Utah St. football: Ags will feature, not overuse Turbin

Robert Turbin likes to wear an Incredible Hulk T-shirt.

With bulging biceps and pectorals stretching the fabric, it's a fitting uniform for the 5-foot-10, 202-pound sophomore from Fremont, Calif.

More impressive than the Utah State running back's physique, though, is his gaudy average of 10.3 yards per carry.

Thanks, in part, to a school record 96-yard run against Utah and a 50-yard touchdown sprint against Texas A&M last week, Turbin is cranking out yards like his name suggest he might — 269 yards on just 26 carries.

But as much as Aggie fans would like to see him carry the ball 30 times a game, they might not want to hold their collective breath waiting for USU's coaching staff to call his number that often.

"We don't want to wear Robert out," USU coach Gary Andersen said. "We don't need Robert to get 200 yards per game."

Andersen said the Utah State gameplan is to share the load in the backfield. Quarterback Diondre Borel currently leads the team with 36 carries, and junior college transfer Michael Smith has another 11. Marquis Butler, Kerwynn Williams and Dervyn Speight will also see spot duty.

But Turbin, Andersen emphasized, is Utah State's featured back, and fans should not be alarmed or concerned about the number of touches he is, or is not, getting per game.

"Robert Turbin had almost 200 yards of total offense," Andersen said, noting the 61 yards of receiving he had on five catches at A&M. "He's getting the ball and touching the ball quite a bit out there."

As talented as Turbin is proving to be, Andersen said he's not inclined to overuse him. With the WAC season nearing, he wants Turbin to be as strong and fresh as possible against opponents like Fresno State, Nevada and Boise State.

HALL OF HONOR: The fancy new locker room and training complex on the north end of Romney Stadium have been impressing people since the day the complex opened.

But anyone who's walked through the front doors knows the entrance has been a little bare.

That has been changing over the past couple of weeks, however, and the Steve Mothersell Aggie Athletics Hall of Honor will have its ribbon-cutting grand opening at 1 p.m. Saturday before the Utah State homecoming game against Southern Utah.