Not one step back
Idaho State in home opener this Saturday
Utah State is not looking in the rear-view mirror.
Nearly a week after shocking the college football world with a 31-24 loss at No. 7 Oklahoma, the Aggies (0-1) are ready to move on with the 2010 season, looking to capitalize on their early season momentum as they prepare to tangle with the Idaho State Bengals (1-0) Saturday.
“The Oklahoma game was a tremendous football game number-one,” said USU head coach Gary Andersen. “I thought that both sides fought extremely hard … We now look forward to the opportunity to play again this Saturday against Idaho State.”
Idaho State won their season opener last Saturday, defeating Montana Western 32-3. The Bengals were dominant on both offense and defense against the NAIA Bulldogs, who managed just 158 yards of total offense against ISU’s defense.
Despite ISU’s win last weekend, Utah State will come into the game as the heavy favorite. USU is 76-17-6 all-time against current FCS opponents, and defeated last year’s FCS opponent – Southern Utah – in Logan 54-34. After going toe-to-toe with one of the nation’s best teams a week ago, one might think Andersen and his Aggies aren’t too worried about the Bengals. Think again.
“The biggest thing about Idaho State, which our kids have been told three times, is the last three times USU and ISU have played, the margin (of victory) has been five points or less,” Andersen said. Idaho State upset Utah State 27-24 in 2000 and came within a point of beating the Aggies in 2001 in a 28-27 loss.
“It has been a very competitive football game so I am sure they are going to walk in here thinking they can get a win,” Andersen added.
Andersen is particularly concerned with the ISU offense, which was led by backup quarterback Kyle Morris last week. Morris went an effective 17-26, for 189 yards and three scores through the air, while the Bengals displayed a one-two punch at running back with Corey White and Jahmel Rover both eclipsing the 100-yard rushing mark.
“They scored a bunch of points and ran the ball very well,” Andersen said. “They ran the ball effectively. They are pretty big upfront.”
Andersen said the Aggie defense – which gave up over 400 yards of total offense to Oklahoma last week – will have to focus on stopping ISU receiver Tavoy Moore this Saturday. While Moore stands only 5’7”, the former junior college receiver displayed outstanding quickness and vision as both a receiver and return man in the Bengals opener, and was even named one of the FCS Performers of the Week for the effort.
“(Moore) is a tremendous player,” Andersen said. “He made a bunch of plays and did a very nice job. He is a very athletic young man and he shows up on film.”
Andersen’s warning on Idaho State isn’t just coach-speak for the media. After practice on Tuesday, USU’s coaches repeatedly warned the Aggie players – sometimes in very harsh language – that the Benagls are not to be overlooked. The message from the coaches to the players was clear: having shown how hard they’ve worked all offseason, the very last thing USU players would want to do is to come out overconfident against ISU and fall, in an embarrassing fashion, in week two.
While USU hasn’t played ISU in football since 2002, the two schools have many connections. Andersen was the ISU defensive line coach from 1992-94, while no less than eight current Aggie assistants have ties to the Pocatello, Idaho university. In addition to providing an early proving ground for many of USU’s coaches, Pocatello has also provided former USU linebacker Jake Hutton with a home. Hutton, who was a third-team freshman All-American in 2005 for the Aggies, had an injury-plagued career in Logan and left the team following the 2008 season. He transferred to Idaho State before this season, and even made a tackle for the Bengals in week one.
This Saturday, the Aggies will be looking to correct several mistakes that cost them the game against Oklahoma. Among the most important themes Andersen has been stressing is buying into a winning mentality – something that is easier said than done with a team that hasn’t had a winning season since 1997.
“When you haven’t won a lot of football games and your team hasn’t won a lot of football games, it’s hard for the kids to truly wrap their arms around it, and sit down and identify the crucial moments and the crucial plays that could have truly swung it the other way,” Andersen said.
“That is where we have to be able to learn from it.”
Despite being unable to finish off the comeback against Oklahoma, Andersen was optimistic in assessing the ability of his team to “turn the corner” when it comes to winning games. Down 21-0 against the Sooners, Utah State fought back in a hostile environment against one of the nation’s best teams, a distinction Andersen believes will help his team both this week and later on in the season.
“The other thing that we can learn from (the Oklahoma game) is the sheer adversity that we were faced with against a quality opponent and we were able to fight back and not just bow our heads and say, ‘here we go again,'” Andersen said. “We got put in some really tough spots early in that football game and we were able to rise to the occasion.”
Saturday’s game will kick off at 6 p.m. on Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium. Admission is free to students with a valid USU ID.
– adamnettina@gmail.com