10 crucial Aggies: No. 5 - the kicker (whoever that ends up being)

Horray for this guy!! Scholarship maybe?

USU kickers hit on just 6-of-11 field goal attempts last season, with the longest conversion coming from just 43 yards out. To put it plainly, the kicking game has somewhat handicapped Utah State's offense in recent memory. No distance is a safe distance when it comes to field goal attempts, leaving the offense to take some chances on 4th down rather than take an easy three points.

Now, if it's a something like 4th and 2, I say nut up and go for it. Especially with a mobile quarterback and a solid run game. But when it comes to something like a 4th-and-8, being able to rely on still getting three points out of a drive is a huge asset.

As we saw during the last week though, the kicking game isn't still where anyone feels comfortable with it. Josh Thompson, who did the bulk of the kicking last year, looks to be about where he's always been. He hit on 6-of-10 attempts last year, but was just 2-of-5 from 30-39 yards out. Impressively he hit on both attempts he took from 40-49, but those still are not numbers to strike fear into any opposition.

Jacob Haueter still has the same booming leg he showed off last year, and likely will be the man for kickoffs once again. His accuracy on field goals just isn't there.

Nick Diaz seems like a happy medium between Thompson and Haueter, but a happy medium between two guys who have struggled to get the job done is a less-than-encouraging place to be.

Then there's the wildcard... The kicking game looked like it might have a new favorite in a freshman Brock Warren. In several practices Warren stood out above the rest of the kickers, showing off solid accuracy and kicking power that was probably just a touch below Haueter's. A few very good practices are an encouraging start for the rookie, and if he can keep that going into the season, this team just might be ok in kicking after all.

Regardless, the importance of this position should not be understated at all. Especially without a bruising runner like Robert Turbin, the kicking game becomes that much more crucial when drives get stuffed deep in opposing territory. If one of these guys can step up and at least be consistent from within 45 yards, that changes everything!

Even just a 75 percent average would a godsend at this point.