Offense wins games, but defense wins championships. Even with all the crappy rule adjustments in this era of football that make it practically illegal to hit quarterbacks or play pass defense, you still need a great defensive unit to go places.
Luckily for USU, it looks like we finally have exactly that! We knew it was only a matter of time with Gary Andersen at the helm, and the last two years have shown flashes of being great, but I think this year is where they finally take the next step. With the tenacity shown by past defenses under Andersen, coupled now with what looks to be a great complimentary philosophy of creating turnovers brought on by Dave Aranda, this defense should be the best USU has seen in a long time!
So let's break it down...
DEFENSIVE LINE
How this unit performs is about as essential as anything to this team in my book. Connor Williams is ready for prime time after two quality years of backing up Quinn Garner and Levi Koskan. And on the opposite side of Williams is Al Lapuaho, sliding over from the tackle spot to get rough on the outside. His attitude is the kind that seemed to get into opposing players' heads last year, and even if he lost his cool a few times too, his mean streak will be great to have out there. B.J. Larsen and Jordan Nielsen should get plenty of run there too.
The tackle position is a lot less clear cut. Travis Seefeldt opened camp as the projected starter, with Havea Lasike and Elvis Kamana-Matagi right up there with him. A duo of Snow College guys should be in the mix too with Sini Tauauve'a and AJ Pataialii, both were somewhat of unexpected additions to the team going into camp, but bring great size to the table.
On the whole, this entire unit looks to potentially be solid. Maybe not spectacular, but with enough guys close enough to each other that any injuries should be relatively easy to overcome. There's also plenty of potential too though for guys to break out in bigger ways once the season is underway. Paul Piukala is one of those guys who could grab a ton more snaps with impressive play early on, so keep an eye on him.
Preseason vibe: Solid, not spectacular, but should at least be very good against the run
LINEBACKERS
If I'm making a bold prediction here, it's that Kyler Fackrell is going to freak out a lot of quarterbacks with his size coming from the left side of the defense. And in that moment in between crapping their pants and thinking of their next move, Bojay Filimoeatu is going to fly in and rock some worlds!! And I don't even think either of those two will be USU's best linebacker this season. My pick for that honor is Tavaris McMillian, who has Bobby Wagner 2.0 written all over him. And don't forget about Jake Doughty, a.k.a. "The Little Bad Ass That Could". Dude was a walk on, without great size, who has worked, battled and played his way to where he is today. There's nothing not to love about this foursome.
The depth behind them are a lot of high-potential guys too with Cade Cowdin, Zach Vigil, Terell Thompson and La'Bradford Harold. On the whole, this unit looks like it's going to make heads roll this season.
Preseason vibe: There will be blood....
CORNERBACKS
Nevin Lawson is the anchor here with his shutdown potential, and the fact that Jumanne Robertson has held onto his starting spot with how good Willy Davis has looked in camp is pretty impressive. Those three should all be great this season. And much like the case is at other positions, and really as evidenced to the improvement that Andersen has brought to this program, the backups are unproven, but all are high-potential guys. Terrence Alston, Rashard Stewart and Quinton Byrd are all veteran guys who help solidify this spot.
The potential of this group is off the charts, and they're going to be crucial in helping cause the turnovers that Aranda is aiming for this season. The defensive backfield was responsible for only one interception last season, but with the pressure that will be coming from running the 3-4 up front, I wouldn't be surprised to see that total go over 10 this year.
Preseason vibe: Crazy potential turns to crazy production
SAFETIES
If he stays healthy, I'm anticipating that Brian Suite will quickly become a lot of people's (myself included) favorite player. He's going to be a total stud at the strong safety spot, no question. McKade Brady will be better off for it too, having more freedom to stay back in pass coverage knowing that Suite will probably be killin it in stopping the run.
As far as depth is concerned, Cam Sanders made a bunch of big plays early in camp from the free safety spot. His speed makes him maybe more an ideal fit for free safety than Brady, but Brady is a total gamer and a proven commodity. Frankie Sutera has come on strong in camp too, bringing very good size to the position and earning a scholarship last week.
Preseason vibe: Hard-hitting and dominant... if Suite stays healthy
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