Utah State Football: A Season To Remember

Gary Andersen being doused with GatoradeAfter writing the last blog entry announcing Utah State’s participation in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, I decided to jot down some of my thoughts (there are many) on this incredible season.

Let’s start off by saying that I never thought that I would write articles on Utah State Football on this website. The site was created to host Aggie basketball content, specifically statistics. I am a die-hard Aggie basketball fan, and have been attending games since I can remember. My grandfather would give me the gift of season basketball tickets every year for my combined birthday / Christmas present. Entering the confines of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum has always been, and always will be somewhat of a spiritual experience for me. I can’t think of anywhere on earth I would rather be than the Spectrum.

I’ve always enjoyed attending games in Romney Stadium, but I was always just a casual Aggie football fan. I enjoyed the football game atmosphere, the marching band, the beautiful landscapes around Romney, and cheering for the Aggie Blue and Fighting White. If the Aggies pulled off a victory, I would leave happy. If not, I would still leave happy and satisfied for the good entertainment. Perhaps, due to the many years of Aggie football struggles I had conditioned myself to be this way. Perhaps I was just more of a basketball fan to begin with… Perhaps the atmospheres between the two venues caused these sentiments… Whatever it was, I was never a die-hard Aggie football fan.

This year that all changed.

Utah State vs. Auburn

On somewhat of a whim I decided to make the trip to Utah State’s opening game of the season in Alabama against Auburn University. I found a cheap flight and decided I could stay with some in-laws in Atlanta (driving distance to Auburn) and it would be an enjoyable trip. I could also take the opportunity to attend an Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Falcons game all in the same weekend! The Aggie football game would be icing on the cake. Besides, how often would I get to see the Aggies play the defending national champions?

What I experienced at Auburn was absolutely unreal. The Auburn game day experience was incredible. The fans were ridiculously classy, educated, and hospitable. The stadium was enormous and packed to the brim. The national championship trophy was presented on the field and the eagle flight before kickoff was breathtaking.

About 30 minutes before kickoff I received a text message stating that 18-year-old true freshman Chuckie Keeton would be starting for the Aggies. I was excited to see what Chuckie could do, but I couldn’t have been prepared for what happened next.

The Aggies came out swinging. Chuckie played well beyond his years. He was composed. Poised. He looked like a senior out there. He led the Aggies to an early lead, and they never let up. I’ve never been so proud of an Aggie football team as I was that day. They played a nearly flawless game that day. The Utah State Aggies were shocking the world. They were on the front page of all of the online sports websites. The stadium full of over 80,000 people was relatively quiet. Shocked silence…

With a few minutes left in the fourth quarter the Aggies scored their final touchdown taking a commanding 38-28 lead with only 3:38 left in the game. Dejected Auburn fans were streaming out of the stadium to beat the traffic. We all know what happened next… The 65 yard drive for a touchdown. The perfectly executed on-side kick. The second touchdown in just over 2 minutes to end the game.

It was devastating, but at the same time I was so proud of our team. I felt terrible that they had lost, but extremely proud of the effort that they left on the field.

Utah State vs. Weber State

In the next game the Aggies came out and took it to Weber State winning 54-17. Things were looking up this season. Was it possible that we could finally go bowling? It was sure looking that way.

More Tough Losses

The next couple of games were very tough to swallow. Colorado State came to town. After leading for most of the game Utah State came up with a few crucial mistakes late in the fourth quarter to keep CSU alive. Fumbles, muffed punts, poor play calling… It wasn’t looking good. Despite all this the Aggies had a shot to win the game in the second overtime. After scoring a touchdown Gary Andersen decided to attempt a two-point conversion to win the game. Robert Turbin was given the ball but couldn’t quite turn the corner and came up a couple of yards short. The Aggies lost 35-34.

Next up was BYU and a perfect chance for redemption from two extremely tough losses. Unfortunately this was the same old story. Utah State lead for most of the way only to lose late in the fourth quarter on two miracle pass completions from none other than Benedict Arnold himself (Riley Nelson, who started his career as an Aggie before defecting to BYU while serving a mission). Could it get any worse?

The Aggies rebounded to absolutely crush Wyoming 63-19 in Romney Stadium, but then went back to their losing ways, squandering fourth quarter leads at Fresno State and at home against Louisiana Tech. The Aggies had led going into the fourth quarter of every single game they had played in and were sitting at 2-5.

Give up yet?

Many Aggie fans gave up on the team. They said that it was the same old story. This team didn’t know how to win. Part of me was conditioned to believe them, but I just kept telling myself that this team was different. This team could easily be undefeated at this point in the season! How long would we have to keep saying that this team could be here, or should be there…. If I felt this bad, imagine how hard it was on the players.

Rock Bottom & The Rebound

Then the team flew out to Hawaii. After taking an early 7-0 lead things went from good, to bad, to unthinkable.

After going down 21-7 in the second quarter, Chuckie Keeton started to show signs of life scrambling for yardage on a couple of crucial plays. With a little over 2 minutes left in the half and the Aggies threatening the season hit rock bottom. Facing a 3rd-and-9 Chuckie Keeton scrambled for 14 yards and an apparent first down only to fumble the ball. As Hawaii celebrated and headed to the sidelines the dejected Aggie offense once again headed off the field. Everyone except Chuckie Keeton. He remained motionless on the field. The trainers ran out onto the field to check on Chuckie and he continued to lie motionless. The horror continued for several minutes and both teams came out onto the field hoping that Chuckie would be ok. As Chuckie was carted off the field on a stretcher all of the hopes and dreams of Aggie football were suddenly shattered in the harsh realization that this young man’s life may be forever changed.

The twitter-scapes were lighting up with #PrayForChuckie as Aggie fans everywhere hoped for the best, while fearing the worst. Hawaii ended the second quarter with another touchdown and took a 28-7 lead into halftime.

As the second half started I kept thinking to myself “How can you rebound from what just happened?” I saw no possible way that the team could continue to play with any sort of passion with what was at stake with Chuckie’s injury. Adam Kennedy was the new quarterback and somehow he came out ready to play. On Utah State’s first play of the second half Kennedy completed a 25 yard pass to Matt Austin. On the next play Kennedy scrambled for 6 yards. One play later Robert Turbin scampered 48 yards for a touchdown pumping life into the Aggie football veins.

Suddenly on Twitter the #PrayForChuckie hashtags were being followed by #PlayForChuckie. Kennedy continued to impress, completing pass after pass, and coming up with big plays scrambling for yardage with his legs to the chagrin of a bewildered Hawaii defense. On the other side of the ball the Aggie defense played with heart holding a potent Hawaii offense to single field goal in the entire second half. The result was a season changing, come-from-behind victory. The Aggie hopes for a bowl were still alive! But just barely…

The Streak

After the Hawaii victory I stayed up late hoping to hear more information on Chuckie Keeton. I was happy with the amazing win, but still devastated at the memory of Chuckie being carted off the field motionless. At about 3 a.m. news broke that Chuckie had movement in all of his extremities and would be flying home the next day. Things were looking up.

A Pattern Develops

Next up was San Jose State at home. After falling behind again, the Aggies pulled off another victory in the waning moments. This time Kennedy hit Matt Austin for a 21 yard touchdown with less than a minute remaining to cap off a 34-33 victory for Utah State. The Aggies had another huge second half performance outscoring the Spartans 27-14.

It was more of the same the next week in Moscow, Idaho against the Idaho Vandals. Reminiscent of the Utah State @ Idaho shootout from 2009, this game was close throughout and ended up in double overtime. After reviewing a couple controversial plays, both of which could have won the game for the Aggies, Utah State finally made the play that sealed the victory. With the Vandals threatening to tie or take the lead in double overtime, Utah State’s star linebacker Bobby Wagner came up with a game winning interception. The Aggies had won three straight games. Something they hadn’t done in ten years.

The team who didn’t know how to win now didn’t know how to lose.

Bowl Eligible

At 5-5 the Aggies needed just one more victory to become bowl eligible. Their next opponent was the Nevada Wolfpack. Nevada, the reigning WAC champs, came into the game ranked second in the WAC, nipping at Louisiana Tech’s heels.

The pattern from the last three games continued with the Aggies falling behind at the half, and crawling back in the second half for the victory. Only this time the Aggies entered the fourth quarter with the lead. Would they revert back to their old ways of giving up fourth quarter leads, or would they finally be able to close out a game after leading going into the 4th?

