COLUMN: A higher standard for football
If this season has taught us anything about Utah State football, it’s that our boys are good. Really, really good.
I’ll admit I was a big skeptic at the beginning of the season. I didn’t believe in Chuckie Keeton, and I certainly didn’t believe my Aggies could hang with the Auburn Tigers. But ask me now, three games into the season, and I promise you I’m too busy — chanting “I believe” with the rest of the student section — to answer.
Now, it’s time to win.
The football team is no doubt loaded with talent. You can see it in Keeton’s arm, Kyle Gallagher’s brilliant tackles and, perhaps most importantly, the holes opened by the offensive line.
At WAC media day, the Aggies were only projected to finish fifth in the conference out of eight teams — not very good, especially for the caliber of team we’ve seen take the field thus far. They’re way better than the Aggie record from recent years.
In the past seven seasons, the USU football team has only managed to win 27 percent of the time in league play. That is a record so dismal, fans have begun to expect a loss every time they make their way to the stadium.
Last season, the Auburn game would have been hailed as a success. Just hanging with the Tigers put a smile on the average true-blooded Aggie fan’s face.
But that’s no longer true.
We have seen what the Aggies can do. First, in the season opener against the defending national champions, and then, in the Colorado State game; the Aggies have shown us again and again just how far they have come.
The team rolled over Weber State University for its first victory of the season, but the Aggies win-loss record doesn’t tell the story of the team. The 1-2 record has sparked recent criticism of the team struggling to live up to potential.
It’s a frustrating thing to watch. Time and time again, the Aggies are unable to close out games. In reality, their performance is something to be marveled. They are, after all, playing much better than we’ve come to expect out of them.
That’s not to say the Aggies should be on a pedestal. In fact, they shouldn’t.
It’s a natural cycle. With increased production comes increased scrutiny, and maybe that’s just what USU football needs.
Now, the expectation is higher. Now we get mad when they lose. Yesterday, it was a feat just to compete with a team like Colorado State. It’s no longer good enough to say “almost,” because fans are looking for solid wins.
It’s been said Utah State is the best team in Utah, and it very well might be. But supporters will start losing faith if the Aggies don’t start producing.
Utah State head coach Gary Anderson said Monday that it is a matter of time before the victories start coming, though he did acknowledge how difficult it is to predict.
One thing’s for sure, members of the Aggie team are just as anxious as fans are to see everything fall into place.
– Meredith Kinney is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism, and she’s an avid hockey fan. She hopes to one day be a bigshot sideline reporter working for ESPN. Send any comments to meredith.kinney@aggiemail.usu.edu.