The Utah State Aggie Bull Horn

An open letter from the USU student body to the USU administration

2010-08-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

This letter is meant to be taken in direct response to Scott Barnes's letter from the viewpoint of the at large Aggie student body to the USU administration

Mr. Barnes and the USU Athletic and Academic Administration -

Your assumptions are correct. We have been following the conference realignment between the WAC and the MWC with great anxiety, hoping to see USU come out on top of all of this. Needless to say we are dismayed, frantic, feeling betrayed, desperate, and very upset... but not with you.

In the world of business, which is what collegiate athletics and conference alignment really is, there are the honest and the dishonest, the pure and the tainted, the upright and the unethical. In its schools of business, science, education, and humanities, USU teaches ethics of the business world - that honor should be kept, that promises made should be upheld. This you did. The Aggie community is very pleased to know that USU is firmly committed to follow it's own Honor Pledge: "I pledge, on my honor, to conduct myself with the foremost level of ... integrity." When USU had the option to turn its back on a deal in favor of another that could have been better, USU stood firm. USU set the example. You, the administration, believed in the promises of those who stood with you and you in turn expected your promise to be believed.

But you were betrayed. Things are now really ugly - we understand. Should the WAC stand as it currntly does with six teams, believe us when we tell you that our rage will be felt full force against Fresno on September 16 when the Bulldogs come to face the Aggies on Merlin Olsen Field in Romney stadium. Believe us when we say that Nevada and Fresno will wish they didn't have to come to the Spectrum this year. All encounters previous will be considered tame and calm compared to the absolute contempt these schools will feel from the very educated USU student body. We understand what happened, and we are not happy with those who used to be called our friends. They are now embittered enemies to us. (On a side note, Nevada was already pretty despised. Now it will we outright hated.)

But now is a time for action. Do not sit around on your laurels hoping that the door to the MWC is still open. Operate on the assumption that it's not and once again take command of the situation. If an opportunity presents itself for USU to enter the MWC, take advantage of it. If the opportunity to get BYU in your conference without joining the MWC is still there, take advantage of it. We Aggie faithful are certain you are considering all the options, but we respectfully remind the administration that taking no action is the same as choosing to perish at the hands of Fresno State, Nevada, and the rest of the MWC, which is unacceptable for us and is equivalent to USU's denial of entry to the WAC 40+ years ago.

Indeed, all of these seems somewhat similar to when the WAC was originally formed in the 1960's. USU's requests and lobbies to join fell upon deaf ears once upon a time, and to ask the Aggie faithful to endure the past again is almost too much.

In short, we demand results this time around. Follow Stew's example and win. You've been punched in the mouth, now get back up and do some punching of your own. And if you go down, if you can't help it, if you've tried everything possible and if you still come up short; at the very least, show us that you went down with a fight. Show us that you scratched and clawed and drew as much blood as possible trying to make it work; we will respect you that much more for it. As proof, take our applause for USU's role in nearly orchestrating the coup of the decade in getting BYU to return to the WAC.

We thank you, the administration, for finally putting your time, energy, and resources into developing Aggie athletics as no previous administration has done for the last 40+ years. Thank you for your continued devotion to Logan, Cache Valley, and the entire state of Utah in your effort to continuously increase the profile of the university and its students nationally. We salute your fine work and trust that you will do everything possible to remedy the unethical and dishonest actions of Fresno State University and the University of Nevada-Reno.

But we still promise, when FSU and UNR come to town, they'll wish they'd not jumped ship so quickly. At the very least, they will feel embarrassed for not being able to assert athletic superiority over USU or its very enthusiastic student body.

Faithfully,
the USU student body at large

Aggie Bull Horn #139 - utah pac-10 commentary

2010-06-17T22:14:00.001-07:00

Gabcast! Aggie Bull Horn #139 - utah pac-10 commentary

Aggie Bull Horn #136 - Utah Refugee All-Stars

2010-06-10T14:33:00.001-07:00

Gabcast! Aggie Bull Horn #136 - Utah Refugee All-Stars

USU Football Signs Running Back to Fill Empty Roster Spot

2010-05-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

This is both a measure to fill Turbin's empty spot and to prepare for next year when Smith and Speight are gone.

I would say it's a wise move. Whether or not it pans out is yet to be seen.

--Landon

Aggie Football Signs Junior College Running Back
Joey DeMartino Comes To USU From Grossmont College

LOGAN, Utah — Utah State football head coach Gary Andersen announced Tuesday that Joey DeMartino has signed to play for the Aggies in 2010.

DeMartino, a 5-11, 198-pound running back from San Diego, Calif., will have three years of eligibility, coming to USU after one season at Grossmont Junior College.

“With the injury to Robert Turbin plus two senior running backs this fall in Michael Smith and Derrvin Speight, we felt that it was important to get a quality running back in our program for this fall. We’ve been looking for the right fit since January and we feel we’ve found a perfect match in Joey DeMartino,” Andersen said. “He’s a tremendous fit to our program and a great fit for our University and Cache Valley.”

DeMartino earned second-team all-National Division, Southern Conference offensive honors and was named Grossmont’s Offensive MVP after leading the Griffins and ranking seventh in the Southern California Football Association in rushing, with 952 yards on 143 carries (5.8 yards per carry/91.7 yards per game), with six touchdowns. He added 120 yards on 12 catches (10.0 ypc) with one TD. DeMartino was also Grossmont’s top all-purpose runner, averaging 118.5 yards per game while scoring 42 points.

Additionally, DeMartino was named Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Men’s Athlete of the Week on Sept. 13, for his performance which included his second straight 100-plus yard outing, rushing for 179 yards and a 61-yard touchdown on 16 carries, as the Griffins routed College of the Desert, 61-14 on Sept. 12.

With the Aggies, DeMartino will reunite with Grossmont teammate, USU junior wide receiver Xavier Martin. DeMartino and Martin helped the Griffons to an 8-3 record last season. The Griffins capped their season by defeating El Camino College, 27-22, in the US Bank Beach Bowl on Nov. 21.

At Mt. Carmel High School, DeMartino rushed for 1,168 yards on 137 carries (8.53 ypc/116.8 ypg) with nine TD’s his senior season in helping the Sundevils to a 4-6 record and earning first-team all-Palomar League honors as was named MCHS’s MVP. He added 18 receptions for 329 yards (18.3 ypc) with five TD’s and 12 kick returns for 426 yards (35.5 ypr) with a TD return of 99 yards and another of 96 yards, finishing the season with 16 total TD’s and adding a pair of two-point conversions for 100 total points.

As a junior, DeMartino rushed for 832 yards on 127 carries (6.6 ypc/75.6 ypg) with six TD’s, adding 19 catches for 171 yards (9.0 ypc) with one TD and five kick returns for 151 yards (30.2 ypr) and two TD’s.

DeMartino was also a four-year letterwinner in track & field, running the 100m and 4x100m relay. He helped the Sundevils to a second-place finish in the TIF and was team captain as a senior.

Andersen added that he and the Aggies are still looking to add a big running back from the high school ranks.

Aggie Bull Horn #135 - Aggie Bull Horn Weekly Podcast - April 30, 2010 - Season Finale

2010-04-30T10:58:00.003-07:00

Gabcast! Aggie Bull Horn #135 - Aggie Bull Horn Weekly Podcast - April 30, 2010 - Season Finale

Aggie Bull Horn #134 - Coach Andersen on the Air - Apr 30, 2010

2010-04-30T10:58:00.001-07:00

Gabcast! Aggie Bull Horn #134 - Coach Andersen on the Air - Apr 30, 2010

USU softball 2-2 over last four games - ABH insider

2010-04-28T23:17:00.000-07:00

Utah State softball has had a decent week. The Aggies started out the week dropping a couple to the Utes, but bounced back in a big way against the Weber State Wildcats. USU swept out the Wildcats in dominating fashion, and Tina Ferguson continues her winning ways.

You can read about these games here and here.

Also, listen to Coach Carissa Millsap-Kabala's postgame interview in the player below.

Listen on Friday. it's kind of a big deal. 9 AM. Click Here

Aggie Bull Horn & Gary Andersen

2010-04-26T16:10:00.001-07:00

Coach A will be on the air this Friday morning at 9 AM. Submit any question you have to fusionhd3@usu.edu as soon as possible.

Tune in HERE (Windows Media)
If you are on a mac, download this file and open it up in iTunes to stream.

Peace out, and Go Aggies!

Aggie Bull Horn #130 - Weekly Podcast Apr 23, 2010

2010-04-23T10:23:00.003-07:00

Aggie BBall, the NBA, the NFL draft, and other fun stuff in this week's podcast.

Aggie Bull Horn #129 - Hockey - Ron Hill Segment

2010-04-23T10:23:00.001-07:00

This is what we had to say about Mr. Hill's comments. Many of Mr. Hill's statements are in this piece, so I would only listen to the entire interview if you're really interested in this issue.

Landon interviews Ron Hill, Father of Colin Hill

2010-04-23T10:21:00.001-07:00

This is the unedited interview that I did earlier this week with Mr. Ron Hill. The interpretation is in the segment above.

The photo

2010-04-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

You tell me - dirty or not?

Study for tomorrow's final!

2010-04-22T16:44:00.000-07:00

Alright, it's time for you to do some studying for tomorrow's show.

At 8 a.m., we'll be discussing recent developments in a continuing story about a Denver hockey player who broke his neck against USU when Denver and USU hooked up to play in February at the Eccles. It's very important that you read these three articles. The one included below came first. The other two that I link out were written about the same game.

Tune in tomorrow morning! Fusion HD3 radio

USU notches 5-1 victory over Denver
Denver player suffers broken neck

The final article is not posted on AggieTownSquare.com, and since you obviously can't pick up the issue from February in which it was published, I give it here for your reading pleasure.

USU wins home-and-home with BYU

Brendan MacDonald's hat trick helped USU obliterate BYU, 10-3, in the second game of a home-to-home series on Saturday night at the Eccles Ice Center.

MacDonald's first goal was also the first of the game, and it came at the 13:50 mark in the first period. Matt Hamilton controlled the puck on the left side of the BYU zone in the power play and passed it low to Kyle Soder. Soder drew the BYU defense to him, which effectively left MacDonald wide open in front of the goal. Soder split the puck between two defenders, and MacDonald one-timed it home through the legs of both the BYU defender and the BYU goaltender.

MacDonald's second goal was the goal that busted the game wide open for the Aggies. Once again on the power play, MacDonald took the pass from his linemate, Hamilton, and buried it. The goal was the first of three in a two-minute stretch in the second period that gave USU a hefty 7-1 lead and the win. Head coach Jon Eccles said he was pleased with MacDonald and USU's overall effectiveness on the power play.

"Our power play was clicking all night long," Eccles said. "They couldn't really stop us. For the most part, I was happy with the way they played. We got a couple stupid penalties again, but for the most part we cleared things up."

MacDonald's hat trick goal was icing on the cake for the Aggies. With 13:24 remaining in the game, MacDonald scored his only goal not scored on the power play. MacDonald took a pass from Kent Arsenault and went on a fast forecheck. BYU's defense couldn't recover, and MacDonald left no doubt. USU led at that point 9-1 and was able to tack on one more before time expired.