The Utah State defense came up huge in the fourth quarter causing a late-game Nevada turnover with the Wolfpack threatening to score in the red zone. Gary Andersen made a gutsy call to go for it on 4th down and 1 with 1:41 remaining in the game. The ball once again went into the hands of Robert Turbin who picked up 4 yards. The nail-in-the-coffin came when Adam Kennedy rushed for a 12 yard gain on 3rd-and-10 with 1:00 remaining in the game. And the rest is history.

With all the ups and downs this season, this team has finally achieved their goal. Regardless of what happens in the last regular season game at New Mexico State, the Utah State Aggies are going bowling! While I am very proud of what this team has achieved to this point, I’ve got a feeling they’re not quite done yet. But whatever happens, this is the year that some of the passion that I have for Utah State basketball spread over to the gridiron.

GO AGGIES!

Utah State to play in Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl LogoAccording to Brian Murphy from the Idaho Statesman, Utah State has accepted a bid to play in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, formerly known as the Humanitarian Bowl is played in Boise, Idaho. Utah State was a participant in the inaugural Humanitarian Bowl in 1997, the last time they played a bowl game 14 years go. The Aggies will likely face either Ohio or Toledo from the Mid-American Confernece (MAC)

After an incredible season of many ups and downs, we couldn’t be prouder of Gary Andersen and the rest of the football team. Go Aggies!!

It’s raining threes! Aggies get past Idaho State.

Preston Medlin and Adam Thoseby put on a shooting clinic in Pocatello tonight leading the Aggies to a 75-62 victory over the Idaho State Bengals. Medlin had a career night pouring in 26 points going 9-13 from the field and 8-11 from downtown. His performance placed him in the top 4 all-time for three pointers made in one contest. The hot shooting didn’t stop with Medlin as Adam Thoseby was also on fire. Thoseby who made his first start for the Aggies as a true freshman, had a career night dropping in 16 points going 6-8 from the field and 4-6 from downtown.

Idaho State’s gameplan of using a zone defense led the many open looks from outside, and the Aggies made them pay. Overall Utah State shot 68.4% from the three point line going 13-19 for the game.

The win was a welcome one for Aggie Nation after suffering one of the most devastating losses in recent memory at the hands of Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

Up next for the Aggies

Utah State will welcome a good Denver squad to the Spectrum on Wednesday night. Last year a not-so-good Denver team gave the Aggies all they could handle, with Utah State pulling out a 61-53 victory in a game that was closer than the final score might indicate. Denver recently laid a beat down on perennial WCC powerhouse St. Mary’s, and has started the season 4-1. Their only loss this year came to #18 California.

A Perfect Start To The Season For Utah State

The #OccupyTheSpectrum movement proved to be successful Friday night as the Utah State Aggies defeated the BYU Cougars in front of 10,270 rabid fans in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Over 1,400 die hard Aggie students set up tents and camped out just outside the Spectrum beginning on Tuesday night, and were rewarded with a very satisfying victory on Friday night.

The game was a good one from the very start as BYU and Utah State exchanged buckets for the majority of the first half. The Aggies took a two point lead into halftime up 30-28. BYU’s height advantage and disciplined zone defense proved difficult for the Aggies to handle in the first half. In the second half things began to change as Utah State made halftime adjustments to go on a 17-2 run and take a commanding 55-44 lead with just over five minutes remaining in the contest. BYU made several late game buckets to keep the contest somewhat in reach, but Utah State continued to knock down clutch free-throws (for the most part) and came away victorious.

USUStats.com players of the game

1 – Brockeith Pane. After starting off a bit shaky with some ill-advised shots and passes in the first half, Brockeith showed exactly why he was picked by the media as the preseason WAC player of the year. His defense, passing, and scoring ability led the Aggies to a huge second half effort. Brockeith also receives the play of the game in our book with his suffocating pressure of BYU point guard Brock Zylstra. On several consecutive possessions in the second half Brockeith caused Zylstra to either turn over the ball, or get flustered enough to disrupt the offensive flow resulting in either a turnover, or ill advised shot. After causing a huge turnover and breakaway points, a panicked Dave Rose called timeout. The Spectrum faithful remained animated and on their feet as the players returned to the floor only to see Brockeith immediately smother Zylstra in the backcourt, stealing the ball, and driving in for a layup. This was the beginning of the end for the Cougars.

