Preseason Previews and Vibes, Part 2: Offense

Part 2 of 4: Offense

Moving on with the preview, you may notice that this preview has changed from a three-part series to four. That's because there's more to making a great football team than just offense, defense and special teams. What is that fourth aspect? Well, if you don't know already, you'll find out by Wednesday at the latest. For now though, let's preview the offense.

QUARTERBACKS
It took Brent Guy 34 games before he got to five wins at USU... Adam Kennedy pretty much started out 5-0, and he's going to be the backup this season. Got your head wrapped around that?

Chuckie Keeton showed how good he was throughout plenty of the first half of last season before getting injured, where Kennedy stepped in and kept things going as strong as ever. Now, with a full offseason of work and a new offensive coordinator who looks like he's open to actually throwing downfield, Keeton looks ready to dominate. Really both guys look like they could be all-WAC quarterbacks this year, but Keeton has the edge, and if you're beating out a potential all-WAC guy for a starting job, you're probably doing something right.

Preseason vibe: Stoked as hell, with maybe a sprinkle of all-time great status about to happen



RUNNING BACKS
After back-to-back seasons of finishing third on the team in both rushing attempts and rushing yards, Kerwynn Williams is more than ready for his role as the go-to running back. He would have been that top option on a lot of teams last year, but he was tasked with being the third-option on the only team in the nation to have two running backs drafted into the NFL this year. Williams is strong, agile, smart and surprisingly tough to bring down.

After K-dub though, things get a bit tricky. Not that he's NFL-bound just yet, but Joe Hill should provide a solid replacement to Michael Smith's role of an explosive speedster who can break off a big run at any moment. If Robert Marshall and Abou Toure can provide some short-yardage bruising power, this unit will turn out to be solid all over again. Joey DeMartino is a wild card to keep an eye on too for when he gets back from injury.

Preseason vibe: Too top-heavy, but A-OK if Kerwynn stays healthy


TIGHT ENDS
Last year the tight ends' role was to pretty much line up as a sixth, seventh and even sometimes eight offensive linemen. Basically they could look across the line of scrimmage and say to defenders, "Guess who you can't stop?" while Robert Turbin would score touchdowns and stuff. They caught a few passes here and there, but were counted on much more for blocking purposes.

This year they lose Tarren Lloyd but get back Kellen Bartlett and add another year of experience for D.J. Tialavea, Keegan Andersen and Brad Theurer. Bartlett emerged as a very good receiving tight end back in 2010, and should build on that with what looks to be a somewhat pass-happy offense this year. Tialavea can catch some too, while Andersen has looked like an all-around beast in camp this fall. None of these guys have great things expected of them, but all are a threat as both pass catchers and run blockers.

Preseason vibe: Worry-free!


WIDE RECEIVERS
Matt Austin is a good place to start and finish here. He'll be a dominant, do-it-all receiver that quarterbacks dream of, and might be the best receiver we'll see here for a while. Chuck Jacobs is another big play waiting to happen, while Travis Van Leeuwen's steady improvement gives the quarterbacks another big, solid target to throw to. Travis Reynolds looks like he's come a long way too and should finally break out this season.

Then there's Cam Webb, who has looked like USU's own Wes Welker so far in camp. Throw Jojo Natson in the mix and the Aggies look to have solid players going six deep at this spot. Some of them still have a lot to prove, but with an apparent three-headed monster of Austin, Jacobs and Van Leeuwen, this unit should be just fine. That's all without factoring in the possibility of a guy like Alex Wheat, Dwayne Lorick or Brandon Swindall stepping up and making their own impact this year.

Preseason vibe: Plenty to prove, but plenty to work with


OFFENSIVE LINE
Tyler Larsen is one of the best centers in the country, while both Eric Schultz and Oscar Molina-Sanchez have been starting alongside Larsen for the bulk of the past two seasons, letting the guy in the middle hog the spotlight. Throw in Jamie Markosian, who Gary Andersen said was putting up a fight to take Larsen's starting center spot a year or so ago, and this line is looking very solid. Markosian is at left guard, and it's looking like Molina-Sanchez and Schultz will anchor the tackle spots after all rather than having Schultz at right guard.

Right guard looks like it'll be held down for now by either Kyle or Kevin Whimpey (who can really tell them apart, amirite?). What happens when Bryce Walker returns from injury, we can only wonder. Regardless, it appears to be a sure thing that four of the five starters are known commodities, and strong ones at that. For a game that starts at the lines, this is a great place to get things going. Three guys are returning starters from a team that put two running backs in the NFL, so it should be a safe assumption they can keep the offense rolling, even if they're doing a lot more pass blocking this season.

Preseason vibe: The unsung heroes keep the offensive running at a high level once again