Saturday's game came in the wake of part one of the home-to-home. Friday night's game was a 9-5 Aggie beatdown of BYU at the Peaks Arena in Provo. Brendan MacDonald managed to get a hat trick in that game as well. Also notable from the Friday night game were Billy Gouthro's three assists and an unassisted Tyler Mistelbacher goal in the second period. With that goal, Mistelbacher's 40th of the season, he continued his campaign for offensive player of the year in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) western region. Mistelbacher, a freshman, only trails UNLV's Michael Zenzola by three goals but has played three fewer games than Zenzola.

With the pair of wins, USU improves to 25-6 on the season and extends its season-long home undefeated streak to 12 in a row. USU's last home loss was against the University of Denver in last year's regional tournament. During the second game, USU clinched the season sweep against BYU, winning all six games against the rival Cougars from Provo. Eccles said he would prefer to schedule more talented teams to effectively prepare USU for the regional tournament.

"As far as being a strong match," Eccles said, "there's not a whole lot there. It was just a game for us and for the fans. We would have much rather played a stronger team to prepare us. We play Denver next weekend, and regionals are the week after DU. We want to be playing strong teams, because that's what we're going to be playing at regionals. We're not going to be playing teams like BYU."

Despite the lopsided results USU-BYU hockey has provided this year, Eccles said the series is still a rivalry as far as the teams and the fans are concerned.

"I love that intensity out there," Eccles said. "The fans love it. When the U of U, Weber or BYU comes in, it's a big rivalry. You can see the fans and how they help out, especially when they start saying, 'Hey goalie, goalie. You suck.' It's just fun to hear that stuff."

The degree to which BYU and USU hockey dislike each other was in full display in both Friday and Saturday's games. On Saturday, the Aggies were booked for 22 penalties – by far the most this season for USU. Likewise, BYU was booked for 18. The climax came near the end of the first period on Saturday when Jeff Sanders and a BYU Cougar started tussling, wrestling and pushing each other around, after a USU shot was saved by BYU's goaltender, Brent Taylor. While Sanders was venting his frustration and drawing all the attention of the officiating crew, USU's Matt Ferris took the opportunity to lightly crosscheck BYU's Tanner Billingsley, while Billingsley was off-guard. BYU's Todd Jaramillo, who was standing just behind Billingsley and had full view of Ferris's crosscheck, reacted in defense of his teammate by putting Ferris in a headlock and dragging him to the ice. The situation, obviously, did not improve from there. When all was said and done, 10 players were booked into the box at the same time for the altercation – five for BYU and five for USU.

Matt Hamilton, USU's starting center, was disqualified and ejected for facemasking in the third period of the second game. Hamilton, according to the ACHA rules, must sit out the game against the University of Denver for his actions. Also, Billy Gouthro, one of USU's three assistant captains, was given a 10-minute penalty and effectively ejected, for slashing and misconduct at the 9:31 mark in the third period.

While Eccles said he recognized the need for his team to maintain its composure, he also said much of the 22 penalties may not have been as necessary as the referees insisted.

"The ref," Eccles said, "there's probably been a bit of bad blood in the past and so he's not going to put up with any type of harassment or any type of abuse. He told us right up front, 'If you guys start doing that, we're going to start giving 2's and 10's and start kicking them out of the game. Bottom line, some of the guys couldn't quite adjust to that, so that's why they were sent off the ice early."

Aggie Bull Horn - Podcast Apr 9, 2010

2010-04-16T09:55:00.000-07:00

Jared and I are in agreement that Utah will lose in this first round unless the Jazz can come alive, get Booze and AK off the bench, and win one of the first two in Denver. If this doesn't happen, then Utah's toast.

If Utah gets past the Nuggets, then the Jazz have the unenviable task of dealing with the Lakers/Thunder.

Charles Barkley parodies Nike/Tiger

2010-04-10T14:08:00.001-07:00

Thoughts? I'm dying of laughter!

Jazz beat Hornets and Suns lose

2010-04-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

Phoenix lost last night, so the Jazz are now a half game ahead of the Suns moving into the playoffs. Denver and Dallas will play tonight. Denver faces San Antonio at home tonight. I hate the Spurs, but the Spurs are coming on strong, and it would be a good night for the Spurs to play strong and get the Jazz the 1/2 game lead over the Nuggets.

Here's what went down in N.O. last night.

Aggie Bull Horn #126 - Aggie Bull Horn - Podcast + Picks Apr 9, 2010

2010-04-09T14:22:00.001-07:00

Enjoy the podcast, and review our picks for this week below!

See you next week.

Game	Landon	Tyler	Jared
Jazz @ N.O.	+10	+4	+20
Jazz @ Warriors	+11	+5	+10
Jazz v Phoenix	+3	+10	+6

Seven Utes leave the University of Utah basketball team

2010-04-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

Today on the show we talked about the departure of seven Utes from Jim Boylen's program. These are the articles and interviews we referenced in coming up with today's points.

Salt Lake Tribune
1320 KFAN

All in all, I would say that if Boylen can't manage to keep players at the school, perhaps it's a problem with the coach. Given his rant at the media earlier this year following a home loss to BYU, I can understand why many of his players left.

Marshall Henderson is known for wearing his emotions on his sleeve, but Boylen is as well. Basically, Boylen is Henderson with control over the program. Let us not forget that Morgan Grim left the program a year ago to come to Cache Valley and play ball for a team with a quality coach. Boylen needs to learn to control himself before he gets players to stick around.

INSTANT CLASSIC: Jazz v Thunder, Apr 6, 2010

2010-04-06T23:36:00.000-07:00

If you didn't see this game,

YOU MISSED OUT!!!

This was a defining game in the season for the Utah Jazz, if Utah wins against Houston, I will be a believer.

One thing is certain, every game counts because before this game, four teams were locked up for the second seed in the west.

With this win, Utah reclaims the second seed with two difficult games remaining: Houston and Phoenix.

Aggie Bull Horn - Podcast + Picks Apr 2, 2010

2010-04-02T10:09:00.001-07:00

Enjoy the podcast

here are our picks

Game	Jared	Landon	Tyler
Jazz @ Lakers	Jazz -7	Jazz +5	Jazz -2
Jazz v OKC	Jazz +5	Jazz -3	Jazz +3
Jazz @ Hou	Jazz +8	Jazz +7	Jazz +12
Lakers v Spurs	Lakers +9	Lakers +10	Lakers +5
Lakers @ Den	Lakers -4	Lakers -5	Lakers -2
Denver v LAC	Denver +14	Denver +9	Denver +10
Denver @ OKC	Denver -10	Denver -8	Denver -5
Mavs v OKC	Mavs -5	Mavs -12	Mavs -10
Mavs v Memphis	Mavs +10	Mavs +15	Mavs +8
Butler v MSU	Butler +3	Butler +5	Butler -2
WV v Duke	WV +7	WV +10	WV +5
Butler v WV	Butler +2	Butler -7	Butler -5

Jazz slaughter Warriors

2010-04-01T16:48:00.000-07:00

A few things to note about the Jazz -

This team killed a Warriors team that came to Utah with 7 players. Yes, they are the Warriors. Let's remember that. The Warriors are not what we would term as "elite." I love the win as much as everyone else, but keep that in mind.

Utah has built a great home winning streak, but the second seed in the playoffs will be won on the road.

The Jazz are doing great and have by far the best schedule coming down the home stretch. I will be disappointed if this team doesn't finish in 2nd place.

Enjoy viewing the carnage.
Landon

Aggies Swept by Wolverines

2010-04-01T15:17:00.001-07:00

This article is published in the attempt to keep listeners up to date with all USU sports, and not just basketball and football.

Check outThe Utah Statesman for more updates about USU softball.

The Aggie softball team hit the went to Orem Tuesday afternoon and suffered two tough losses to the UVU Wolverines, 3-1, 13-4.

"I don't want to put a bad spin on it," head coach Carissa Millsap-Kalaba said, "but we lost both games. I don't know what to say about it other than we lost and it's unfortunate, and it happens. It's part of the game."

The first game seemed to be going the Aggies' way early on. USU's lead-off batter, Rachel Evans, reached first base on an error by the UVU shortstop and scored an unearned run later in the inning when Kelley Kaneshiro doubled into center field. USU could gather no more offensive luck. UVU came right back in the bottom of the first and drove in two earned runs of its own to take a lead it never relinquished.

USU pitcher Kate Greenough was able to recover. She held the Wolverines scoreless until the bottom of the sixth. Millsap-Kalaba was very complimentary of her senior pitcher from Portland, Ore.

"Kate did really well," Millsap-Kalaba said. "She had to make some adjustments because there was a pretty strong headwind and that was affecting the break on her ball. It was blowing with her, and having that wind with you, you lose most of your spin. She made the adjustments she needed to and was really good the rest of the game."

Greenough ended the first of the two games with five hits, three runs – two of which were earned – three walks and six strikeouts. Her record is now 5-7 on the season. Despite the loss, Greenough's performance was impressive when coupled with the weather conditions in Orem. While Logan residents were dealing with a fierce and annoying wind, as well as sporadic bursts of pollution-saturated rain, the Lady Ags were facing a storm of their own. Millsap-Kalaba was not about to excuse her team for its performance.

"The weather affects it for both teams," she said. "But there was a really thick fog throughout the whole area. You could look right at the sun and it didn't bother you at all. There was wind, constant wind, the entire game blowing from behind the pitcher. It was pretty bad."

If the first game was rough for the Ags, then the second was downright torturous. Defensive woes plagued Utah State for the entire game, and the Aggie bats weren't there to compensate.

Freshman Mandy Harmon of Las Vegas took the mound to start things off and struggled. In the first inning, UVU advanced one on a walk and a second on a blown fielder's choice play. UVU's Megan Gardner then sent the ball sailing over the fence, bringing in three runs. Things didn't improve for Harmon. By the time the first inning was over, UVU had homered a second time and brought in two more runs to make it 5-0 in favor of the home team. Harmon bounced back in the second inning – she got two quick outs on a ground ball and a strikeout, and after UVU's next two batters reached the bases, Harmon got UVU's Amber Sackett to fly out.

In the third she got two quick outs, but that's as far as Harmon got without trouble. Harmon then allowed a double and an RBI single, hit a batter and allowed a third UVU homer. Millsap-Kabala had seen enough and went to the bull pen, relieving Harmon with Stacey Ellingsworth.

"That's how you learn, I guess," Millsap-Kabala said of Harmon. "There's no excuse, but there's definitely adjustment especially for my freshman pitcher. She's not used to pitching in that situation. She hasn't had a home run hit off her the entire season she's thrown, and in an unlucky game she had three hit off her."

Millsap-Kabala was optimistic that Harmon would recover after the frustrating outing.

"I expect her to bounce back," she said. "It's impossible for her to say, 'I'm going to go my whole career and not give up one home run.' That's a little unrealistic. I'm sure it's not the first home run that's been hit off of her, and I'm sure it won't be the last one. I expect her to get back on the saddle and start riding again. Such is life with being a pitcher. You're going to have days where it doesn't work for you and the hitters take advantage and then you're going to have days where it's going to work."

