COLUMN: Best team in state of Utah?
I’m always up for a good rivalry. College sports are chock full of some of the best rivalries I know. The Holy War — which fittingly features the University of Utah and Brigham Young University — has known some of the most thrilling finishes.
Apparently BYU didn’t get the memo that they were playing a game on Saturday. Simply put, BYU looked atrocious against its arch nemesis. It wasn’t necessarily Utah’s swarming defense that had the Cougs flustered from the beginning. The opening drive featured BYU sophomore quarterback playing hot potato with an errant snap that the Utes recovered in the end zone to take a 7-0 lead, one minute into the first quarter.
As I watched the game, my Twitter feed was busy with analyses of the game from local media, and as the game wore on, several media began to question who the better team was — between Utah and BYU. Answers began to pop up stating: neither Utah nor BYU held the title of top football team in Utah; the title belongs to Utah State, who is a Western Athletic Conference leader in many key statistics, including rushing defense and offense.
Not only are the Aggie stats among the best in the conference and the nation, they are leading many categories against other teams in Utah. The Aggies are allowing opponents just 62 yards rushing per game, while BYU is allowing 157 yards per game. Utah is much closer in rushing defense, allowing opponents 79 rushing yards a game.
Head coach Gary Andersen affirmed after the heart-breaking loss to Auburn that there are no more moral victories for the Utah State football program.
I remember a time when there used to be moral victories for the Aggies — the past few years would be a good example — but this team won’t accept being who they used to be.
“People talk of the Utah State of old, and that was where we were a couple years ago,” senior wide receiver Eric Moats said. “We don’t want to be that team and sometimes we as seniors will talk about how we don’t want to go through that again. I don’t think we dwell on the past much as a team, you know, we talk about week to week — each game. This is a totally different team, and I think we are just trying to build this program instead of focus on the old program.”
The thought of dealing with Aggie junior running back Robert Turbin, true-freshman quarterback Chuckie Keeton — who has looked more poised and consistent than any quarterback in the state — and senior linebacker Bobby Wagner must be giving BYU nightmares as they prepare to battle the University of Central Florida.
It may be a little pre-emptive, but if the Cougars struggle to contain a Utah team — one averaging 364 yards a game and is allowing opponents 342 yards a game — What is going to happen when they run into a Utah State team that is fifth in the nation in total yards per game, with 541 a game, and is allowing opponents only 288 yards per game?
There are many other statistical categories where the Aggies lead the WAC and are among the best in the nation, but I won’t bore you further with those; numbers are just numbers, but this Aggie team just might be the best team in Utah.
– Tyler Huskinson is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. He is also a sports writer for The Herald Journal. You can follow him on Twitter @TDHuskiSports or send comments to ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu.