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

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.

Aggies Head into Finals Week with a Loss

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.

Football Postgame Interviews

These are Interviews from Gary Andersen, Robert Turbin, and James Brindley after the USU loss to Utah.

I will talk about these and have things ready for you to hear on Friday at 2. Be listening!

Fusion HD3 Website

Gary Andersen
on air #4 - Gary Andersen Postgame Vs Utah



James Brindley
on air #6 - James Brindley Interview



Robert Turbin
on air #5 - Robert Turbin v Utah

Lindsey Smart - A Smart Girl

Lindsey Smart is one awesome young lady and an excellent captain for the soccer team. I had the privelege of interviewing her and writing a feature article for the Statesman about her.

You can read it here

Also, she's really, really good at soccer and I continue to look forward to watching this team play in the WAC. USU soccer has the chance to take down the No. 21 team in the nation, the Oklahoma State Cowgirls.

The game is at Bell Field at 7 p.m. Come find me. I'll be there.

Peace out, and go Aggies.

USU basketball brings in Anthony DiLoreto

Here's the question - have you seen him around on campus yet?

USU basketball signed a high school prep star last week, and he is now in classes at Utah State. His name is Anthony DiLoreto. He's a 7-foot center and defensive specialist with two Minnesota State Prep Championships under his belt. Coach Morrill has said he's come from a high quality program with a high quality coach and that this team is a great fit for him. It seems like this kid is coming with all the talent in the world behind him as he starts his collegiate career this week as an Aggie.

But he's got a downside too. The boy has a criminal record.

The man is facing felony charges on the robbery of a bank in Wisconsin. Apparently, he decided to bail in the middle of the operation, leaving his partner stranded to run from the law.

You can read all the details of this incident here

While bringing in someone with a sketchy past is not the worst thing that could happen, it does raise eyebrows.

The way I see it, this kid can either be David Pak, a kid with a troubled past that turned his life around, paid his debt to society, and is now a contributor to the world rather than a detractor, or he can be a wash.

My money is more easily put on the fact that this kid will contribute to the team and build his life the right way. I don't believe that Stew Morrill would look to taint this first 30-win season in USU history and the first outright conference title by bringing in someone who will only hurt this team.

I can't expect this kid to be perfect, but I will expect him to work hard since he's going to be the tallest player on the roster along with Modou Niang. This school needs a dominant center, and a 7-footer never is a detraction.

The USU press release on DiLoreto is here

You can expect me to ask Stew some questions about him (if I can get an interview with him before the basketball season starts.)

In Stew we trust!

USU basketball schedule released

Utah State's basketball schedule has just been released! You can find it here.

Expect an in depth analysis of all of these games down the road. I look forward to taking a closer look at the basketball season in October! For now, mark your calendars! There will be great things ahead for our Aggies!

BYU injuries - Does this affect the Aggies?

Click here for a cougar injury report for the year

BYU is suffering and taking hard, hard hits...in fall camp.

You would normally expect the amount of injuries that have occured in Cougar-land to happen halfway through the season. But preseason? Really?

The latest, although it doesn't appear on the above list, is one that had cougar central shaking in its booties. BYU QB Max Hall, entering his senior season, dislocated a finger today in camp. Despite the injury, Hall continued to play and did well. He threw a touchdown pass after he got hurt, and continued to play hard, just like any cougar fan would expect him to.

Enough accolades for Max Hall's toughness. The real question is, "How is this going to affect the BYU-USU game in week 4?"

It could.

I only say that because I don't know how this will affect the first few games of the season, but I will say that if the Offensive Line is seriously affected by all of these injuries, it most definitely will affect the BYU-USU game in Provo.

The injuries in Provo are now getting to be such an issue that BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall has slowed the practices down, as you can tell by reading this article. 1320 KFAN in SLC reported earlier today that there are a total of 24 injuries in BYU's fall camp, and it is clear that in all of the WAC and MWC teams, BYU is suffering the most at the hands of...itself.

Matt Reynolds, the only senior on the line, is out for the showdown with Oklahoma because of his hand. Another starter on the Offensive line, Jason Speredon, is now out for the entire season after tearing a rotator cuff in his shoulder. Clearly, Depth and Strength are now becoming a factor for the BYU O-line.

With Gary Andersen's defensive prowess, if the Aggie D-line can outrun and outfox the Cougars, this game is going to take on a whole new dimension. Without an offensive line to stop any sort of pass rush, Max Hall is going to have to play on an NFL level to progress offensively on the field. We all know what happened last time Max Hall suffered under real pressure... Five interceptions and one lost fumble later, the Utes had stamped their ticket to the BCS. Who was the coach of the defense that provided the unreal pressure that clearly affected Hall? USU's head coach, Gary Anderson.

