Aggies seek revenge under Friday night lights
Utah State football will play host to the familiar conference foe in the Boise State Broncos this weekend, and the stakes are high.
The Mountain West lead, as well as national recognition for the defeat of a ranked team are on the line.
The game comes at a good time for the Aggies who seem to be firing on all cylinders heading into the clash. From the running game to the special teams, Utah State’s confidence is the highest it has been this season after humiliating Fresno State in a 56-14 victory.
“Overall, we played really well, which was nice to see,” said junior center Austin Stephens. “We’ve got some momentum heading into the Boise State game. It’s another great team, and we’ve got to be prepared to play. But like in every game, there are things to fix and go back to the drawing board on.”
Aggie head coach Matt Wells noted the importance of getting some players rested in preparation for Boise State.
“It was a big boost for us and a great win. We were able to play a lot of guys in the fourth quarter — in fact, almost the entire fourth quarter,” Wells said. “It was good to be able to play those guys, as well as rest a lot of the starters. That was good, especially heading into a short week.”
The Broncos won’t be short on confidence themselves after defeating Colorado State 41-10 on Saturday and only carrying one loss, at the hands of BYU in Provo.
“We understand the opponent that we’re facing, and we’re not taking it lightly,” said defensive end Ricky Ali’ifua. “We’re also not changing our mindset as far as saying we have to practice extra hard or we have to play extra hard. That’s something that’s already expected of us.”
Wells said it’s going to come down to the fundamentals and the basics. He wants the team technically sound.
“That’s the most important thing when you’re playing a team like Boise State,” Wells said.
Although there seems to be a lot of extra incentives to win this game, the Aggies aren’t letting the thought of revenge enter their minds.
“I don’t know if revenge is the right word because for me personally,” Ali’ifua said. “I’ve noticed how sometimes that can cloud your responsibilities as far as what you’re supposed to do and sometimes drain you mentally.”
Sophomore quarterback Kent Myers has done a near perfect job in at quarterback for the Aggies. Myers carries a 7-1 record as starting quarterback, the lone loss at the hands of the Broncos in a similarly big game in Boise last year.
“It’s another talented version of the Bronco football program,” Wells said. “This year is no different. When you see a true freshman quarterback and see some of the things Rypien does, he’s really good. He’s the second true freshman quarterback we’ve seen, and he can make all the throws.”
While the Broncos have a fresh-faced roster, Stephens spoke of how the Aggies have improved since last year as well.
“We were young last year,” Stephens said. “We know what last year’s game was like, but this year we’re a new team. We have a new identity. We’re not the same team as last year. We’ve got to prepare this week and put on our hard hats and go to work out there. We’ll be ready to give them our best shot.”
— tparadise@aggiemail.usu.edu