Are you ready for some football?
With basketball so recently in the rearview mirror and a fresh coat of snow on the ground, it’s now time to talk about … football?
That’s right, spring football at USU officially kicked off last week, and new Aggie head coach Gary Andersen was able to see his new crew in action.
“We’ve had five very good practices so far. We’ve got lots of work ahead of us but I think the young men have done a nice job on offense, defense and special teams,” Andersen said. “We’re throwing a lot of information at them very quickly … I think they’re absorbing it and I think they’re invested in what we want to do and the direction we’re headed.”
Andersen is taking over a team that went 3-9 during the 2008 season with all three of USU’s wins coming in Western Athletic Conference play – their most since entering the WAC.
Though the coaches, offensive and defensive schemes will be dramatically different this season, there should be a lot of familiar faces for Aggie fans to see. On the offensive side the Ags return 10 players that started at some point last season while on the defensive side of the ball USU returns seven that fit that bill.
“New offense, new defense, everybody’s getting used to it. Everybody’s just flying out there and playing a little bit faster than they did last year,” said junior-to-be quarterback Diondre Borel. “Everybody is happy to be in pads right now and having fun.”
Fun is something new that Andersen seems to have brought to the table at USU, and could be just what the Aggies need.
“You’ve got to have fun,” Andersen said. “A lot of places would think you’re crazy, ‘Why you playing music before a practice,’ but to me that’s fun. You’ve got to have a little fun and at the end of the day it is a game.”
As the players worked their way through drills and scrimmages, it was clear that the team was listening to the preachings of their new coach.
“It feels good to be back in the pads,” said senior cornerback Kejon Murphy. “We will most definitely surprise some people – guys don’t know what we’ve got.”
After playing one of the toughest schedules in the country last season – including playing five teams that were ranked in the Top 25 at some point during the year – things don’t start out any easier this season.
Andersen will quickly be reunited with his old team as the Aggies open the season with a visit to the rival Utes on Sept. 3. USU will then play at BYU and Texas A&M with a home game against Southern Utah sandwiched in between.
The Aggies conference home games include Boise State, Louisiana Tech, Nevada and San Jose State, the Ags will hit the road to face Fresno State, Hawaii, Idaho and New Mexico State.
All of that is a long way off though, and Andersen knows despite the early excitement the Aggies have a lot of work ahead.
“A few things that we need to do that are areas of concern first is we need to be stronger and more physical on our front seven on our offense and defense. The other place we need to develop and become a better football team is we need to learn to prepare off the field,” Andersen said. “From a positive standpoint, these kids, everything I’ve put in front of them they’ve taken head on and they jump right into it. They’ve taken everything I’ve asked them to do and gone full speed.”
Despite the fact that the 2009 season is very, very young and the team has a long way to go before it’s ready to take the field, some players are already making bold predictions.
“We’re going to get to a bowl game, that’s my bold prediction right there,” Murphy said. “I don’t know which one, but we’re going to get to one.”
–t.olsen@aggiemail.usu.edu