Down 9-2 after three innings, the hole from which the Ags had to extricate themselves was too deep, and UVU kept making it more difficult. The game ended in the fifth inning after UVU's Amber Sackett hit a grand slam homerun off of USU's Shasta Tyteca. Tyteca had been called in to relieve Ellingsworth. Millsap-Kabala said better is expected of her pitching staff.

"We're going to look to all of them to play their role and do their part," the Aggie coach said. "Because we have a big staff, we look at them as relievers and as closers to come in have the right mental frame of mind and be able to do their job. Today there was kind of a loss of that. They're human, and they're going to make mistakes. Is it acceptable? No. But it happens, so we have to deal with it."

USU now falls to 12-15 on the season. Millsap-Kabala said there is definitely some room for improvement.

"I don't want to lie," she said. "We're coming out of ourselves a little too much and doing things that we normally don't do. Whether it's being too anxious or not being aggressive in the moment that we need to, we let too many opportunities pass by. That's really what's hurting us. That comes with a huge amount of maturity. Being able to be mentally prepared in the moment is something that they need to find."

USU would have taken on BYU on Wednesday if it were not for inclement weather in Provo. Next up for USU is the Nevada Wolfpack here in Logan this Friday.

Jazz use 13-0 run to beat out the Celtics in Salt Lake

2010-03-23T08:33:00.003-07:00

The more I watch the Jazz, the more I am convince that if they could ever get the home court advantage in the playoffs, they would win a title. They are deadly at home.

Nice win, Jazz.

USU got trounced

2010-03-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

Well, as you know... USU got trounced in Friday's game. I was unable to be present at that game, but I located this article on KSL.com.

Thanks very much for another championship season, USU! You'll be better prepared to handle the tournament next year, and we look forward to watching you play in the Spectrum come this November. Work hard in the offseason! We believe you can make it past round one next year.

Go Aggies!

Aggies to Face A&M in First Round in Spokane

2010-03-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

Utah State Will Play Texas A&M Friday Afternoon at 2 p.m.

LOGAN, Utah Utah State's men's basketball team (27-7) is the 12th-seed in the South Region and will face fifth-seeded Texas A&M (23-9) on Friday, Mar. 19 at approximately 2 p.m. (PT) in Spokane, Wash., at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.

The winner of that game will face either fourth-seeded Purdue or 13th-seeded Siena on Sunday, Mar. 21.

NCAA First Round Schedule
Spokane, Wash. Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena
(All Times PDT)

Friday, March 19
11:30 a.m. - No. 4 Purdue (27-5) vs. No. 13 Siena (27-6)
2:00 p.m. - (approximate) - No. 5 Texas A&M (23-9) vs. No. 12 Utah State
(27-7)
4:20 p.m. - No. 5 Michigan State (24-8) vs. No. 12 New Mexico State (22-11)
6:50 p.m. - (approximate) - No. 4 Maryland (23-8) vs. No. 13 Houston (19-15)

Things are looking like the game in Spokane will be a road game for the Maroon Aggies - got this today down the pipeline from the USU ticket office

After selling out of its original amount, Utah State’s athletic ticket office has secured additional NCAA Tournament tickets, and are on sale Tuesday, March 16 from Noon - 3 p.m. for Big Blue Scholarship Fund members who have not ordered any tickets yet. Any 2010 USU basketball season ticket holders can purchase tickets Tuesday from 3 - 5 p.m. while general public and Big Blue Scholarship Fund members wanting additional tickets can purchase Wednesday, March 17 at 10 a.m. There are a limited amount of tickets available.

Fans can only purchase tickets in their exclusive ordering period and all tickets are subject to availability. Touchdown and Platinum members can purchase up to four tickets, while Diamond, Gold, Silver, Blue, season ticket holders and general public can purchase up to two tickets.

Tickets will only be available in person at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum or by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or (435) 797-0305. Tickets will not be available through the web site.

Tickets are good for two games, which is one session, and are $65 each. There is a one time $5 order charge applied to each order as well.

Utah State will be making its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 11 years, as 12th-seeded USU will take on fifth-seeded Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAA South Regional on Friday, March 19 at approximately 3 p.m. (MT) at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Wash.

The winner of the Utah State-Texas A&M game will play the winner of fourth-seeded Purdue and 13th-seeded Siena on Sunday, March 21.

NetScouts names Jared Quayle WAC MVP

2010-03-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

Courtesy: NetScouts
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Jared Quayle, 6′1 180 Sr. PG, Utah State - Quayle (Perry, Utah) has led the Aggies to a 24-6 record, 13-2 in the WAC including 13 straight after beating Fresno State Monday night. They can do no worse than share the WAC crown heading into the tournament in Reno. Quayle is a do it all Point Guard who averages 11.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 4.2 apg. He is fourth in the league in FT% (.885), leads the WAC in Assist/Turnover Ratio, and is the BEST rebounding guard in the conference. In fact, despite being only 6′1 and defending the opponents PG, he ranks 6th in the WAC in Defensive Rebounds with more than 5.2 defensive boards per game.

1st TEAM:

1. Luke Babbit, 6′8 225 So. PF/SF, Nevada: Second in WAC scoring, #1 in rebounding. Hard to guard lefty is putting up big numbers, 21.6 ppg and 9.5 rpg and also leads league in FT% (.901).

2. Adrian Oliver, 6′4 205 Jr. SG, San Jose State: 4th in NATION in scoring and leads WAC as well as Western Region with 22.9 ppg, has 8 games over 30 this year alone (high game of 39 vs. La Tech). Last weeks game versus Seattle U. & 6′10 forward Charles Garcia brought over 25 NBA scouts into the Events Center to see the game, Oliver dropped in 35 then did it again the next time out versus Nevada.

3. Jahmar Young, 6′5 180 Jr. SG, New Mexico State: Lanky-thin combo guard can stroke it or beat you with quicks. He is averaging 21.0 ppg and has helped NMSU to a good season approaching 20 wins and runner-up in the WAC.

4. Magnum Rolle, 6′10 225 Sr. PF, Louisiana Tech: Long & athletic big man with versatility. He has led Bulldogs to 21-7 record at this point and sure bet for post-season. 14.5 points & 8.5 boards but also leads league in blocks at 2.21 per outing.

5. Tai Wesley, 6′8 240 Jr. PF, Utah State: Sets the tone for Aggies who attack inside-out shooting 58% from floor. Scores 13.1 on balanced squad and grabs 6.4 boards. Ability to pass out of double team helps him average 3.1 assists for nation’s leading 3pt shooting team.

Courtesy: NetScouts
We recently named Utah State University point guard Jared Quayle as our NetScouts Basketball WAC Player of the Year. Quayle has the Aggies on a 14 game winning streak and hope to continue that run heading into the WAC tourney in Reno.

As little kids we all dream of playing college or professional basketball and although I’m not sure he’ll play in the NBA, Quayle will play internationally. Right now though, he’s living the dream.

Logan, Utah - It happens in every driveway, on every block, in every neighborhood, within every city across the country. Young boys and girls play their favorite sports for countless hours, improving their technique in hopes of one day fulfilling that life-long dream of playing for their favorite team.

Growing up in the shadows of Utah State University, Jared Quayle too spent many hours playing the sport he loved and dreaming what it would be like to one day be part of the greatest thing he had ever witnessed, playing
basketball for the Aggies in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

As a prep standout at nearby Box Elder High School in Brigham City, Quayle was excelling in the sport he grew up loving and earned first-team all-state honors his senior season as he led the Bees to the championship game of the 4A state tournament.

Despite all the success he experienced in high school, Quayle’s dream of playing college basketball for Utah State seemed to be fading away into the night as the Aggies had no interest in the slender shooting guard. After a mormon mission he enrolled at Western Wyoming where his game blossomed. He averaged 24.4 points per game, 7.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.4 steals that season to earn second team National Junior College Athletic Association All-American honors.

During his sophomore season in Rock Springs, Wyo., Quayle scored 20-plus points 19 times, 30-plus points six times, and 40-plus points three times including a 44 point outburst during the end of the season. And that offensive explosion couldn’t have happened at a better time for both Quayle and Utah State, as USU assistant coach Tim Duryea made his first trip of the season to Wyoming to see Quayle play that February night.

“The night we were scheduled to see Jared play he sprained his ankle, so I went back the next night and he has his ankle taped, he is limping around in warm-ups and had a ho-hum first half,” Duryea recalled. ”He then came out in the second half and went crazy and finished the game with 44 points, nine rebounds, five assists and no turnovers, and I will never forget looking at his stat line.”

Needless to say, the Aggies offered him a scholarship and he accepted. Things have gone well for Quayle and Utah State during the last two years as the shooting guard turned point guard earned second team all-WAC honors as a junior and helped lead the Aggies to a school-record 30 wins as they won their first-ever outright regular season WAC Championship, their first-ever WAC Tournament Championship, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time under head coach Stew Morrill.

Quayle, who plays his last home game Saturday and his last collegiate game in a post-season tournament in the very near future hopes that game is far enough down the road for him to truly enjoy what was a life-long dream and has become one of the most remarkable two-year stints in his life and in Aggie Basketball History.

Aggie Bull Horn #123 - Sounds of the WAC Title Game

2010-03-16T00:39:00.001-07:00

Here are the highlights from Saturday's WAC title game. As you all surely know by now, USU lost the game, but we're going dancing this weekend in Spokane! Don't miss it! I won't for sure!

Landon

WAC tiitle game, 2nd half

2010-03-13T21:04:00.001-08:00

Miss the action? Relive it here. Although, if you're an USU Aggie fan, I wouldn't listen. USU lost this game. 17 game streak snapped at the worst possible time.

WAC title game, 1st half

2010-03-13T19:57:00.001-08:00

Miss the first half? Relive it here.

Aggie Bull Horn #120 - Sounds of the Game - LATech-USU - March 12, 2010

2010-03-12T21:50:00.001-08:00

And for those who don't have the time to listen to the entire play-by-play, here's the condensed version.

This should also be playing on Fusion HD3. Make sure you check in with us not this friday, but next Friday to relive the action of this year's WAC tournament. It's going to be awesome.

This should also play shortly on Fusion HD3

Have Fun and Go Aggies!
Landon

Aggie Bull Horn #118 - LATech-USU tournament play, 2nd half

2010-03-12T19:51:00.001-08:00

USU won this game by a LOT. Tech's Magnum Rolle went out in the first half and didn't return. Awfully reminiscent of the Fresno-USU game when USU was on the road back in January.

With this win, we've clinched a berth to the big dance. What more must USU do? Seventeen in a row, and a berth to the title game of the WAC tournament, with both tournament victories by more than 24 points. This team deserves to dance.

LAtech-USU play-by-play, 1st half

2010-03-12T18:54:00.001-08:00

Miss the first half? Relive the action!

Kane is not so Able

2010-03-12T12:37:00.000-08:00

Kane Wilson Leaving Utah State Football Program
Quarterback Redshirted Last Season

LOGAN, Utah - Utah State football head coach Gary Andersen announced Friday that redshirt-freshman quarterback Kane Wilson has left the program.

Wilson, a native of Yorba Linda, Calif. (El Dorado HS), is a 6’4”, 215-pound quarterback who redshirted the 2009 season. Last month, Wilson was suspended for a violation of team rules.