2 – Brady Jardine. Brady’s leadership and athletic ability proved valuable in the victory. Anyone remember the St. Mary’s game last year? Anyone remember “The Dunk”?

Brady’s breakaway dunk against BYU last night was reminiscent of the nail-in-the-coffin play that made every SportsCenter highlight reel last year, and culminated with a eardrum shattering roar from the Spectrum crowd. His defensive pressure on BYU’s two quality big men, Brandon Davies and Noah Hartsock helped push the Aggies to victory.

3 – Preston Medlin. Many of you will remember how huge Preston was in the 2009 game against BYU. As a true freshman, Medlin provided a spark off the bench, coming up with two huge three pointers and the confidence and desire to win that the Aggies needed that night. One of my all-time proudest moments in the Spectrum was watching Preston give it his all in boxing out BYU’s center Chris Miles despite weighing 70 pounds less than him. Here’s a quick video reminder of that great moment:

Moving ahead to 2011… While his shot wasn’t falling in the first half last night, Preston made a huge impact on the game in the second half, once again hitting a huge 3-pointer to give the Aggies the lead for good at 45-42. He capped it off with another three late in the game and finished with 15 points.

4 – Mitch Bruneel. Talk about huge! Just when it seemed like no one on the Aggies could hit a shot in the first half, Mitch checked into the game and proceeded to hit two huge three pointers and another jump shot to give the Aggies some confidence just when the game seemed to be slipping away. Despite not starting the first half, Mitch got the nod to start the second due to his maturity and veteran leadership. The man he replaced, Steven Thornton also came up with a big play in the second half with a Pooh Williams-esque slashing drive to the hoop for two. It will be fun to watch this one-two punch develop over the season. Who will get the start next game? That’s anyone’s guess at this point.

5 – Morgan Grim. The hatchet man had another solid game for the Aggies last night providing hard-nosed play, and solid defense on BYU’s big men. While Morgan’s game doesn’t always look pretty, he seems to quietly get the job done. His veteran leadership helped keep the team together and seal up another Aggie home victory.

Up next for the Aggies

Yes, the Aggies came up with an ENORMOUS victory to start off the season, but things will not get easier from here. In a few short days, Utah State will travel to The Purple Palace in Ogden to take on the Weber State Wildcats. Weber State is a formidable foe, picked as the preseason favorites to win the Big Sky. Brockeith Pane will have another challenge on his hands with Weber State’s star point guard Damian Lillard. Not only that, but the Ogden squad is coached by a Stew Morrill disciple in Randy Rahe. There will be no surprises in the offensive or defensive schemes. If the Aggies can go into Ogden and come out victorious… well… let’s just say that I will be extremely happy and excited for the rest of the season. Hopefully the #occupythespectrum crew will fire up the Spectrum on Wheels and make the short trip to Ogden and cheer the Aggies on to victory.

2011-12 Utah State Men’s Basketball Media Guide

The Official Utah State Athletics Website has released the 2011-12 Men’s Basketball Media Guide. Download the PDF version of the guide to browse through player bios, opponent breakdowns, Utah State record books, and more!

Also feel free to browse previous media guides in our Media Guide Archive.

The Sagebrush Spot

The are Aggie fans, and there are AGGIE FANS. Our good friend Matt “Fafner” Sonnenberg definitely falls into the second category. After spending several years sitting on the front row of Section F in the Spectrum (also known as “The Bullpen”), Fafner has graduated and moved on. Luckily for us, he’s still a rabid Aggie fan, and has created a blog!

Fafner was the main force behind several amazing endeavors at Utah State. When he wasn’t writing new issues of The Refraction or The Bull Sheet, he was coming up with new and amazing ways to coordinate the chaos in the Spectrum and at Romney Stadium. Here are a couple of the by-products of that effort:

Head on over to the new blog and check out the latest Aggie news, all written in a familiar style by an Aggie legend!

http://www.sagebrushspot.com/