Utah State football: USU's Borel has progressed at QB

There was a time when Diondre Borel would drop back in the pocket to pass the ball and Aggie fans would hold their breath waiting for the worst to happen.

Those folks can exhale.

Borel, who played erratically through most of the season a year ago, has always been seen as a threat with his legs — the kind of player capable of breaking a linebacker's ankles as he dodges and darts his way around would-be tacklers.

But those mad scrambles resulted in a loss of yardage with wide-open receivers downfield wondering if they'd ever be thrown the ball as often as the runs became first downs.

In short, Borel's decision- making often negated his talent.

This year, he's shown himself much matured in the pocket and Aggies find themselves less likely to hyperventilate when he drops back to pass.

"He's still developing as a quarterback," said Utah State coach Gary Andersen. "He's done a real nice job for us, but he is still improving."

Borel has stopped relying on his legs as the first and second options and has become a surprisingly efficient passer. The junior is averaging 240.1 yards through the air per game with 10 touchdowns.

Most importantly, though, Borel has thrown only one interception — in the season opener against Utah — and has now thrown more than 200 passes without being picked off.

Borel carries a quarterback rating of 135.55 — good enough for 44th in the NCAA — and is being asked to manage games rather than try to take them over with his legs when the first read is covered.

Still, Andersen said Borel could be having a better year.

"I still don't think he's getting enough help from his supporting cast," Andersen said, citing a lack of pocket protection, a lack of run blocking and a wide receiver crew that's not quite to the level the first-year Aggie coach hopes for.

Having been sacked 20 times, Borel still has some work to do in checking off to secondary receivers or just throwing the ball away, but for now he's got Andersen's support as Utah State moves into the second half of the season.

INJURY UPDATE: A big reason Utah State's 23-21 win over Louisiana Tech was as close as it was can be attributed to a slew of injuries suffered by the Aggie defense.

Senior linebacker PaulIgboelisaw his streak of 38 consecutive starts end when an ankle injury suffered a week earlier kept him from practicing.