Ex-Clovis North star Brock Carmen returns with Utah State Aggies

When the Utah State Aggies walk into Bulldog Stadium on Saturday, there will be a familiar face among them.

That would be former Clovis North High School standout Brock Carmen. He redshirted with Fresno State in 2012 and did not play during the 2013 season while switching from safety to linebacker.

Last fall, Carmen transferred to Riverside City College for his sophomore season and appeared in eight games, finishing with 39 tackles, including 9.5 for a loss, and 2.5 sacks.

Carmen also had one forced fumble, one interception and three pass breakups as the Tigers went 10-2, including a 6-0 record in the Central Conference, and reached the Southern California Football Association championship game. In the title matchup against Mt. San Antonio, Carmen finished with three tackles and one tackle for a loss.

Carmen declined an interview request from The Fresno Bee this week leading up to Saturday’s game.

So far for the Aggies (2-2, 1-0 Mountain West), Carmen has played primarily on special teams. He has three tackles (one solo, two assisted).

Before the season, Utah State defensive coordinator Kevin Clune told The Deseret News that Carmen has many tools and the coaches would try to fit him into their system.

“He has great athleticism, he’s a tough guy, he’s got some quickness and he’s got some size,” Clune said. “He’s come a long way in a short time, so we’ve just got to keep pushing him and see if he’s going to be that major contributor for us.”

At Clovis North, Carmen earned All-Tri-River Athletic Conference honors.

Wells wary of Bulldog Stadium – Aggies coach Matt Wells said playing at Bulldog Stadium will always be tough, even against a 1-4 Fresno State team. The Bulldogs’ lone win came against FCS program Abilene Christian in the season opener Sept. 3 at home.

“They’re coming off of two road games going into playing at home at Bulldog Stadium, where it’s a tough place to play,” he said. “I’ve played there and I’ve coached there. It’s a great atmosphere for them, so we do know what we’re getting into and we will get their very best shot schematically, as well as emotionally and physically. They will be ready to play.”

The Aggies are 2-13-1 all-time at Bulldog Stadium.

Fresno State has won six straight games in the series and nine of the past 10.

Scouting Fresno State – The Bulldogs’ struggles haven’t changed Wells’ opinion about Fresno State. He said he’s taking the Bulldogs seriously.

“As I look at them on offense, (quarterback) Zack Greenlee does some really good stuff out on the perimeter. It’s a veteran, physical offensive line. They’ve got some talented wideouts on the edge,” he said.

“On defense, there are several guys that played against us in the Mountain West championship game several years ago. (Defensive end Todd) Hunt and (linebacker) Kyrie Wilson both had really good games against us. I remember them and I remember seeing them, especially Wilson running around making plays. I have a lot of respect for them and what Coach (Tim) DeRuyter and (defensive coordinator Nick) Toth do on defense, and all the pressure looks they give you. They do a lot of stuff on defense and that scheme is a challenge and those guys do a good job, and they always have.”

QB honored – Aggies sophomore Kent Myers, who set a school single-game rushing record for a quarterback with 191 yards in a 33-18 victory over Colorado State, was named the Mountain West Player of the Week on Wednesday. Myers, who this week was also named the conference’s Offensive Player of the Week, was making his first start of the season because Chuckie Keeton had a knee injury.

Meyers is 6-1 as the Aggies’ starting quarterback, and the team is 15-5 over the past three years with a backup under center.

This story was originally published October 7, 2015 at 6:41 PM with the headline "Ex-Clovis North star Brock Carmen returns with Utah State Aggies."