Aggies hope to end streak
Whenever Utah State University plays the University of Utah in football, there are bound to be some intriguing matchups on the field.
When the Aggies open their 2002 season against their in-state nemesis Saturday at 7:05 p.m. in Romney Stadium, much attention will be placed on the matchup involving USU’s offense verses the Ute defense, said USU Head Coach Mick Dennehy.
However, the winner of Saturday night’s game will by no means be determined solely by who gets the better of that battle, Dennehy said.
“That’s the glamorous matchup,” he said. “I don’t know that either one of us can afford to look at it quite that way, because I think that special teams is going to have a huge impact in the game. How well our defense plays against their offense is going to have a huge impact in the game [as well],” he said.
Nevertheless, Dennehy said the “glamorous matchup” will be one of the key factors as to the outcome of the game.
With five defensive players projected as preseason all-Mountain West Conference selections by the media, the Ute defense might be the toughest the Aggies face this season, Dennehy said.
“It’s a great challenge for our offense [to play] against the quality, quality group of players and defense the University of Utah has,” he said. “I think [defensive coordinator Kyle] Whittingham has put together a defense that is as solid as any that we’ll play against all year long.”
As good as the Utah defense is on paper, it will have to find a way to stop Aggie All-American receiver Kevin Curtis. Curtis introduced himself to the Ute defense last season to the tune of 171 yards receiving on 11 receptions – his first game as an Aggie.
Among those who will try to put the clamps on Curtis are U of U all-conference defensive backs Arnold Parker and Antwoine Sanders, two players Dennehy called “proven players.” Although Parker’s status (lower abdominal strain) is still questionable for Saturday’s game, Dennehy said USU is preparing for the game with a healthy Parker in mind.
“We’ve got to anticipate that he’ll be ready to play against us,” he said. “He’s an outstanding football player.”
In order for the Aggies to be successful on offense, Dennehy said they must run the ball effectively and claw and scratch for every yard. With Utah State managing only 70 yards rushing against Utah last season, the Utes controlled the clock as they enjoyed a 35:20 to 24:40 advantage in the time-of-possession battle.
When asked which
running back the Aggies would turn to, Dennehy said tailbacks David Fiefia, Roger (Fernandez) Robinson and Richard Watson will all get a chance come Saturday.
“You’ll see all three of those guys play, and you’ll see them play because we feel we need to play all of them to find out where we need to go from here,” he said.
Perhaps even more important than running the ball effectively, he said, USU must take care of the ball. The Aggies coughed the ball up five times to the Utes last year – something Dennehy said a veteran offense should never do.
“I’m going to be awfully disappointed if we have that kind of effort out of our offensive guys, [especially] with all the experience we have,” he said.
Despite the daunting task ahead, senior quarterback Jose Fuentes said he is confident the Aggie offense is clicking on all cylinders and is up to the challenge.
“I think we’re hitting on all cylinders right now,” he said. “We started off slow in [last Thursday’s] scrimmage, but once we got going we did pretty good.”
Although a lot of the focus of Saturday’s game has been centered on the Aggie offense and Ute defense, the matchup on the other side of the ball is no less instrumental.
The Aggies will have to contend with a Ute offense that averaged more than 200 yards per game rushing and passing a year ago, and was second in the MWC in total offense.
Despite the graduation of U of U tailbacks Adam Tate and Dameon Hunter and their combined 2,275 yards rushing a year ago, both Dennehy and Aggie linebacker Jesse Busta said they anticipate the Utes will look to establish their ground game early and often.
“We’re looking at it more [like] they’re going to try to come out and pound the ball at us,” Busta said.
Since they are playing a team Dennehy said is always sound on the offensive front and in the backfield, it is imperative the Aggies hold their own in the trenches.
“We’ve got to be able to stand up and battle them in the trenches because they are always very, very good up front.”
-Jasonwturner@cc.usu.edu