU's Taysom Hill and Utah's Travis Wilson to become the first threesome of senior quarterbacks to play every game for Utah's FBS programs in 60-plus years. How's that working out? Hill is done for the season with a foot injury in the opening game, Wilson played six quarters before hurting his shoulder against USU, and now Keeton is sidelined.
Maybe I should have settled for having one of those three play every week, with Wilson likely to return Saturday at Oregon. Nobody's sure about Hill's future, especially with BYU having discovered freshman Tanner Mangum. But Wilson still could do some big things for Utah this season, and the potential also exists for Keeton to return and finish his career properly.
He seemingly remains upbeat, judging by his tweet referencing hip hop artist Kendrick Lamar's words that he's "gon be alright." I wouldn't suggest Googling those entire lyrics — or writing off Keeton, just yet.
Twitter: @tribkurt —
Chuckie Keeton's USU career
2011 • Starts first eight games, injures neck in first half at Hawaii, appears in bowl game as backup QB.
2012 • Starts all 13 games, leads USU to school-record 11 wins.
2013 • Starts first six games, injures left knee in first half vs. BYU.
2014 • Starts first three games, reinjures knee in first half vs. Wake Forest; three weeks later is declared out for season and granted medical hardship.
2015 • Starts first three games, sprains right knee during loss at Washington and is ruled out for four to six weeks.