-USU-

The Horn's take -

USU is not without its options for this year's football season. Diondre Borel is still the starter. Beyond Borel, Jordan High School Quarterback Alex Hart and St. Louis High of Hawaii QB Jeremy Higgins committed to USU this season. Higgins is the younger brother of the all-star Cameron Higgins of Weber State University. Beyond the new recruits, a former Snow College QB is attempting to walk on to the program.

I'm not too concerned. Borel is a terrific QB and has proven very resilient. I would expect the Aggies to be fine as long as Borel isn't hurt within the first six weeks of the season. Before that, beware. Inexperience can bite you, especially if Turbin is still out with his ACL injury.

As far as Kane goes, The horn has lost a lot of respect for him. If he can't handle Andersen's rules, then he doesn't belong in the program.

Jazz Crush Bulls

2010-03-09T22:52:00.001-08:00

Wow - We were all really off predicting this game.

Keep it going Jazz. You've got 3 more.

USU kills NMSU in the Spectrum - Sounds of the Game

2010-03-07T00:43:00.001-08:00

I really don't have much to say beside what is in this Sounds of the Game, but KSL did. Check out this story on the Aggies win at KSL.com.

Mad props to the Aggie Ball club. They've done incredible things up here, and none of these players are likely to be drafted in the NBA. I wholeheartedly agree with Coach Morrill. These boys deserve to go to the NCAA tournament.

Let the party commence. The nets have been cut down, the court has been rushed, and the trophy has been held aloft. Stew's Sanctuary is still Safe and Sound. Word to ma homies on the team. Nicely done.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Jazz roll all over Clippers. Memo dunks the light out

2010-03-07T00:00:00.001-08:00

DUDE - Check Memo's 3-pt miss, offensive rebound, and the hammer dunk. That... now THAT is awesome!

Thoughts on a few subjects

2010-03-06T10:58:00.000-08:00

1. NCAA bubblewatch

The first thing about bracketology that everyone needs to understand is that the big national media knows very little about the western leagues. Ninety percent of the news media that follows the bubblewatch pays very little attention to the WAC, Horizon League, Conference-USA, Missouri Valley Conferences and the other mid-major conferences, unless the teams from those conferences do something extraordinary, just as the Aggies have been doing for the last few years. What has been most surprising to me in the bubblewatch this year is the disappearance of the Pac-10 from College Basketball relevance. When the regular season conference champion, Cal, has no wins against top-50 RPI opponents in four tries and has accumulated nine losses, well, that's how it goes. No one is lending respect to the Pac-10, and given the arrogance of "The Conference of Champions," I'm more than happy to see them humbled. In a final note, if USU wins every game to the WAC conference tournament championship, loses and still doesn't get in the NCAA tournament, I will be astounded. The selection committee loves late-season winning streaks, and that's exactly what the Aggies have built.

2. The Utah Jazz

The Jazz are back to their schizophrenic ways. In the last week, Utah has lost to the Kings and Clippers – both on the road. Yet, when the Jazz play a quality Phoenix Suns club that's only a game and a half behind them, they get the comeback win. I really am leery about committing 100 percent behind the Jazz this year because they continue to have the same problems. They win against quality clubs and lose against crap teams on the road. Now, I like it when they win against quality clubs, and they should. The Jazz should never, ever lose to the Clippers or the Kings, even if Tyreke Evans is having a Rookie-of-the-Year season. Who knows? Maybe last night's victory against the Suns is the start of another seven-game road winning streak. Maybe if Deron Williams shaves his beard and starts anew, the magic will be renewed, and the Jazz will be able to make up the two games they need to overtake Denver and Dallas. The Jazz have such potential and watching them trip at the finish line again this year will suck, so they had better not.

3. Utah State and their back-to-back outright titles

Words cannot describe the value of the Aggie student section in the Spectrum. I truly believe that teams come to Logan expecting to lose. A source close to the Fresno team told me earlier this week that the team had given up in the shoot-around before the game even started. Who can blame these teams, though? Utah State has only lost 13 times in the last 12 years in this building, and each year the quality of the student section gets better and better. Now that we're all aware of how awesome Aggie students are, make sure you get to the arena quick this weekend. Now, because NMSU lost last night to Nevada in Reno, we've got the regular season championship in the books. Still, a reliable source has told me that Aggie fans will be camping out Friday in anticipation of Saturday's cutting of the nets. This game will certainly be epic. If this game will be your first experience at a USU basketball game, get there early and be ready to rush the court after NMSU bites the dust. We're cutting down the nets this weekend, baby. Aggies on top once again! Man, I love being an Aggie.

4. MLB Baseball - Who to watch for

I was very pleased at the onset of this year's spring training season to see Johnny Damon out of one of those awful, awful Yankee uniforms. I really like his addition to the Tigers. His joining the Tigers gives Detroit a great bat in their lineup to complement Ordonez. I would keep an eye out for that team moving through free agency and into opening day. Of course, the Yankees are as dangerous as ever, but I think the real team to look out for in this season will be the Twins. Joe Mauer, the face of the franchise and AL MVP, is coming off a terrific season, and I really think that his efforts, leadership and teamwork will take the team far this year, but only if the Twins resign him. If not, then I would of course keep an eye out for all the teams from the AL East, the Tigers, the Angels and the Cubs. As far as who I would like to see do well this year, I would really love to see the Orioles, Cubs and my Red Sox do well. I'm dying for the Cubs to win the World Series just so their century-long drought will end, and I will always stand by my Sox. Why the Orioles? My parents' neighbor is Jeremy Guthrie, the starting pitcher for the Orioles. He's such a cool guy, and I want his club to do well.

5. Play of the Week

With just under 10 seconds to go on Thursday, the Heat were up two against the Los Angeles Lakers. We all remember what happened the last time Miami had a two-point lead against the Lakers – Kobe banked in the contested 3-pointer and got LA the home win. So, what happened last night? Similar story, different ending. "The Black Mamba," as he has come to be known around the media, drove and floated the tying bucket and sent the game into overtime, but Miami was resilient at home to pull it out in OT. This week's play of the game was Dwyane Wade's defensive play that got Kobe Bryant a charging foul in the final minute of overtime with the Heat trailing by two. That foul basically sealed a win and sweet revenge for a struggling Miami club. It was awesome to see the Lakers bite it in South Beach. Word to the Heat!

Aggie Bull Horn #115 - The Aggie Bull Horn Weekly podcast - Mar 5, 2010

2010-03-05T12:10:00.001-08:00

Here are our picks for the next week. Hold our feet to the fire next week - >

USU v NMSU - Landon (+10), Jared (+12), Tyler (+8)
USU v BSU (WAC Tourney) - Landon (+9), Jared (+8), Tyler (+20)

Jazz v Clippers - Landon (+7), Jared (+15), Tyler (+12)
Jazz @ Bulls - Landon (+2), Jared(+5), Tyler (+3)
Jazz @ Pistons - Landon (+11), Jared (+9), Tyler (+10)

USU Women v Hawaii - Landon (+3), Jared (+4), Tyler (+8)

Bill's Costume -
Landon: A cop, to reference the NMSU players' legal issues
Jared: Jasmine, from Disney's Aladdin
Tyler: Pistol Pete, the Mascot for the NMSU Aggies

Girls Gone Wild.... Well, Violent at Least

2010-03-05T12:01:00.000-08:00

This video, when positioned side-by-side against the BYU-NM soccer debacle, brings to light a frightening trend in women's sports - girls are mean!

Enjoy

Boylen Blows up at Monson

2010-03-05T11:56:00.000-08:00

Before reading on, Check This.

If nothing else, Jim Boylen's comments to Deseret News writer and 1280 the Zone sports radio talk show host Gordon Monson were certainly earned by Monson. The questions Monson asked were absolutely stupid, and obviously Boylen was not going to be very pleased after getting destroyed in the Huntsman Center against BYU.

However, Boylen's comments only provide evidence for the fact that he is a world-class idiot at the helm of a state university basketball program. Someone of Boylen's stature in the community and track record should be able to reign in his emotions and his words regardless of the outcome of any game, no matter who he plays. We at the Aggie Bull Horn hold no love for Boylen and anticipate with eagerness the carnage that the Utes will undergo when they visit Logan this fall.

The Jazz lose to the Clippers... then beat the Suns

2010-03-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

The Jazz won in Phoenix last night capping off the comeback win with a Mehmet Okur 3. If Memo can get his game back together from deep, the Jazz could be pretty dangerous. But dang, this Jazz team makes me angry. They're so unpredictable, and it drives me crazy watching them stink for 3.5 quarters only to have them come back and win when I turn off the TV. It pisses me off.

On the positive, the Jazz are still in good playoff position, but like always, the Western Conference seeding will come down to the final two months. Utah needs to win the crap games by a lot and compete against the quality teams. Watch out for this week's trap games at Detroit and against the Clippers at home.

Make me a believer, Jazz!

USU Hockey bites it in the first round

2010-03-01T09:09:00.001-08:00

(Editor's Note: All of the quotes in this article can be taken from the interview posted. The interview is about 10 minutes long, but if you care about USU hockey, it's well worth the listen.)

Utah State suffered an 8-4 loss to San Diego State University in the first round of the ACHA western regional tournament Friday afternoon.

This loss constitutes the second time in two years that USU has been favored headed into the first round of regionals and has come up short. Last year the Aggies fell on home ice to the Denver Pioneers, 5-4. The difference between this year and last year is found in the team's overall record (27-6), the fact that USU was undefeated at home, regardless of the opponent, and the seeding that USU earned heading into the tournament in Greeley, Colo.

USU was seeded second and was facing an Aztec team with a much less remarkable record (17-14), but that had also been riding a recent wave of momentum. SDSU had won six of its previous eight. Its only losses came to San Jose State and to the Aztec Alumni team. SDSU was able to use its recent momentum to push itself just out of reach.

USU got off to a good start in this game. By the end of the first period, the Ags were up 2-1. Simple shortcomings hurt the Aggies, however. In a text message sent by the team, head coach Jon Eccles said David Wyman missed a penalty shot and dangerous scorers Brendan MacDonald and Tyler Mistelbacher missed on some great chances. Eccles said the team successfully maintained a positive attitude moving through the second into the third, but nothing seemed to be working for USU. SDSU scored five in the second to USU's two, and the Aztecs were able to capitalize twice more in the third. With that, the margin was spread to four goals, and USU fell too far behind to recover.

"I don't know if we didn't prepare," Eccles said, "or I don't know if we as a team overlooked them expecting to walk through them. You're bound to have a player have an off game but not every part of the team. How many times have you seen Brendan MacDonald and Mistelbacher come down on a two-on-none and not score? We only had one power-play goal on five chances. They were the underdogs. They had nothing to lose. They just let it all hang out, and we couldn't respond."

As far as gauging the success of this year's Aggie hockey season, Eccles said the team is obviously disappointed, but next year will be that much better.

"Yeah, it would have been nicer to have gone on to nationals," he said, "but the boys, I think, worked hard. We fought through up and down situations, came back and still finished strong. One game doesn't define your season."

Eccles said he is grateful to the fans for the support the community has offered.

"This is one of the greatest fan bases and arenas to play in," he said. "Everyone talks about coming to play in Logan because they love the fans. The support is just awesome. We're averaging between 1,200 to 1,500 fans a game. To be the third highest attended sport on campus when these guys are not on scholarship is a testament to their desire to play."

