WARRIORS FOOTBALL
Utah State coach thinks he has the players now
Utah State coach Brent Guy saw progress at the end of last season. His team won its last two games of 2007 after losing the first 10.
Editor's note: This is the ninth in a series highlighting the teams the University of Hawaii will face this season.
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But no one around the rest of the conference is expecting the Aggies to improve dramatically. The coaches and media polls both have them finishing in the cellar of the nine-team league.
The reason for Guy's optimism is he finally has a squad deep enough to compete as he heads into his fourth season.
UTAH STATE
Coach: Brent Guy (6-29)
2007 record: 2-10, 2-6 in WAC (tied for 7th)
Hawaii series: 4-4
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"We had 56 players that first spring, including walk-ons, and we had 98 this spring," Guy said. "We signed high school players and played them right away. That's what we did early on. We had to stick to that plan or we'd never get there.
"The guys you'll see playing now are the ones we threw to the wolves as freshmen. A lot of guys who didn't shave yet were out there competing with some good players."
Linebackers Jake Hutton and Paul Igboeli are leaders of an experienced defense that returns nine starters. Hutton was in on 102 tackles and Igboeli 95 last fall, and both are on the Butkus Award list this fall.
Utah State returns its top eight tacklers from 2007.
The picture isn't as pretty on offense when it comes to experience, other than a couple of offensive linemen who have been through the wars; center Ryan Tonnemacher and right tackle Derek Hoke.
"Sean Setzer will be our quarterback for the (season-opening) UNLV game, but we anticipate Diondre (Borel) will be in the game for a significant amount of time because of his running ability," Guy said in a Salt Lake Tribune article.
Setzer, a senior who played briefly in one game last fall, is considered the better passer.
Kevin Robinson, one of the WAC's best receivers and return men the past four years, is finally done.
"You don't just replace him," Guy said.
Running back is also a concern. Derrvin Speight is the leading ground-gainer from last year with 504 yards and three touchdowns.
Tomorrow: New Mexico State