| Blue View |
White View |
| By Tim Olsen |
By Mark Nance |
| Should Brent Guy have been fired? |
| After reading my rant last week, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to many. But in firing Brent Guy the Aggies made a mistake. Four years ago Guy took over a program in shambles. There were recruiting problems and it was the Aggies’ first year in the WAC. Despite the poor winning percentage, this is what I’ve seen from Guy during his tenure. I’ve seen a coach with the utmost class work his tail off to turn this program around. I’ve seen the team go from a joke to being competitive with most of its schedule – which is saying a lot considering the caliber of many of the teams we play. And, this year, I saw a young team that is primed to turn the corner and become USU’s first bowl-eligible team in a long time. I believe Guy was close with this team and deserved another year or even two. Even if a new coach comes in and takes us to a bowl game next year, we need to remember who laid that foundation. |
I guess my constant rants on how great Brent Guy has been finally got to the university. I would just like congratulate Brent Guy on being fired. Not only does he get to sit at home in a nice La-Z-Boy, but he will get paid to do it. Since Guy still has a year left on his contract, he still has more than $200,000 coming his way. He gets paid for being that bad of a coach. He had a .174 winning percentage, which just happens to be the worst in Utah State history. I’m glad Brent Guy will always be remembered as one of the worst coaches to ever work at Utah State. I’m sure Guy won’t be out of a job for too long. Maybe he can go work as running back coach for Army or Navy, where they do nothing but run. As we say goodbye to our beloved coach on Nov. 29, let’s remember to thank him for all those wonderful wins – all eight of them – three of which came when he didn’t have his own recruits. Congratulations Brent Guy. |
| Thoughts on men’s basketball games |
| A 2-0 start is a 2-0 start, but I’m actually impressed with the Aggies so far this season. Monday night’s win over UC Santa Barbara showed me a lot about this year’s team. Despite turning the ball over 22 times and losing their leading scorer with over five minutes to play, the Aggies were able to hold on and beat a tough team on the road. Last season USU struggled on its early-season road trip to the West Coast, so the fact they were able to overcome adversity was impressive. They still have a lot of things to work on, especially at the guard position where Jaxon Myaer and Jared Quayle combined for 10 turnovers, but they will get better. Once our young guards settle in this will be one of the most complete Aggie teams I’ve seen. |
Our Aggies have started off great with an easy win at home against the Lights and an excellent quality win against UC Santa Barbara. Gary Wilkinson has led the team to a great start with a double-double in the first game and two rebounds away from another in the second. Tai Wesley is vital to our team’s success seeing how the Lights and the Gauchos were able to come back when he wasn’t on the court. It’s obvious that the Aggies miss the outside threat of Jaycee Carrol, but the team will have several chances to prove themselves in upcoming games against Weber State and Cal Poly. We’ll see how well they play in those games in preparation for the BYU game. Our inside men should be able to stand their ground, but they’ll definitely need help from the young outside shooters. |
| Which first: a Titans loss or Lions win? |
| With these teams’ quest for perfection on opposite ends of the spectrum, the question begs to be answered: which streak will end first? It seems like every week lately the Titans will finally fall, yet they always find a way to prevail. The Lions have looked decidedly less horrendous recently, and now simply fall in the “awful” category. When it comes down to it, though, I’m going to have to say the Titans will lose a game before the Detroit Lions win one. In fact, I think that loss will come this week when the Jets visit Nashville. It will be another close game, and the Titans luck will finally run out. That is not to say, however, the lowly Lions will go winless. It is hard, in fact nearly impossible, to reach perfection either way, and a home game against the Saints in week 16 could be just the ticket. |
As I looked at the Titans’ schedule, I wanted to say a Lion win would come before a Titan loss. The Titans will beat the Jets, but will lose against the Steelers or Colts during the last two regular season games. Unfortunately, I then looked at the Lions’ schedule. We’re going to see the first 0-16 team in NFL history, because there is no way the Lions are going to win one of their last six. A Titan loss will come first. The Lions have an old, come-out-of-retirement quarterback, along with 30 other guys they found off the street. The Lions can think on the bright side, though. They’ll get the No. 1 draft pick. The funny thing is they’ll draft a guy who won’t do anything for them, get traded for peanuts and then succeed wherever he lands. Go Lions. |
| BCS worthy: Utah or Boise State? |
| This is another tough one to call, but at this point in the season I have to give the edge to the home-state Utes based on their quality wins. Boise State is flashy on its blue turf with its plays of trickeration, and I think they’re more deserving of a BCS bid than any Big East or ACC school. However, their only quality win came when they beat then No. 17 Oregon at Autzen Stadium. This win loses some of its luster when it’s mentioned that the Ducks were down to their third string quarterback. Utah opened the season with a win in the Big House, which has also lost luster, and has beat Oregon State a week after the Beavers knocked off then-No. 1 USC and No. 12 TCU. If Utah wins this Saturday when they host No. 14 BYU, they deserve the BCS bid over Boise. |
Utah deserves a BCS bid if they beat BYU. Utah has looked great all year. Boise State beat Oregon, but the Ducks were playing with their third- and fourth-string quarterbacks. What about Ball State? They’re undefeated and have had all blowout victories. They destroyed a solid Navy team who beat a ranked Wake Forest, Air Force and almost beat Notre Dame. Ball State should be in the talk for a BCS game. They have played more quality teams than Boise State. Ball State plays Central and Western Michigan, who have a combined record of 17-4. If Ball State can beat those two teams, then they should be put in the conversation for a BCS at-large bid. The ACC and Big East don’t deserve an automatic bid, and Ball State has shown nothing but talent and the ability to win. |
| Rant |
| For the first time in six years, an NFL game ended in a tie Sunday. I’m generally annoyed with any sport that allows its games to end in a tie – that’s pretty much the definition of the phrase “kissing your sister” – but to see it happen in the NFL is just disturbing. What is the point of playing a game if nobody wins? I watched the end of the game, and when it was over, you could see this look on the faces of the fans and players: “Is that it? Did I really just waste that much of my life?” The overtime process is one thing that college football definitely has right. Each team gets an equal opportunity to match the other team, and the teams play until someone wins. The NFL needs to grow up and get rid of the ability to tie. |
As we start the basketball season, I’d like to remind all students of some of the proper etiquette to portray. First of all, if you are in the student section, you must stand. If you choose to sit in these sections you may not whine and complain if students are standing in front of you. We won’t care. We won’t move. Secondly, you must pay attention to the actual game and not talk the whole time about how your boyfriend’s second cousin’s mother-in-law couldn’t find the right color to dye her hair. Cheer for the Aggies and show the nation that the Spectrum should be in the conversation for best homecourt. Duke has nothing on us. Last, but not least, wear blue. Better yet, wear your game day T-shirts. There is no better way to show your pride by wearing something that makes us look like one. You will be kicked out of the student section for wearing the opposing teams color. Go sit with the alumni. Follow these rules and you’ll fit right in during our basketball season. |