Eccles also said the team can substantially improve in some areas.

"On the flip side, there still has to be a level of discipline," he said, "and we will be better next year. In order to be a caliber tournament team, you have to be that disciplined. That's something we've kind of lacked. We have to play as if we are a varsity sport, and we have to treat the players that way. If they're not going to do the things we're asking, then sorry. We'll get players that want to."

USU's final home game and senior night of the season will be Friday, March 5, when the University of Utah Skatin' Utes come to play on Aggie ice. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m.

Aggie Bull Horn #113 - The Aggie Bull Horn Weekly podcast - Feb 26, 2010

2010-02-26T11:20:00.001-08:00

Gabcast! Aggie Bull Horn #113 - The Aggie Bull Horn Weekly podcast - Feb 26, 2010

Hey y'all. Enjoy.

Here's what we've got for you
This week in the Jazz - Should Carlos be allowed to return and will he?
Aggie Basketball - 2 wins from a 3-peat
USU hockey - starting the ACHA tourney today
Elections at USU
USA hockey - we pick them to face-off with canada in the gold medal round.

The Jazz get back to winning ways at home

2010-02-26T10:13:00.000-08:00

The Jazz got back to their winning ways at home on Wednesday when they beat Charlotte, one of the hottest teams in the east since January.

The Jazz, however, were not to be outdone. Utah is the best team in the NBA since January 9, having gone 18-3 over the course of the last 7 weeks. Despite the intermittent losses of personnel due to family issues, injury, and other misfortunes, the Jazz have proved their depth and continued to dominate.

By far, the high point of the last two months was the overtime comeback win against portland. The low point was the home loss to the Hawks. If the low is a loss to a good Atlanta team, then I would say the Jazz are doing just fine.

Landon

30th Anniversary of the Miracle on Ice

2010-02-22T10:52:00.000-08:00

Happy 30th USA Hockey. This was the biggest upset of all time and the best American sports moment of all history.

Way to celebrate by beating down the Canadian team 5-3 on Sunday. You've done your forefathers proud!

We at the Aggie Bull Horn salute you.

Jazz rally from 26 down to get the OT win in Portland - Say What?!

2010-02-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

I'm a believer. If the Jazz can win on the road, and not just win, but also come back from 26 down to send it to overtime without Okur, without Kirilenko, and without Millsap in OT, then I think the only team that will be able to stop the Jazz is the Jazz.

They are playing lights out ball right now, and I don't see that changing soon.

Go Jazz.

Aggie Bull Horn #112 - podcast Feb 19, 2010

2010-02-19T12:07:00.001-08:00

Gabcast! Aggie Bull Horn #112 - podcast Feb 19, 2010

Here's what is on the podcast -

Fusion Radio Contest Winner announced by Kayla Harris
Coach Jon Eccles of USU Hockey on the air interview
Sounds from the USU-LaTech game
Analysis of the LaTech game.
Analysis of Wichita State Game on ESPN2
Tyler and I making idiots of ourselves and thoroughly enjoying it.

Jazz Win Again - I'll never get tired of saying that, so I repeat.

2010-02-18T13:31:00.000-08:00

Dag. I'm so proud of the Jazz. Get Golden State tomorrow, Utah.

Utah State beats Tech, Distances itself from the rest of the WAC

2010-02-18T13:29:00.000-08:00

Well, it's not secret - Utah State won last night yet again. This ESPN article says it all, pretty much.

There will be a great bit about this Tech game on tomorrow's show. Be sure to tune in here. (please note - the link will only work with Windows Media. If you have WinAmp or iTunes and want to use those programs to stream, please visit the radio site to watch.

My general thoughts from the game -

Pooh Williams' impact on this game was felt very, very hard. He not only scored all of his points when USU needed to score, but also shut down Kyle Gibson. Gibson went 4-18 from the field and got only 14 points. He was a virtual non-factor, a fact to which Pooh himself seemed surprised at after the game.

Brady Jardine just wasn't himself with the mask, and Stew recognized that. Hopefully he'll be a bit more back in form by Saturday.

Tech is extremely athletic. Credit Stew's brilliant basketball mind for drawing up a way for USU to win, because if it weren't for Stew, USU would be just a bunch of white guys (and Pooh and Modou) playing hoops and getting thrashed. Stew knows how to run his team, and his team trusts in the system. How many coaches would give their right arm to be able to influence their players like that. Tech's Rupp would. He was quoted as saying that his team more or less ignored the scouting report on Pooh: to never let him finish with his left, and that's what Tech did. Tech allowed Pooh to finish with his left, and now... Tech is two games behind.

And finally, Nate Bendall's rebound on the Pooh Williams missed 1-and-1 free throw for the putback and the foul was EPIC. That play, combined with the Newbold steal in transition won the game for the Aggies.

Get 'em Ags.

Landon

Jazz Win Again - I'll never get tired of saying that.

2010-02-16T23:06:00.000-08:00

I would hope Utah gets off to the good start after that miserable LA Lakers game last week. Good grief.

Get it done tomorrow in the Big Easy, Jazz. Put a damper on the Mardi Gras Party that went down today. Get it done.

USU Hockey Home-and-Home with BYU

2010-02-16T22:46:00.000-08:00

Aggie Bull Horn - Feb 12, 2010

2010-02-12T11:19:00.001-08:00

This is a collection of the better parts of the show today.

Included: Landon's worst dating story ever in honor of the current contest going on with Fusion. Send your horrible dating stories to fusionhd3@usu.edu or productions.fusionhd3@usu.edu. Get it going if you would like to win that free handheld HD player. It's cool. Remember, the winner is going to be declared next friday.

If you're a USU student, put "crazy date story" as the subject line. Send it in and listen!

Also, we've got super bowl recap, USU-Boise St. recap, and an NBA All-Star preview.

Aggie Bull Horn #110 - Hockey Last Weekend - DOH!

2010-02-09T17:43:00.001-08:00

Coach Eccles

There's an awesome story I wrote about the hockey game, and it can be found here.

As for the postgame interview that I had with the coach, you can get that by listening to
<---------------- this.

Have fun, find someone to be with on V-day.
Landon

Aggie Football Recruits

2010-02-08T10:41:00.001-08:00

A story I produced about the USU football signees.

Go Aggies! Win 6 games this year!

The Super Bowl

2010-02-07T22:52:00.001-08:00

All I'm going to say is that I called Peyton Manning's interception two plays before it happened. I feel rather proud of that.

Check out the highlights on NFL.com

Congratulations to the Saints and the city of New Orleans. Word to ma homies.

Landon

Jazz Win 8 straight, 10 straight at home

2010-02-07T22:30:00.000-08:00

Ok, mark it down. I'm a believer. The Jazz if they are as good as I'm being led to believe, should give the Lakers good competition and beat everyone else on their schedule. The Jazz are playing excellent ball.

USU-Nevada - 2010 in Stew's Cathedral - The One and Only

2010-02-06T21:28:00.000-08:00

Normally I would put together an awesome segment of the highlights from this game, but in all honesty, I could not be in Logan until 8:20 p.m. Saturday, and by that time the doors to the building that houses the Fusion Studios had long since closed. So, fault me for this one. I don't deserve to have the responsibilities I do - my only solace is that our next show is 6 days away and by that time, this game will be very old news.

In any case, here's my thoughts from the game.

The crowd in this game was epic. Bill's Mardi Gras getup caused Babbitt to miss his first free throw of the second half, and the roof nearly flew off after Jardine blocked Babbitt early in the second. There were several opportunities in which a 3-pointer would have triggered implosion quality vibrations, but it was not to be. USU didn't even hit a 3-ball in the second half.

If the statistic that USU always wins when shooting five three-pointers were to hold steady, this game was as good as done at halftime. USU shot 6 of 11 from deep in the first half (54.5 percent) in half numero uno. The good news: the stat held. The bad news: USU missed all six of their 2nd half attempts. Credit Nevada's perimeter defense.

USU played to their unchanging game plan just like always. The only Aggie in double figures at halftime, at which point USU led 39-35, was Jared Quayle on two 3-pointers and 50 percent shooting. However, USU had 3 other players in the 6-10 range at halftime (Tai Wesley, Pooh Williams, Tyler Newbold). Compare that to Nevada. Babbitt and Johnson combined for 25 of Nevada's 35 first half points. No other member of the Pack scored more than five in the first.

USU had four players in double figures by the end of the night and one player with eight points.

Utah State continues to dominate on the assist-to-turnover ratio. After 20 minutes, the A-T ratio was 6. Yes, that's correct. At the end of the game, the ratio was 4.5 (18 assists, 4 turnovers). I don't care who you are, when you get that stat, you're going to do well.

Rebounding continued to be a huge advantage for USU. Of USU's 17 first half rebounds, 9 of them were offensive, which resulted in 8 first half 2nd chance points and 20 2nd chance points in this game. The 21 offensive boards were a season high for the Aggies.

USU got loads of points off of Pack turnovers. The POT/TO ratio was 2. I'm pretty sure that stat is not well known, because it's never used. POT/TO stands for (Points off Turnovers) divided by (Turnovers). If a team is able to get that ration to 2, it basically means the team scores on every turnover the opposing team commits - a vitality in a game like the Aggie-Pack game. Nevada gave the ball away 7 times, and USU capitalized for 14 points. Wow.

Tai Wesley came to play in the second half of this one. The Tai-phoon had 10 points in the first 6.5 minutes of the second half, at least four of came as the second-chance variety of points. He struggled in the first, but more than recovered in half number two. Tai's bucket with just over four minutes remaining stifled a Pack run that got Nevada back within single digits. Also, Tai's free throws in the final minutes all but shut the Pack down and put the game out of reach, even though he missed one.

I was sad to see Brian Green disappear during this game. Credit his recent success to make Nevada pay more attention to him during film time. As Stew said afterwards, "It was bound to happen, but we were happy to get a win out of it."

Nevada played excellent defense given the circumstances in this game - they played so well that I have to give them credit. USU's FG percentage fell from 44.1 percent to 39.7 percent in the second half. However, it didn't matter because USU had 10 more free throw attempts and 9 more 2nd-chance points. more free throw attempts.

The moment that Babbitt fouled out of the game was just about as sweet as the Winning Team-Losing Team chant. Both Tai Wesley and Stew Morrill gave Babbitt credit for the type of ball he plays and his strength of character. Still, it was good to see him choke.

And finally, Pooh's dunk at the end of the game when Nevada was in the full-court press was epic.

I'm convinced. This team will not lose another until the NCAA tournament, which is where they're going, by the way.

Aggie Bull Horn #109 - usu-idaho recap

2010-02-05T11:54:00.003-08:00

Gabcast! Aggie Bull Horn #109 - usu-idaho recap

this is a recap of what went down at the spectrum on wednesday. It was great.

Enjoi

Landon

Aggie Bull Horn February 5, 2009

2010-02-05T10:17:00.001-08:00

Gabcast! Aggie Bull Horn February 5, 2009

Today's final segment including lots of jokes, our super bowl picks, Aggie Ball Picks, Aggie Hockey Picks, an update on Jared's dating life, and other stuff.

Sorry about the crummy audio. I'll check the board from now on.

Thanks, guys! You know it's awesome.

