By all accounts, Utah State quarterback Diondre Borel is a better player than he was last year.
He's no pre-prison Mike Vick, but it's still bad news for Fresno State because even in 2008 Borel was a pawful for the Bulldogs.
With two touchdowns, 74 yards rushing and 193 yards passing, Borel led the Aggies to a near-victory over Fresno State last October. Bulldogs kicker Kevin Goessling had to lift an unforgettable 58-yarder through the white uprights for the win without spare change on the clock.
That was Borel and the Aggies a year ago.
This season, both Fresno State and Utah State folks agree the junior has improved, even if the Aggies' record (2-5, 1-2 Western Athletic Conference) doesn't show it.
Utah State quarterback Diondre Borel has always been a threat with his legs, but offseason work to improve his passing game has paid off this season.
"Diondre's progression is still continuing," Aggies coach Gary Andersen said. "He's a better quarterback every single week and he's truly a dual-threat quarterback at this point."
And that's the difference.
Borel was criticized for doing too much running last season. He was a running back that happened to throw, instead of a quarterback who happened to run. Borel's 632 yards rushing led the team last year.
His main improvement since then has come in the passing game, where Borel has learned to stick around in the pocket a little longer before hitting the burners and trying to sprint out of danger.
"If the pocket's collapsing I can step up and move around someone and get rid of the ball instead of taking off," Borel said. "You have to go through the reads. Throwing the ball helps much more than taking off."
In 2008, his first year as the starter, Borel threw for 1,705 yards with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Halfway through 2009, he ranks second in the league with 240 yards per game passing. Borel has tossed 10 touchdown passes and one interception while running for 34 yards per game.
Bulldogs defensive end Chris Carter said Borel's progress in the passing game has been visible on film.
"His arm's a little more accurate than last year," Carter said. "Last year he had to rely a little more on his feet and kind of scramble until someone got open. Now he can kind of push the envelope and just throw it and kind of squeeze the ball in there."
Borel is aided by having a firm grasp of the playbook, something he said he lacked last season.
Running back Robert Turbin said Borel's work behind the scenes has helped on the field. His improved film study has allowed him to more readily identify defenses and where pressure will come.
Add the smarts, the arm and the legs, and Carter believes Borel ranks up there with the best signal callers in the conference, no offense to his own quarterbacks or Nevada's Colin Kaepernick, who is averaging 99 yards rushing per game and went for 230 yards against Idaho last week on 15 carries.
"He's just a pure athlete," Carter said. "It's kind of fun just watching him on film. Though he's only averaging like 30 yards per game rushing, he's definitely a run threat -- an almost bigger run threat than Kaepernick. As much as Kaepernick runs for, this guy's just better on his feet."
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