Dennehy confident in Cox’s ability to lead Aggies
Quarterback Jose Fuentes is gone.
Wide Receiver Kevin Curtis is gone.
But for Utah State football Head Coach Mick Dennehy, all is not lost.
“I’m very pleased with how the kids have responded from an offensive standpoint,” he said during his weekly press conference Monday morning. “I am excited to watch Travis Cox play. It has been awhile since he has had an opportunity.”
The former Mountain Crest star has not started a game in four years to be exact.
Cox redshirted in 2000 and has spent the last two years as a backup, while Fuentes finished his career at Utah State with the best passing season in school history at 3,268 yards.
The Aggies may be secure with Cox at helm, but they also face the risk of injury. Should Cox go down, redshirt freshmen Bryan Black and Matt Crivello would take over. True freshman Leon Jackson III would also be a possibility.
The Aggies are slightly deeper as far as receivers are concerned.
And with the exception of Curtis, Dennehy said he thinks Utah State has better speed and size this season.
“We have got some young guys that need seasoning and need an opportunity to play and show us where they are at,” Dennehy said.
The Aggies will get their first chance to prove themselves Thursday as they head south to take on the University of Utah at 7 p.m.
The game was scheduled to be on ESPN, but was changed because of conflicts between scheduling and the Mountain West’s contract with the cable network.
Utah has won 13 out of the last 15 games against USU, including the last five. The last time the Aggies won was a 21-14 decision in the Utes’ 1997 homeopener.
The game marks new Ute coach Urban Meyer’s first meeting against Utah State. He recorded a 17-6 record in two years at Bowling Green before committing to Utah in December.
Utah defeated Utah State 23-3 last season. Although Dennehy is concerned with the lack of scoring the Aggies put up against the Utes, he is quick to give their defense credit.
“The one thing you notice, aside from the talent they play with, is that they are never out of position,” Dennehy said of USU’s oldest rival. “They are disciplined. They are well-coached. They don’t beat themselves defensively.”
Meyer is still mum on his starting quarterback for the contest against the Aggies, but Brett Elliott, Lance Rice and Alex Smith are at the top of his list.
Despite Utah’s dominating history over Utah State, Meyer isn’t taking the game lightly.
“We have a lot of respect for Utah State and, believe me, we have been preparing really hard for this game,” Meyer said. “We aren’t sure what to expect since they have a new defensive coordinator [David Kotulski] and a new philosophy.”
Dennehy, however, knows just what to expect from Kotulski, and things are looking positive.
The real test will come Thursday when the team takes the field.
-juag@cc.usu.edu