Jazz Win 7 straight, 9 straight at home

2010-02-03T22:38:00.001-08:00

The Jazz are doing great these days, and you can thank good passing, unselfish play, and a great attitude.

I would not like to be on the end of Kirilenko's block in this one, that's for sure. If AK-47 is willing to take a pay cut to stay in Salt Lake City, then Mr. O'Connor, sign him again, because he has been lights-out awesome the last few weeks. Unbelievable.

Take it to the bank - the Jazz are just 1/2 game out of 3rd in the West and are nipping at Dallas's heels.

Go Jazz.

USU rides the Missile past Northern Colorado, 4-1

2010-01-30T23:51:00.001-08:00

Coach Eccles Post UNC

Tyler Mistelbacher continued his offensively potent season Saturday night against the University of Northern Colorado (UNC), scoring twice and leading USU hockey to a 4-1 win.

"The Missile" is separating himself from the field in Division 2 of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) in terms of scoring. With a total of 38 goals, Mistelbacher ranks third in scoring on the season in all of D2 ACHA hockey behind only Samuel Wheeler of Northwestern (46) and UNLV's Michael Zenzola (39). Mistelbacher is tied with Kentucky's Tony Valerino (38), and Valerino has played two fewer games than Mistelbacher has this season.

187 teams play nationwide in D2 ACHA hockey, and Tyler Mistelbacher is behind only six players in the entire league in goals per game at 1.44.

"He's just on a tear right now," head coach Jon Eccles said of Mistelbacher, "but he's on a line where we've got some good guys feeding him the puck and setting him up. But he's a natural goal-scorer."

Mistelbacher scored the first goal of the game in the first period and another in the second. UNC, trailing by three after two, managed to get one by USU goaltender Dan Cornelius in the third and held USU scoreless until 0:15 mark. As a matter of fact, Eccles identified Cornelius as the standout player of the game for his excellent performance in the nets. Eccles said the only goal that Cornelius allowed was virtually impossible to defend.

"He played well," Eccles said. "The goal they scored on him was a redirect. It got deflected. It might have even gone off of one of our guys, but Dan played a great game."

The save statistics from this game tell much about the style of the game in addition to how dominant Cornelius was on Saturday. Cornelius had 22 saves on 23 shots made against his goal. By contrast, UNC's goaltender, Phil Tereyla, made 41 saves on 44 shots. Utah State was able to not only maintain possession of the puck and move it around in the offensive zone much more easily than their opponent, but also denied UNC any room offensively.

"We're playing well with team defense," Eccles said. "Everyone's getting back and helping. Our defensemen are chipping the puck out. We're getting good breakouts, and we're also getting enough people back to help. We're doing well in the neutral zone, tying it up and creating turnovers."

In a desperate attempt to generate some offense and hopefully deadlock the game at three apiece, UNC pulled their goalie at the end of the third period, artificially going on the power play. The plan backfired. USU was able to swipe the puck from UNC and made a beeline straight for the open net at the other end of the ice. Jeremy Martin controlled the puck and dished it to Billy Gouthro. Gouthro, in turn, got it to David Wyman, and he sunk the puck into the open net with only 15 seconds remaining in the game, sealing the win for the Aggies.

Also scoring in this game for USU besides Mistelbacher and Wyman was Jeremy Moore. Moore's first period goal put the Aggies ahead by two.

Utah State will next head to Colorado to take on Denver University, a top-10 team in the region, and Metro State. USU's next home game will be Friday, Feb. 19 when Denver University visits the Eccles Ice Center in the final game of the regular season for USU. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m.

USU v CV Trappers - Video News Story

2010-01-28T08:33:00.001-08:00

State of the Blog

2010-01-28T08:28:00.000-08:00

As you may have noticed, postings on this blog have become more and more sparse with the passage of time.

This posting is not to apologize for the lack of current information - this posting is to explain why.

I am a full-time student at USU. I pay to become educated, and so I have to take advantage of that educational opportunity, which means that if I have a choice between updating this blog and doing my homework, I'll do my homework. However, much of my homework and work in general is to cover current events, which means that whenever there is no conflict of interest, I'll be posting my work to this blog. Also, I'll try as much as possible to keep our radio segments up on this blog weekly. This is an effort that takes a lot of time, for which I neither pay nor am I paid. I certainly hope that you find this important. Please feel free to email me and tell me what you think of this blog or how it could be improved.

la.hem@aggiemail.usu.edu

That's pretty much the long and the short of it. Go Aggies

Aggie Women beat Lady Vandals with a Willams Buzzer-Beater

2010-01-28T08:03:00.001-08:00

Tahara Williams postgame

The Aggie women used a buzzer-beater by Tahara Williams to snap their 4-game losing streak and pick up one more win against Idaho.

Utah State led by nine with just over 4 minutes left, but Idaho went on a 7-0 run to bring it within two. The Aggies could not convert, and in the final minute, Idaho had a chance to tie. Tie they did.

Enter Williams.

Williams came down the court with just under nine seconds remaining. She saw an opportunity, hit the crossover à lá Deron Williams, and sank the 15-footer for the win as time expired.

This is the fourth athletic victory USU has had against Idaho this year (Football, Men's BBall, Women's BBall, Women's Soccer). As an athletic institution, USU is 4-2 against Idaho this year, USU's only losses coming in volleyball.

Head Coach Reagan Pebley said the win could be a turning point for the Aggie season.

"I don't care where you win," Pebley said, "When you get a win on the road, it can do huge things for your season and for your confidence."

Go here for more details.

USU - Hawai'i - Men's Basketball - Game 17

2010-01-11T21:25:00.000-08:00

Postgame Wrap-Up

Stew Postgame

Tai Postgame

Newbold Postgame

Redemption

That word of comfort, joy, reconciliation and conclusion appeared to be the theme for the beleaguered Aggie Ball club heading into Monday's matchup between Hawai'i and Utah State. The Aggies came into the game having dropped the last two games, the team's WAC opening games, on the road. The first loss was a close one to NMSU, but the second was not nearly as close. Louisiana Tech put on the chokehold and didn't let up the entire evening, pummeling USU into a 23-point hole from which the visitors never escaped.

That having been said, however, USU has overall fared well to this point in the season. USU finished the preseason dropping only four games, and closely contested ones at that. With 15 regular-season games remaining, the future remains in the hands of our boys in blue and white, and that future looks bright after the beatdown that USU put down on the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors in the Spectrum

Redemption.

Utah State had this season's most spectacular half of basketball they've played so far this season. USU shot 73.1 percent from the field over the half. Yes, 73.1 percent. The Aggies hit 19 of their 26 shots and completely put the beatdown on the visiting team. Seven of those makes were from 3-point land, the most spectacular of which was Jared Quayle's NBA distance buzzer-beater over the 6'10" Xi Jiang. Oh yeah, USU only took 8 shots from downtown as well. What was different in this game from the last ones?

First, the opponent. Hawai'i is good, but they aren't spectacular. They've won their fair share of games, but all have come against no-name teams. Hawai'i lost to BYU by a bunch, UNLV by a bunch, Idaho by seven, St. Mary's by nine, among others. Hawai'i is a mediocre team with a mediocre coach playing, well, mediocre...

Second, swagger. The Ags had it all night long. A great man once said, "A man should walk through life like a pilot through a cockpit: cool, calm and checkin' out the sexy stews!" If Tai Wesley lost his confidence at all on this most recent road trip, he certainly got it back. He was cracking jokes with the press and checking out a pair of good-lookin' cheerleaders in the hall during media interview times. Yeah, that's right Tai. I saw that. For the good of the team, I certainly hope Tai remains that way.

And finally, offensive execution was off the charts in this game. Truly rare is a 90-point performance from a college team in 40 minutes, but this game had every possibility to break 100. Combine Newbold's 5-5 night from the 3-point line with Brian Green's 3-3 night, and there's 24 points. BAM!

Sure Stew could have left in starters to run up the score, but Stew is compassionate - listen to his postgame interview and reasoning behind not trying to run up the score. Still, I only wish that USU had been able to grab that last rebound and score those last two points to hit the century mark. That would have been sweet.

So, is this USU team fixed? No. They dominate at home, but need to bottle the swagger and take it with them on the road. USU ran the floor really very well in this game, and that's the main reason why the Ags ran up such a high score. They need to do that as well on the road. Hawai'i had loads of turnovers in a very sloppy performance. Nevada won't play so poorly. And of course, USU needs to hit shots when the shot is there. The Aggies need to execute offensively and not be discouraged by the fact that the HURD is watching the game on the tube instead of in the seats.

In a final note, scientists discovered that rather than a pot of gold lying at the end of the rainbow, there's only a crappy basketball team. Tragic...

All-in-all, nice win Aggies. Kill 'em on Wednesday in Reno.

We're back from the break!

2010-01-11T17:43:00.000-08:00

There really isn't much to say except that this is the beginning of a New School Year! We're back on Fusion every week on Friday at 8 a.m. Join Tyler, Jared, and me, Landon, to get the update on what's happening in the world of Aggie Sports.

Go Aggies!

The Aggie Bull Horn - December 11, 2009

2009-12-11T15:56:00.000-08:00

BCS System/Bowls

Aggie Basketball

Hockey, Ladies' Ball
and Listener feedback

I'm not going to lie - today we had a great show, despite the lack of Jared and Tyler. I would like to thank everyone involved with the show and the blog this semester, and would like to remind everyone to tune into our show once again next semester on Fridays from 8-10 a.m. Merry Christmas everyone!

Aggies Head into Finals Week with a Loss

2009-12-06T10:33:00.000-08:00

Stew Post St. Mary's

Jared Quayle Post St Mary's

Tai Wesley Post St. Mary's

Two years, nine months and two days. Coming into Saturday, that's how much time had passed since the Aggies had lost a game at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The Aggies were riding a 37-game home winning streak, a 65-game regular season non-conference home winning streak, and a 41-game non-conference home winning streak. But St. Mary's - oooh, St. Mary's - stopped it all when the Gaels edged the Aggies 68-63 in the Spectrum.

Five teams beat USU in the 2008-09 season. BYU and St. Mary's College were two of those teams.

Both of this week's games were hard-fought scrums, but the SMC game was just too much. USU found itself down on multiple occasions, but used rallies and stretches in which the Aggie defense held solid and the SMC offense faltered to keep it a one-possession game. The game was decided in the last minute when SMC took advantage of a double-team on leading scorer Omar Samhan to open up the floor. Clint Steidl hit the 3, and then Pooh Williams was called for a charging foul on the ensuing possession with less than 20 seconds remaining. That pretty much did USU in.

Notable from this game was the lack of perimeter shooting. Pooh Williams went 6-7 from the field with two 3-pointers, but the Aggies two leading scorers, Jared Quayle and Tai Wesley, only managed to go 10-30 from the field. Wesley had a horrible night from the foul line, shooting 50%.

Also notable was the lack of rebounding at crucial, crucial times. On numerous occasions, Samhan and the other extremely long Gaels reached up in the air and were able to simply tip the ball away from the hoop and back to their players, regardless of positioning on the floor. USU won the rebound game and the turnover game, but lost the 2nd-chance points game by nine.

