Injuries are starting to pile up for Utah State. How serious remains the question

Through the first four weekends of the season, the Utah State Aggies had largely avoided the injury bug.

Yes, linebacker Max Alford was lost for the year to a serious knee injury, but otherwise USU was getting healthier as the season progressed, with notable guys returning to action week after week after dealing with injuries during fall camp.

That all changed Saturday night at Maverik Stadium in a loss to James Madison, though.

Multiple Aggies suffered serious enough injuries to miss the second half of play against the Dukes — a second half that saw the Aggies rally for a near improbable victory.

Most notable among the absences were linebacker MJ Tafisi — arguably the team’s best all-around defender — and safety Devin Dye, who finished second and third on the team in tackles against JMU, despite only playing in the first two quarters.

“We had several guys that didn’t finish (the game tonight),” Utah State head coach Blake Anderson said. “I’m hoping that it’s just minor (injuries) but I really don’t know. I’m not sure (the extent of the injuries) until the doctors tell me.”

Dye — a JUCO transfer and son of former MLB great Jermaine Dye — had his best performance as an Aggie before going down, recording a career-high nine tackles, including contributing to a tackle for loss, notching a pass breakup and snagging his first career interception.

Tafisi, meanwhile, was his ever steady self with seven tackles.

The Aggies performed well enough without Dye and Tafisi in the second half, limiting James Madison to a single touchdown after giving up 38 first half points, which safety/linebacker Anthony Switzer credited to the team’s overall depth of talent.

“I tell you what, this team we have a lot of depth and a lot of people just don’t know that yet,” Switze said. “Because a lot of people haven’t got their opportunities. Y’all seen Devin Dye (tonight) but we’ve got two more of those in the back end.

“(Dye’s production) wasn’t surprising to me because I seen Devin do the same thing in the spring, in the fall and in practice. ... Anybody that you rotate through there, I have confidence in it. There’s a lot of guys on this team that can play. They’re just waiting on the opportunity. You don’t ever want guys to go down, but when they do we really don’t skip a beat because everybody’s important.”

Still, any sort of extended loss of Tafisi would be significant, given the Aggies are already shallow at linebacker with Alford out for the year. That and Tafisi has a history of injuries — he played in only seven and half games last season — and is in his final collegiate season.

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Cole Joyce took over at the MIKE linebacker position in Tafisi’s absence, while Switzer — who started the year as more of a safety/nickel back — played almost exclusively at WILL linebacker against JMU, a position change that Anderson believes gives him the best chance at a professional career in the future.

“I think if Switzer is going to play the next level, which he wants to, it’s gonna be at WILL linebacker anyway,” Anderson said. “This was the step. It is going to be a challenge, because we are throwing him in a spot that he has not played, but in the end it is going to be by far the best for our football team.”