Defensive end Eddie Davis grew up in New Orleans and went to junior college in California. Cornerback Chuck McMillian grew up in Bryan, Texas, and went to junior college in California. New cornerback coach Dwone Sanders grew up in Louisiana towns, played at McNeese State and coached at several Southern schools before landing at Penn State last season and Utah State this season.
Last week's Logan snowfall, then, was still a novelty to these warm-weather guys, even though McMillian played for the Aggies last season.After a practice in snow last week, everybody else from the team had long since gone to the locker room to warm up and dry out, except for one pickup truck bearing the last of the team's gear from the practice field.
And a load of snowballs, as well as the Davis-McMillian-Sanders snowball-fighting trio.
PILING IT ON: Eastern Washington, the I-AA team that embarrassed the Aggies 49-31 Saturday in Romney Stadium, made no friends in Logan. EWU tried to pile it on in the final :01.
With an 18-point lead and time for one play after a 37-yard onside kick return, coach Mike Kramer brought back starting quarterback Todd Bernett, who had been sitting out several late series, to throw a would-be touchdown pass into the end zone. It fell incomplete, but it will be well-remembered by the Aggies as an attempt to further humiliate them.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Media relations director John Lewandowski enjoys coming up with odd little numbers. Among them:
- Junior split end Kevin Alexander took over the Big West Conference lead in punt returns a week ago, when he averaged 12.6 yards a return. He retains No. 1 in the conference this week and moves up from seventh to fifth in the NCAA, now averaging 14.9, thanks to that 57-yarder for a touchdown Saturday. As a team, USU ranks 14th nationally in punt returns averaging 11.4 yards.
- Junior Abu Wilson is 71 percent of the Aggies' rushing attack, averaging 60.3 yards a game, 543 total. It would have been more, but, because he was coming back from knee surgery from last season, he had to build game strength in the knee and only played in selected instances the first several games. In the last three games, Wilson has averaged 117.7 yards. The last two games, Wilson carried on 60 of the Aggies' 89 rushing chances. Quarterback Matt Wells was credited with 16 rushes in those two games, Profail Grier with five, backup QB Aaron Flowers with five, Tai Gordon with two and receiver Ivy Russell with one.
- Senior cornerback Donald Toomer, who was suspended for the first half of the Eastern Washington game and last half of the Pacific game for an altercation at Pacific, owns USU records for single-season and career passes broken up. He's still tied for first in the Big West and tied for 12th in the NCAA in season interceptions with five. He has a shot (with two games left) at the Aggie career-interception record. Toomer has 14; the record's 18 set by Henry King in 1966.
- Sophomore flanker Shawn Turner had a career-high eight passes for 197 yards in Saturday's loss to Eastern Washington. His longest reception was 51 yards.
- At the same time, sophomore quarterback Wells threw for a career-high 245 yards (13-for-28) and a touchdown as the Aggies had their highest-scoring game this season.