Everything about this game was just weird... The power went out at halftime, Scott Barnes tripped over his words when he announced that Romney Stadium would be renamed Merlin Olsen Field, I got to the game late, the officials forgot to get their eyes checked, I wasn't sitting in my usual spot among the fans... Everything about this game was just a bit weird.

The impenetrability of the Spectrum is now in question. This is the 13th loss in the last 12 years that Stew's crew has suffered at home. Whether or not this team will show the resolve to execute offensively down the stretch will be the key. Last season's team was always able to knock down the shots. This season's team hasn't been able to do that in the losses they've suffered so far this year. Whether this happens because the team can't find an open look or because they just can't sink the shots is up for debate, but I go for the latter. Quayle can't do it all every night - someone else needs to step up.

2009-12-04T14:26:00.001-08:00

Bill Sproat at the BYU game on Wednesday. Nicely done, Bill. Nicely done!

USU Lays It All Out but Offers No Serious Challenge to No. 6 Boise St.

2009-11-20T23:03:00.000-08:00

Coach A postgame

Diondre Borel postgame

Bobby Wagner Postgame

Michael Smith Postgame

Today in the Football segment of the Bull Horn, we three amigos identified a few keys to the BSU-USU football game.

Win the turnover battle
Control the lines
Limit the BSU big plays
Score on every opportunity

For 25 minutes, Utah State did almost all of those and looked every bit as good as the Boise State Broncos they and every other WAC team seeks to emulate. Although USU turned the ball over twice, the Aggies matched the Broncos score for score through 25 minutes of football. Then reality set in and it all came crashing down when Boise State took a three TD lead on three scores in roughly six minutes.

The first score of that three TD lead came after Moore finally connected on one his many longball attempts. Moore launched a 52-yard bomb to Titus Young, who caught the ball on the USU 2-yard line even though Rajric Coleman was guilty of pass interference. Doug Martin walked in the score on the next play. The score, while unfortunate, was not demoralizing to the Aggies, as USU had equalized the score of the game twice to that point. Demoralization came on the next USU series.

Diondre Borel and the Ags started their drive on their own 20. On 1st and 10, Borel was sacked for a 9-yard loss by BSU's Shea McClellin. On 2nd and 18, Borel and Robert Turbin miscommunicated on the handoff, the ball came out, and Boise recovered on the USU 9. One play later, USU found itself down by two TDs.

Desperate to score and bring the margin down to seven, the Aggies started their drive, but got to midfield and stalled. Peter Caldwell kept the Broncos honest, putting the ball on the BSU 17-yard line. Caldwell's efforts were in vain, however. Boise marched 85 yards in 1:28 and took a 35-14 lead.

Boise wasted no time in the third. They marched and scored on their first drive, widening the lead to 28. USU managed to drive and score one later in the quarter, but a 52-yarder from Kyle Brotzman again widened the margin to four scores.

Going into the fourth, USU had one option - produce the same type of quarter BSU produced in the 2nd or roll over like a dead rag doll. The first possession by the Aggies was not encouraging. USU moved the ball about 40 yards and was forced to punt. BSU scored on the next possession. I would write more from here, but I don't want to rub any more salt into the senior-night wound.

The first 25 minutes were encouraging. USU showed a lot of spunk, character, fire, desire, and will to win. After the fumble on the USU nine, USU folded like a house of cards in a poker tournament. The final result was 52-21 for the Broncos.

On a more positive note, Michael Smith converted two 4th down plays on fake punts, and Turbin scored on a TD run. Borel didn't do too bad, but would have done better if he knew how to throw the ball away once in a while.

Well, that's football. USU is on the road next week to wind up the season against a team the Aggies steamrolled last year. The Idaho Vandals definitely appear to be on the right track this year though. They are a bowl team, after all. If USU wins next week, we will have won four games this year, which is one more than the Aggies managed last year.

Best of luck on the road and on the recruiting trail. I guess there's always next year...
-LMH

Aggie Bull Horn #88 - November 20, 2009 - Our Predictions

2009-11-20T16:11:00.001-08:00

Gabcast! Aggie Bull Horn #88 - November 20, 2009 - Our Predictions

Aggie Bull Horn #87 - November 20, 2009 - Aggie Women's Ball & Cougar Kill Countdown

2009-11-20T16:08:00.003-08:00

Gabcast! Aggie Bull Horn #87 - November 20, 2009 - Aggie Women's Ball & Cougar Kill Countdown

Aggie Bull Horn #86 - November 20, 2009 - Aggie Hockey

2009-11-20T16:08:00.001-08:00

Gabcast! Aggie Bull Horn #86 - November 20, 2009 - Aggie Hockey

Aggie Bull Horn #85 - November 20, 2009 - Aggie Basketball

2009-11-20T16:04:00.001-08:00

Gabcast! Aggie Bull Horn #85 - November 20, 2009 - Aggie Basketball

Aggie Bull Horn #84 - November 20, 2009 - Aggie Football

2009-11-20T15:58:00.001-08:00

Gabcast! Aggie Bull Horn #84 - November 20, 2009 - Aggie Football

Aggie Bull Horn #83 - November 20, 2009 - Utah Jazz

2009-11-20T15:56:00.001-08:00

Gabcast! Aggie Bull Horn #83 - November 20, 2009 - Utah Jazz

The Utes Prevail Over the Aggies in a Close One, 68-67

2009-11-18T22:03:00.000-08:00

Stew Morrill Postgame

Tai Wesley Postgame

Jared Quayle Postgame

The last time Utah State played Utah in Salt Lake City, the Utes punished the Aggies by double digits. The game wasn't even close. Last year in Logan, USU beat the Utes on a last-second Tai Wesley bank shot off the glass. The play had to be reviewed, but the points were confirmed and the Aggies came away with the victory. This year, the Aggies looked to stretch the win streak against the Utes to two, and for 28 minutes, it looked like the Ags would pull it off. The Aggies had a seven point lead about eight minutes into the second half, forcing Boylen to take a time out.

USU then went about 5 minutes without scoring, and Utah put up 11 straight. Utah State took a one or two point lead a couple times during the last twelve minutes, but Utah was able to make the shots when it counted.

Stew was not pleased at all with his team's effort after the game, and I don't blame him. The Ags gave the ball away way too many times. USU finished with 17 turnovers and shot under the 49% hallmark shooting percentage. The Aggies did play very good defense. Indeed, the defense was what kept the Ags in the game for the most part. When the game came right down to it, however, USU couldn't make the shot when it counted, and that's why the Utes came away from the win.

Jared Quayle played like a mad man in the second half. Quayle was the reason the team even was relevant. He went 5-7 from 3-point land in the game, scored 27 points and pulled down 8 rebounds. When Quayle took a rest for because of foul troubles, USU didn't manage to score. Bendall and Wesley played decently, but Quayle was the real shining star from the Aggie Side.

On the other side of the ball, the real standout was Carlon Brown. He was Utah's leading scorer and gave USU plenty of troubling looks defensively.

The 2-guard spot was an absolute black hole for the Ags in SLC. Tyler Newbold went 0-5 from 3-point land, including a wide open three that would have tied the game with nine seconds left. He scored his first bucket of the game in the final minute, and it was a lay-up. Stew mentioned in his interview that he knew Tyler didn't play well. He'll bounce back.

USU now hits the road for Boston and Northwestern. The Aggies will face off in the Eastern Time Zone against a very imposing foe. If USU plays like it did tonight, we'll be looking at a 1-2 Aggie team next week when it returns home.

And since this is also a personal blog, I hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate HATE the U. They make my entire existence miserable.

Aggie Bull Horn #81 - USU-Utah 2nd half play-by-play

2009-11-18T21:50:00.007-08:00

Gabcast! Aggie Bull Horn #81 - USU-Utah 2nd half play-by-play

Aggie Bull Horn #77 - USU-Utah 1st Half Play-by-Play

2009-11-18T18:15:00.001-08:00

Gabcast! Aggie Bull Horn #77 - USU-Utah 1st Half Play-by-Play

USU defeats San Jose State Spartans in Football

2009-11-14T16:31:00.000-08:00

Gary Andersen Postgame

Rajric Coleman Postgame

Robert Turbin Postgame

Utah State football broke through this week for a third time. The Aggies checkmated the Spartans from San Jose, 24-9, in front of a very slim home crowd.

The big story in this game was Robert Turbin. The man is a beast. He ran for nearly 200 yards, passing the 1,000-yard mark for the season. Turbin's father was also in attendance at today's game. The signature play of Turbin's game today was a 37-yard TD run that began slow. Turbin drifted toward the left side of the field, and San Jose's entire defense shifted and gained momentum. Turbin saw it and came back the other way. Two cutbacks later, Turbin was in the endzone, celebrating a two TD lead.

On the downside, the defense still needs a lot of work, especially heading into the Boise game. One small bright spot shines in that USU allowed only 56 yards of rushing this week after being lit up by the Warriors last week on the islands. The downside? USU allowed 245 yards passing.

My thoughts on this game are scattered. Firstly, a winning record at home is awesome for this team. The completion of one of the teams major goals coming into this season should bring much excitement to the boosters and to the students. However, the Aggies played San Jose today. The Spartans only have one win this season, and that win came at the expense of Cal Poly. I know, right? A real college football Mecca... Next week, the Aggies can ruin everything for Boise State... and the WAC in general by beating the #5 team in the country. I am not sure this is something they can do, and even if they can, I don't know that winning is something USU should do. If Boise goes undefeated (and if TCU loses) the WAC will have its third BCS representative in five years. That means $$$ for the Aggies.

So you can see my dilemma heading into next week. Obviously, I want the Ags to pull it out. But watching Boise win again in the BCS will also make me happy.

All in all though, this win wraps up a great, great, great 24 hours for USU Athletics. The Ladies' Basketball team has beaten Utah, the men beat Weber on the road, and USU football finally got itself back to winning ways.

Go Aggies.
-lmh

Post Weber St Basketball Interviews

2009-11-13T21:19:00.000-08:00

Stew Postgame

Jared Quayle

Tyler Newbold

Well, the Ags did it. Check off win number one on the road. Next week the Ags face Utah and Northeastern.

The big story in tonight's game was Tai Wesley's inability to stay in the game. The officials gave Tai 4 fouls in the first half, and he didn't come back into the game until only around 5 minutes remain.

Highlight of the game - Tyler Newbold calling out to the Spectrum on Wheels shortly before the end of the first half - Pure Spectrum road magic.

This is a team that has a lot of ground to gain and not a lot of time to do it, but they are only two wins away from a perfect road trip to start the season. With Idaho's huge upset in the Huntsman Center, I believe that USU chances to put the beat down on the Utes just went up quite a bit. Also, Idaho's win tells me at least that Don Verlin knows what he's doing up there in Moscow. There's another standout former Stew Morrill assistant coach making life a lot more interesting for the Aggies.

It was a good game. Let's go Aggies!

Aggie Bull Horn #70 - Game 1 - USUvWSU - Ogden - 2nd half

2009-11-13T21:11:00.001-08:00

Gabcast! Aggie Bull Horn #70 - Game 1 - USUvWSU - Ogden - 2nd half

Aggie Bull Horn #69 - Game 1 - USUvWSU - Ogden Utah - First Half

2009-11-13T19:29:00.001-08:00

Gabcast! Aggie Bull Horn #69 - Game 1 - USUvWSU - Ogden Utah - First Half

In the first half, the Fusion HD3 plays of the game can be found at the following times in this file -
16:40
22:40
33:06
35:00
36:00

Keep it here for the second half.

