COLUMN: Big win in the book, but plenty left to do
Just like that, Gary Andersen and the Aggies stepped up in the biggest of ways, in what was Andersen’s biggest game to-date as Utah State’s head football coach. Under the national spotlight, with his team decimated by injuries, against USU’s biggest competitor for in-state football recruits, Andersen and his Utah State team came out and simply demolished BYU Friday.
Those who have followed Utah State football for the past five years can clearly see the difference between Andersen’s 2010 team and the likes of those that notched just a single victory under former head coach Brent Guy in 2006. For much of the rest of the college football world, though, wins and losses are the sole determining factor for the perception of a program. For Utah State to go out and lay a beatdown on a program viewed as highly as BYU on national TV will do plenty of convincing to the rest of the country.
For those that look a little bit deeper than just wins and losses, Friday night’s game was another huge one for Utah State in showcasing everything about the program and the school. The Aggies had big plays from superstar players that the nation should know about, such as Diondre Borel, Bobby Wagner and Chris Randle. The game day atmosphere around Utah State and the majestic setting of Romney Stadium were shown prominently to the entire nation. And don’t forget the epic turnout from USU fans, especially the student body, in looking and acting like our crowd most definitely belonged on national TV.
In a nutshell, everything about Utah State University last Friday was big time. It wasn’t just one or two aspects of the university, it was everybody, and everybody deserves credit for making it as big time as it was.
As great as the victory over BYU was though, there is still a lot of football left to be played. Up next is Louisiana Tech, which is a game that is almost monumentally important in Utah State’s goal to make it to a bowl game this year.
The Bulldogs are off to a 1-4 start to the season, with their lone victory coming in the season-opener against Grambling State. Since then it’s been all downhill for Louisiana Tech, most recently with a 41-21 loss on the road to Hawaii to open up their Western Athletic Conference schedule.
As things stand though, Utah State is in a very promising spot, despite however unfavorable a 2-3 record may appear. The Aggies’ 2-2 record in non-conference play is the first time since 1982 that Utah State has emerged from the non-conference portion its schedule without a losing record. While USU opened WAC play with a loss to Fresno State, five of the Aggies’ seven remaining WAC games are ones that USU could, and maybe even should win. Winning four out of those five makes Utah State eligible for a bowl game, which has been the goal for this team from the beginning.
Few people are penciling in the Aggies for a win on the road against either Nevada or Boise State, which means of those five winnable games, Louisiana Tech looks to be the toughest remaining test on the road.
A high-point for the last decade of the program was reached Friday night, but the best may still be on its way. There could be no better way to build on the exposure that the Utah State program got during the BYU game than to finish the season strong by going to and winning a bowl game.
Matt Sonnenberg is a senior majoring in print journalism. Matt is an avid fan of Aggie athletics and can be found on the front row of every home football and basketball game. He can also be reached at matt.sonn@aggiemail.usu.edu.