Ag gridders headed in right direction
There was good, there was bad and there was even some ugly. But after defeating Idaho (7-5) by a score of 52-49 Saturday, Utah State (4-8) finished its season on a high note, in the process giving new meaning to the once worn-out mantra “just wait until next season.”
USU head coach Gary Andersen may not have qualified as a finalist for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year award with his inaugural 4-8 campaign in Logan, but the former Utah defensive coordinator proved that positive change is on its way and it will be here sooner rather than later.
Just consider that USU’s four wins this year were the most by any Aggie football team since 2002, with the team’s three conference wins matching the previous best mark during the Aggies’ five-year run in the WAC. All this coming with a total overhaul in offensive and defensive schemes, within arguably the most competitive WAC environment of the decade – two factors not usually conducive to success for a program looking to reverse a decade of losing frustration.
Yet, Andersen somehow found a way to not only make the Aggies one of the WAC’s most exciting teams to watch, but he found a way to make them one of the most competitive. Case in point, USU’s eight losses doesn’t tell the complete story of the season, a season that could have easily seen the Aggies achieve bowl eligibility had a few plays gone their way.
It was a sometimes frustrating road, but one still full of promise. In a season in which “See it. Hear It. Feel It. Believe It.” was to become the rallying cry for the perennial conference bottom feeders, the Aggie offense reached new heights, while the defense showed flashes of brilliance. Guided by the innovative genius of former New Mexico and Michigan State offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin, the Aggie offense averaged 439.33 yards per game on the year, good for 16th best in the nation. That’s an increase of more than 100 yards per game when compared to last year’s offense, which finished 87th in the country. And while the USU’s defense didn’t post any major statistical turnaround, it came up big when it had to – an impressive feat given the numerous injuries to key playmakers.
While the 2009 season was filled with more than its fair share of excitement and positives, the best part about it for Aggie fans is that it should provide a preview of even better things to come. Yes, USU will lose some fantastic players to graduation on defense – including a potential NFL-bound safety in James Brindley – but the team will also bring back a plethora of talented, and now veteran, playmakers. Diondre Borel, who threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns against Idaho, figures to be one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the WAC, while running back Robert Turbin (1,296 yards rushing, 17 total TDs this season) is well on his way in cementing himself as perhaps the best all-purpose playmaker in Aggie history. On defense, the Aggies bring back one of the rising stars in the WAC in linebacker Bobby Wagner, who concluded the year with a team-high 114 total tackles.
Skeptics may say that the 2008 Aggie team finished the season in much the same way as this year’s team did, and, for that, they do have a point. But in their win over Idaho Saturday, the Aggies proved one thing the 2008 team didn’t: the ability to learn lessons from past losses. Jumping out to a 31-7 lead on the Vandals midway through the second quarter, the Aggies almost allowed Idaho to come back and win. But unlike past games against Nevada and Fresno State, Andersen’s team held strong through the fourth quarter and sealed the game with a Bobby Wagner interception. The win was all the more impressive considering Utah State managed to beat a bowl-eligible team on the road – a feat that former coach Brent Guy’s 2008 team couldn’t claim.
Are the Aggies the next sleeping giant in the WAC? It may be too early to tell, but after a strong finish to end 2009, “wait until next year” doesn’t seem as hollow as it used to.
– adam.nettina@aggiemail.usu.edu