At least we beat Boise
By: Logan Jones
Utah State’s awesome defense held New Mexico to just 14 points and 104 yards passingSaturday, en route to a dominant 14-13 — wait a second, what? They lost? The Aggies’ Mountain West title hopes were dashed by the freaking Lobos? Sorry USU fans, but it’s time to be honest with each other.
Maybe the Aggies just suck on the road
Losing on the road in San Diego was supposed to be this team’s wake-up call — instead, it was a sign of things to come.
I don’t know what’s happening on that team bus that has USU sitting on a miserable 1-4 road record, but it’s effectively crippled any chance the Aggies had at a historically great season. Maybe the team captains just don’t have the leadership to get players to focus. Maybe they got caught up in their own press clippings and honestly believed every game after Boise would be a cakewalk. Maybe the bus driver listened to Adele all the way to Albuquerque.
Whatever the cause, the fact is this team has failed to live up to its potential. I’m sure the Boise beatdown and a mediocre Bowl appearance in December will give USU plenty of recruiting material for the coming year, but there is no reconciling the fact that this iteration of Aggie football won’t be breaking any new ground.
There won’t be a conference championship, a flashy bowl game or a Top-25 ranking. At best, there will be a decent game against BYU and a PR department scrambling to find stats that indicate USU is a dominant force.
But we all know better.
It’s kind of everyone’s fault
First, it’s New Mexico’s fault, because that team stepped up. The Lobos forced fumbles, bullied the Aggies on defense and capitalized on each of Utah State’s big blunders. Committed to bottling up USU’s ground game, New Mexico held USU to 78 yards rushing. They didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard, but it turns out they didn’t have to — New Mexico managed to win with just a pair of touchdowns.
Next, it’s Matt Wells’ fault. Dispute it all you want, he’s the head coach and it comes with the territory. Wells is still one of the more underrated coaches in the country, and by no means do I think we should take a 1-point loss against UNM as a signal to start shopping him around. But just 24 hours after Aggie basketball lost at home to the CSMB Otters by double-digits, Wells still managed to direct the most disappointing USU loss of the weekend, and that’s quite a feat.
Perhaps most obviously, it’s the team’s fault. Football is a team sport. You can’t put this on Brock Warren’s missed field goal any more than you can put it on Andrew Rodriguez’s fumble. In fact, shame on any Aggie fan who thinks that way — Warren and Rodriguez were the only two Aggies to put points on the board Saturday.
USU is mentally weak. The uninspired play when they’re losing games tells fans a whole lot more about what this team is made of than when they’re blowing a team out by 30. They have the potential to be great, but the willpower isn’t there if they have to fight for it. When things go bad in the first quarter, the Aggies are content to pack it in and fight another day. If you think this is an overreaction to one game, take a closer look at USU’s unlikely comeback victory over SUU — without a last-minute special team’s miracle, the Aggies would be below .500 right now.
It’s all or nothing with Heupel
USU’s offensive coordinator has put together a few masterpieces this season, which makes the duds that much more frustrating. At the start of the year, I was willing to give Heupel the benefit of a doubt. He’s coached against some tough competition, dealt with a starting quarterback change and implemented his own philosophy into an offense in just a few months.
But he also fails to adjust a game plan when things are going south, a habit that has now cost USU two conference matchups and its spot in the MW title game. USU got nothing on the groundSaturday, and an especially bad gamble on fourth down probably cost the Aggies the game. The anemic play calling showed little creativity or variation in the second half, and it’s not the only time USU’s predictability has been an issue this year.
Heupel’s stint in Oklahoma reveals the same type of inconsistency. When he didn’t have a Heisman-winning quarterback at his disposal, Oklahoma’s offense wasn’t exactly a force to be reckoned with — emphasized by a 40-6 Bowl loss to Clemson, costing Heupel his job. That being said, he’s done an excellent job at USU in games where his players actually show up. It’s tough to find where the line is between botched play calling and athletes underperforming, but I’d like to continue giving Heupel a shot.
A midseason loss to New Mexico smarts, but it’s no grounds for putting a guy on the hot seat. However, if USU gets blown out by 30 in a bowl game at the end of the year, I’ll be revising that statement.
— Logan Jones is a junior majoring in journalism, because “being a hater” isn’t a major currently offered at Utah State. Contact him at Logantjones@aggiemail.usu.edu or on Twitter @Logantj.