Ags trying again for win No. 1 vs. Fresno
One year and 26 days ago was the last time the Utah State football team did it.
They won.
It was a cold, Homecoming night at Romney Stadium. The 0-5 Aggies took down the Fresno State Bulldogs, 13-12.
This Saturday at 3 pm., after losing all 14 since that victory, the Aggies travel to Fresno, Calif., to try to do it again, but as an 0-8 team.
To say the least, it will be challenge for USU to beat the Western Athletic Conference’s third-best team in a place-Bulldog Stadium-the Aggies have never won in. The Aggies have lost 11 straight games on the road.
“We know we’re going into a hostile environment,” Aggie Head Coach Brent Guy said. “It’s a great place to play at Fresno State. (The Bulldog fans) are going to holler and yell at you. I told (the team) that on Sunday, that as soon as you start heading down that ramp, stuff will start flying. That’s just the way it is, and that’s part of the Fresno State environment.”
The Bulldogs suffered their first WAC loss last week, at home to the No. 21 Boise State Broncos. It was a game the Bulldogs led, 14-7, after Clifton Smith returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown. The Broncos went on to score 24 unanswered points and win, 34-21.
Last year’s loss to USU, Guy said, won’t be the Bulldogs’ main motivating factor to blow the Aggies off the field. The Bulldgogs (5-3, 4-1 in the WAC) are only one win away from being bowl-eligible.
“I’ve already had a lot of questions about the revenge factor and all of that, but I really don’t think that is as big of factor for the Bulldog football team as what people want to make it out to be,” Guy said. “I think (Fresno State will) be as irritated as losing to Boise State last week at home as they will thinking about last year’s football game with us. Obviously they are still trying to get bowl-eligible, which is something that is probably just as important to them as who they’re playing the next game.”
Aggie senior tight end/fullback Jimmy Bohm also downplayed any advantage the Aggies might have from beating the Bulldogs last year.
“Each week in college football is a different week,” Bohm said. “Every team has a chance to beat every team. This is the year of the upsets, it’s crazy out there. It’s been pretty exciting to watch. I go in with that mindset to leave last year in the past and focus on this year.”
FOR MANY, CALIFORNIA A HOME AWAY FROM HOME
There are 39 players on USU’s roster from California-including wide receiver Kevin Robinson and strong safety Roy Hurst, who are from Fresno.
“We’ve got a lot of guys from California,” Bohm said. “A lot of guys have been anticipating this game for a long time. I know guys started trading their tickets for this game the first week of the season so they could get as many people at the game as they could.”
The game will be the only non-televised contest for the Aggies this season.
TWO-QUARTERBACK TEAM
Guy said as long as neither quarterback is not playing well and moving the offense, he will continue to play both senior quarterback Leon Jackson III and sophomore quarterback Jase McCormick.
They split playing time last week vs. Louisiana Tech. Jackson was 9-of-12 passing for 127 yards and one touchdown. McCormick was 8-of-14 for one touchdown and one interception. Also, on McCormick’s first play, he ran for a first down on a fourth-and-two.
“I felt the same way after talking with (USU offensive coordinator) Darrell (Dickey) and some of the offensive staff and personnel,” Guy said. “We’ve created a good situation for both Jase and Leon. It’s going to be competitive. We’re going to be able to play both of them. Both guys bring something to the table, and it makes the other team adapt.”
EVER THE OPTIMISTS
Guy and the seniors are working diligently to keep team members’ heads up with only a third of the season remaining.
“The Nevada game was real tough, followed by this La Tech game,” Bohm said. “(These) are some real hard losses to take. Keeping guys mentally excited about the game is pretty much what us seniors and leaders on the team are trying to do.”
Guy added, “Life is hard. Some days, some weeks, some months. For us it’s been quite a while. We’ve had a tough stretch to go through. We’re learning lessons. Some of these guys won’t realize it until later in life, but it is such a small part of their life that seems so big right now. I think back on my four years playing at Oklahoma State, and I can’t remember half of my teammates’ names, unfortunately, which is embarrassing now 25 years later. That’s what I’ve tried to tell them, is that you need to take advantage of the opportunity you have right now because it is such a small window in your life that is very, very special, and you’re going to cherish it the rest of your life. Don’t take anything for granted.”
-samuel.hislop@aggiemail.usu.edu