Aggie Bull Horn #68 - November 13, 2009 - Basketball Segment

2009-11-13T15:59:00.003-08:00

Gabcast! Aggie Bull Horn #68 - November 13, 2009 - Basketball Segment

Aggie Bull Horn #67 - November 13, 2009 - Everything Else

2009-11-13T15:59:00.001-08:00

Gabcast! Aggie Bull Horn #67 - November 13, 2009 - Everything Else

Aggie Bull Horn #66 - 3rd Period Aggie Hockey at BYU

2009-11-07T14:18:00.001-08:00

The Aggies went and put the beat down on Aggie Hockey Friday night in Provo - This is my play-by-play of the third period, which was by far the best of the game.

I have about half of the second period as well, but I chose not to post it because my recording is not very good, first of all, and second of all, the batteries in my recorder died. I arrived at the game with two minutes remaining in the first period.

If it ever seems like I'm somewhat distracted, please bear with me. There was this little kid named Ryan who shadowed me the whole time. He looked like a kid in a candy store watching me do my play-by-play behind the USU goal, and I didn't have it in me to tell him to buzz off. In any case, he watched me the whole time, often marveling and how fast I was speaking. So, I let him stick around and even asked for a contribution every now and again. I really liked it when the boy said it was over halfway through the period. It made me feel good to hear a BYU fan say the game was over halfway through! Eat that, Cougs!

USU Hockey takes on SJSU in the Eccles Ice arena tonight. Enjoy, everybody!

Women's Soccer Cat Fight - HOLY CRAP

2009-11-06T13:22:00.001-08:00

This is absolutely nuts

Aggie Bull Horn - Exclusive Interview with Stew Morrill

2009-11-06T10:55:00.001-08:00

Aggie Bull Horn - Exclusive Interview with Stew Morrill

Hilarious D-Will commercial

2009-11-06T10:50:00.000-08:00

This is one funny commercial TNT put on in preparation for this season of NBA basketball. It's great. It's got Mr. Rainn Wilson, better known as Dwight Schrute, in it. Check it

Aggie Bull Horn October 30, 2009

2009-11-02T16:04:00.001-08:00

Aggie Bull Horn October 30, 2009

USU Soccer clinches the 2nd seed in the WAC tournament!!!!

2009-11-02T15:47:00.000-08:00

There were two games over the weekend on Chuck and Gloria Bell Field.

Shantel Flanary had two goals, Lauren Hansen had one, Heather Pond also scored and little Jamee Dyches scored her first collegiate goal on a screamer from about 20 yards out on the left side to the far post. It was a brilliant goal. Hats off to Dyches for her first collegiate goal - in fact it was the goal that clinched the WAC tournament berth for the Aggies.

We've got you hooked up with the best stories about our Lady Ags.

LATECH - Utah Statesman

NMSU - UtahStateAggies.com

The Aggies are now sitting solidly in second place after these two critical home wins. Here are the seeds in this weekend's tournament:

1. San Jose State
2. Utah State
3. Boise State
4. Nevada
5. New Mexico State
6. Fresno State

Hawai'i, Louisiana Tech, and Idaho did not qualify for the conference tournament.

The format for this tournament is similar to the NFL playoffs. The #1 and #2 seeds earn a bye. No. 3 will play no. 6 and no. 4 will play no. 5 in the first round. After the first round, No. 2 will play against the winner of the 3/6 matchup (Boise/Fresno) and no. 1 will face the winner of the 4/5 matchup. The winner of those two matches will advance to the final match, and then a winner will be decided.

Bracket to Print

So, gear up ladies and gentlemen!!! It's fall tournament time, and the Aggies are looking to get it done this year after falling in double overtime last year.

The only team that is in this tournament that USU has lost to is the fourth seed, Nevada. USU beat Boise on the road this year and Fresno at home, both by a margin of 1-0. USU is definitely capable of executing and getting it done. The only item that remains in this year's mission to greatness is three straight wins. No more ties, ladies and gents... Wins and Losses only.

Go get 'em Ags!

Post-Game Interviews from the USU-NNU game

2009-10-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

These are the post game interviews from USU-NNU

Stew Morrill

Tai Wesley

Nate Bendall

Preston Medlin

If you listen carefully, you'll see that all of the interviewed identified defense and rebounding as a major cause for concern.

USU-Northwest Nazarene Wrap-Up

2009-10-30T21:05:00.000-07:00

1st Half Part 1

1st Half Part 2

2nd Half Part 1

2nd Half Part 2

Every USU fan knows it's time to start the grills for the sacrificial lamb when Halloween rolls around. This year was no exception. Returning to the Spectrum was Northwest Nazarene University for exhibition action. Let me quote the great Scotty Smalls (The Sandlot)

"It was a solid victory. In fact, we beat the crap out of those guys."

Tonight's game really was no contest for a USU squad returning three starters - Pooh Williams is injured - and a whole fistful of powerful post players. Returning from last year's squad are Tai Wesley, Brady Jardine and Matt Formisano. Joining them is newcomer Nate Bendall who actually played here in Logan before leaving on an LDS mission.

With all of these returning starters, you would think it would be easy for the Ags to crash the boards. Not so. NNU got 36 rebounds to USU's 38 - NNU led the rebounding war most of the game despite the inflated score.

Speaking of inflated items, how about that score? USU won this game 85-51. Like I said, no contest.

However, defense continues to be a weak point for the Aggies, and everyone on the team acknowledges that fact. The fact that 18 of NNU's 36 rebounds were offensive rebounds should be a tip to that fact.

Highlighting the Ags' play were the post players Bendall and Wesley. Both scored 17 points, Tai went 8 for 9 from the field, and Bendall batted 1.000, hitting all 7 of his shot attempts.

Preston Medlin hit quite a few three pointers as well in critical moments. Listen to the play-by-play, and you'll quickly see.

Blue and White Scrimmage Recap

2009-10-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

Stew pre-game to the fans

Tai Wesley Post-Game

Brady Jardine Post-Game

Brian Green Post Game

Jared Quayle Post-Game

Stew Morrill Post-Game

A game like this is always hard to report on. There is so much talent, so much hope, and so much opportunity at the beginning of the season that I have a hard time grasping how this team would compare to the great teams of the last two years. One thing is certain - expectations are at an all time high.

Also one thing is certain - Brian Green can shoot the long ball. USU played itself in a man defense for the entire first half. That led to dominating performances by Tai Wesley, Brady Jardine and Modou Niang. Newcomer Nate Bendall had a decent outing, but the real showstopper was Green. He hit four straight 3-pointers in the beginning of the second half. Stew said he tried Green at the 1-guard role briefly, but with the absence of Pooh Williams to his injured foot, Green has since been rotated to the shooting guard role. Green seems very comfortable. He also is a very vocal player. In fact, he was the most vocal player on the team throughout the entire scrimmage, commanding the troops and giving good support to his new teammates. Green said the biggest factor in his transfer to USU from NJCAA National Basketball Champion SLCC was Gary Wilkinson with whom he played in Salt Lake and from whom he accepted invitations to visit the Spectrum during home stands. Apparently, the Aggie faithful impressed him.

Nearly as impressive was the true freshman from Carrolton, Texas, Preston Medlin. He almost went step for step with Green, hitting two 3's in succession, missing one, and then putting the fourth attempt home. Medlin hit his shots also when the Aggie coaches told their team to play... itself... in zone coverage, leaving the perimeter much more open than it would have otherwise been.

I would suppose by the way that the new 7-footer freshman Anthony DiLoreto played last night that he will be red-shirting this year. He did well, but showed a lot of freshman qualities and inexperience. He certainly has the potential to be a big star in this state in a few years. That much is certain.

Notable in this team is that there is only one Senior - Jared Quayle. We all remember Quayle and his dominating performance last year as a JuCo transfer. He looked really well distributing the ball, involving players, and running the system.

The team is not very weak, but as you listen to the post-game interviews, you'll notice that nearly all of the players and coaches said the team needs to improve defensively. I don't know how much stock I place in this since we can't see how the Ags measure up against the Utes and Cougars and Wildcats, but we'll find out soon enough. Weber and Utah are only two weeks away.

The Blue and White Scrimmage - Wednesday October 28 2009

2009-10-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

This is the play by play from Wednesday's Blue and White Scrimmage. Enjoy!

USU-LaTech - USU's First FBS Win!

2009-10-26T18:54:00.000-07:00

Coach Anderson and the Utah State Aggies won their first WAC game of the season as they squeaked out a close one 23-21 against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

The defense for the Ags came up huge to stop the Bulldogs, who were driving for the winning score on a 4th and three with just over a minute remaining in the game.

The defense also held on with some defensive studs missing. Star Safety James Brindley was injured early in the game and did not return. Backup safety Walter McClenton stepped in and did a fantastic job as he led the Aggies with 13 tackles in the game. In the 4th Kejon Murphy also was injured, and Curtis Marsh did a nice job filling in for him. The Ag D also came up with four big sacks on the day, which was huge, especially after having only six coming into Saturday’s game.

Scoring was hard to come by until the second quarter when the fun began. Diondre Borel connected with Stanley Morrison for a 41-yard pass for the TD. A few minutes later Aggie running back Dervin Speight found pay dirt when he scampered 44 yards for the endzone. A 100-yard kickoff return by Livas for LaTech kept the score close going into halftime.

Also before the half, Aggie Sophomore Bobby Wagner had the play of the game. The Tech quarterback threw down the middle of the field and Wagner jumped up and snagged the ball out of the air with one hand for an interception.

The Ags got back to the run game. Turbin led the charge with 95 yards on 22 carries, and the Ags finished with 157 rushing yards for the game. Borel did an excellent job of managing the game, not making any huge mistakes and keeping the team in a position to win. No turnovers or big mistakes ended up being a big plus for the Ags. Mistakes have plagued them all season.

LaTech made a valiant comeback in the fourth, climbing to within two points. Aggie fans were nervous; USU had blown leads in two games prior to this one. The Aggie defense stepped up big and made the plays at the end of the game which proved to be the difference.

Vandaveer Album Review

2009-10-23T15:36:00.001-07:00

I wrote an album review for the Statesman today.

Find it here

Today's Aggie Bull Horn

2009-10-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

Aggie Bull Horn - October 23, 2009

USU Football Woes, 7 days to Basketball Season, USU Soccer coming down the Pipeline, and USU Hockey will put the beatdown on the U tonight!

Last Year's WAC tournament

2009-10-21T14:56:00.000-07:00

This is a good synopsis of the USU-Fresno Game from last year. As you can see, the final goal of the tournament was a 30-yard rocket.

Lauren Hansen did have an excellent goal against the Bulldogs last year, but double overtime is a killer. As you can tell, USU did not look very happy.

USU already defeated FSU once this year off of Hansen's goal in the 69th minute of play.

Find the article on last weekend's matches here, and scroll down for the postgame interviews.

Coach Andersen Interview

2009-10-20T17:13:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to speak with Coach A today and got his thoughts on what went down last weekend and what he's looking to do against Lousiana Tech.

Enjoy!