Post-training camp grades: Special teams

Training camp is wrapped up and game week is upon us. There's a crazy amount of excitement going around, and why the hell not? But sometimes it's easy to get caught up in excitement when you see an impressive product in practice.

Seeing weaknesses and imperfections gets a little bit harder though. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to try and give an honest critique of what I've seen through camp and break down every position group and give them a preseason grade. So let's get at it!

Part 1 of 3: Special teams

KICKERS
This one worries me a little bit, simply because it seems that Nick Diaz hasn't solidified the job he had locked down to finish last season. Diaz was 10-of-13 last season with one blocked kick and two misses appearing to be centered, just without enough leg. He still hit 5-of-7 from beyond 40 yards, including a season-best 53-yarder.
Josh Thompson seems to always perform in practice, but has connected on just 10-of-16 field goals for his career, including only 8-of-14 from inside 40-yards. He's also missed two PATs in his career, which is concerning as to why Diaz hasn't been dubbed the clear-cut favorite. Younger brother Jake Thompson could very well be the guy for kickoff duties with his strong leg.
We've seen Diaz excel before and the job should remain his. The uncertainty hurts the grade for this position though.

Preseason grade: C+
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PUNTERS
The only name you need to know here is Jaron Bentrude. The job is his and he's looked solid in camp just like he did during spring practice. There's been a few flubs here and there, but his kicks have been booming at times. Now it's all about consistency.

Preseason grade: B
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KICK RETURNERS
This one is full of intrigue. A whole bunch of guys took reps in this role during camp and based on what I saw, I think this team has plenty of people capable of filling in for the fine job done here by Chuck Jacobs last season. The two I liked the most were Tay Glover-Wright and Travis Reynolds. We all know about Reynolds' athleticism and if he has room to run, he's a safe bet to produce.
Glover-Wright is who I like the most here though. Watching him run I feel like he has the potential to be the Devin Hester of the Mountain West Conference. His athleticism is just freaking ridiculous.
Kennedy Williams is one other X-factor here, and considering the success his brother had as a kick returner early in his career, it's not outlandish to think Kennedy could thrive too after the camp he's had.
Any of those three would be good bets, but I like The Hyphen best. Regardless, the outlook here seems bright.

Preseason grade: B+
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PUNT RETURNERS
Cam Webb was the perfect possession-oriented punt returner last season. With the right protection on punt returns, this season could see a higher average return than 8.8 yards from the team's go-to punt returner. This is another role where a handful of guys saw reps, but the three that stood out to me most were Jojo Natson, Travis Van Leeuwen, and Kennedy Williams. Van Leeuwen would be the safe bet kind of guy, much like Webb was, and that's not a bad thing at all. Natson and Williams are similar in that they accelerate quickly, have good speed, and crazy agility.
If I had to pick a favorite, it would be Natson, just because his hands seem more proven in catching the ball. Any of the three would do fine though.

Preseason grade: B-
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LONGSNAPPERS
This one is completely on lockdown by Nate Needham. Not really any question about things here either. Dude is solid all-around.

Preseason grade: A 

Needing To Have A Talk With Bill Busch

Dear Bill,

I didn't want things to have to come to this, because I really do think you're good for this coaching staff... But we need to talk.

SAFETIES
Before I say anything else, let me just say that I think you've done a phenomenal job with the safeties at USU since you've been here. Whether it was in those two years as defensive coordinator or in the last season and a quarter as the safeties coach, that part of the secondary has been killin it!

Both of the starting safeties from your first year here made it to NFL training camp rosters when their time here was done, and we didn't seem to miss a beat losing either of them. Both Alfred Bowden and Walter McClenton turned into solid players back there for you, and it looks like McKade Brady and Brian Suite are going to be a superstar duo this season.

That track record isn't just good, it's great!!

Football: Highs, Lows and I Don't Knows - 9/4

Week one is in the books, with week two being a big one coming up. I'm of the belief that the USU coaches kept things pretty simple as to not show too much on the game film for Utah to scout. The Utes undoubtedly did the same thing too, so Friday should be full of surprises.

But even despite keeping things simple, let's still try and break things down a little bit.


THE HIGHS

Chuckie Keeton, Matt Austin and Joe Hill - Chances are that any time you get a quarterback throwing for 300+ yards, a receiver with 100+ yards, running back rushing for 100+ yards, all with a good defense backing them up, you'll probably win. This trio was awesome all game, and two of them are only sophomores. We knew Keeton and Austin would tear it up this year, but with Hill's performance, and even Kerwynn Williams still having a decent game of his own, the running game might be better than we'd thought.

The rush defense - Sure, it was only SUU, and they don't exactly have a good running game, but holding a team to just 2.1 yards per carry is impressive, especially going into this week's game against Utah. John White isn't a power back, but he's fast, shifty and great at finding holes, so stopping him will be no easy task. Still, White needed 24 carries to rack up 119 yards against Northern Colorado. If USU can slow him up, scoring points won't come easy for Utah.

Pass defense - A possible NFL quarterback was 12-of-31 for only 153 yards. That's not too shabby for the defensive backfield. Terrence Alston had a team-high five tackles to go with a tackle for loss and a sack to bolster the resume of Saturday's performance by the DBs. 


THE LOWS

Pass defense - Yep, they're both on the highs and lows! The pass interference penalties, disagree with some of them as I may, are how football is officiated these days. Receivers are given all sorts of freedom to initiate contact and gain separation. Defensive backs can't get away with that, and the sooner they learn that it's life's not fair out there and adjust the amount of contact they make, the sooner they'll see a lot fewer yellow flags thrown their way. The DBs did great at sticking with their guys, but they've got to perfect how to do so without getting flagged for it.

Special teams - A blown extra point, a muffed punt and really just overall unimpressive play didn't offer anything to be encouraged about. Chuck Jacobs had one punt return for 30 yards, which is better than most punt returns we've seen around here for a while. Still, lots of work left to be done here.


THE I DON'T KNOWS

Defensive line - Great at stopping the run, left some to be desired in pass pressure. I'm trying to tell myself that they did what the offense did with keeping things mostly under wraps, but I'm less optimistic here. Still, I think they'll continue to improve as the year goes on, and the run stopping was great on Thursday. So far I'd say they did good, not great.

Turnovers - Kinda was hoping for more of them. Still trying to tell myself that it's because the blitzing packages weren't let loose. Getting pressure on Jordan Wynn can be a game-changer on Friday. His arm isn't strong as it is, so if he's forcing throws on the run or under pressure in the pocket, that could create a couple possible turnover opportunities, which the Aggies will need to capitalize on.

Preseason Previews and Vibes, Part 1: Special Teams

Chuck Jacobs, alone in the end zone, with people behind him = Touchdowns

Part 1 of 4: Special Teams

Alright kids, it's officially game week, so let's get down to previewing this bad boy!

First up is special teams, which once again doesn't look to be anything too special.

COVERAGE
In theory, this year could see an improvement in the kick and punt coverage teams. As the talent level of the program has continued upward, the guys assigned to special teams should perform better than previous years as well. Between the linebacker and cornerback positions alone, there are 30 guys on the roster, leaving plenty of guys outside of the two-deep that you would hope are hungry enough for snaps that they'll want to make an impact on special teams. There are also a handful of young offensive linemen who could make a splash here.

Main point being though, there are quality starters and quality depth at most positions and only so many snaps to go around. There are also plenty of younger guys who will have a chance to make some big plays on special teams this year. Given the mentality that seems to be around this team now, I'm guessing we'll see a solid improvement in this area over the last few years.

Preseason vibe: Optimistic

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.