Anyway, will USU beat BYU? I still am thinking that they won't. They are still a much deeper team than USU. But if the trend continues like it has, the likelihood that BYU meets up with USU with a 1-2 record increases and also increases the likelihood that USU can win.

You can post feedback and comments to this below, or check out my facebook page. I want to hear your opinion.

USU coaching, schedule and predictions

A Movement II Moment

Part 1 of 4

USU Football is Upon Us

Utah State is about to start again this year looking to exceed expectations both in Logan and around the WAC.

They were picked to start seventh in the conference in the preseason media polls, one ahead of New Mexico State and two ahead of cupcake Idaho. Everything coming out of the aggie training camp is saying the team is thirsty for more.

For example, take this article by the Deseret News. Is it reasonable to assume that not in the last ten years has there been so much expected from the UtAgs?

Every year for the past 15 years, more or less, the question behind the Utah State football program has been, "How many games will the Ags lose this year?" or "Is it possible that USU could win a few for the home crowd, even if they fold on every away game?" or "Is it worth paying the $50+ to take my family to one of these games?" It certainly can be said that Aggie football has been about seeing the best programs come into Logan (if we could get them here) to roll all over the Aggies. My question here is the following - are these questions that belong to the past?

It certainly is normal for hype surrounding a program to increase after a coaching change. We saw similar things with Guy and his predecessors. Those coaches all gave reason to hope for a turnaround in the red-headed stepchild team in the state of Utah. (It's what USU football has been people - get over it.) HOWEVER, none of those coaches had strong Utah roots, had the recruiting credentials that Mr. Andersen has, nor the strong showing of a coaching presence on a national stage like Mr. Andersen has.

I don't care who you are - you cannot deny that the Ute Defense was everything including unstoppable last season. That defense was practically impenatrable. The mastermind behind that defense is now up north in Aggie blue.

Read carefully - ONLY AN IDIOT WOULD HOPE FOR MORE THAN SIX WINS FOR USU FOOTBALL THIS SEASON

So what can we in blue hope for? Let's break this year's schedule down game by game, starting with Utah this time and continuing through homecoming.

Opponent #1: The University of Utah Utes

Prediction: USU 9-28 Utah

Utah is coming off a Sugar Bowl win and a long and confusing off season. Utah lost only a couple offensive players, but those losses were really costly. Case in point, one Brian Johnson. Since then, Utah has been in limbo at the quarterback position. During spring ball, it was last year's backup, Corbin Louks who appears to have lost the confidence of the coaches. It was his job to lose - that much is clear. Now moving towards the start of the season, Louks has been battling Terrance Cain, a JuCo transfer for the job ever since. The battle has appeared so fierce that the Ute Coaching staff has not named a starter heading into training camp. Offensively, if Utah can't solidify a starter for this team before they face USU, the Aggies stand that much more of a chance of winning this football game. Keeping the Utes from scoring will be crucial, and if Anderson is able to whip a defensive unit trying to learn an entirely new scheme into shape, USU stands a reasonable chance of keeping the Ute offense in check.

That having been said, this game is a longshot - even with the defensive experience and brilliance of Anderson at the helm. I have to call the Aggies losing this game.

Let's be honest. Utah's defense may not have the same mind behind it, but it does have vastly superior talent to Utah State's offense. Last year, the only score that USU managed to get against the Utes was a 10-yard pass play Borel threw into the end zone after a fumbled punt return. It happened early, it happened fast, and then the Ute defense locked down and didn't let up for another grueling 56 minutes. That was that.

Look for more of the same from Utah this year. Especially since this game will be in Salt Lake City, the Ute Defense will not allow USU to score much, if at all. Everything in this game will depend on Borel's aptitude at reading and executing his offense, and how well the Aggie defense has been able to mold to Anderson's schemes. A good Aggie defense is the key to this one. The lower the score, the better.

Opponent #2: Aggies of Texas A&M

Prediction: USU 28-24 A&M

What? Dost I hear scoffing? Ok, so I am really going out on a limb here with this pick, and yes, my pick may be more influenced by hope than reality... BUT no one can deny that this win is possible. Why? Read on.

A&M is in the Big XII, yes. Yes, their schedule is much more difficult than Utah State. They play Oklahoma and Texas every year. Yes, the aspirations of A&M are much higher than USU's every year because of the mere possibility of a BCS game if they can win over 10 games. But, I do not believe that one will earn a victory this early in the season simply because of conference. By this game, A&M will probably have lost their first game against New Mexico and will be looking for an easy win in College Station. A fired up Utah State team will not allow it.

A&M went 4-8 last year, with their wins coming against illustrious teams like Colorado, who went 2-6 in conference, and Iowa State, who didn't win a single conference game last year. Their other wins came in a very close one against New Mexico and Army. This is not Oklahoma. This is not Texas. This is A&M. This is a team that has been going the way of the northern aggie for the last few seasons. They have had no direction.

Also, let it be said that I am no fan at all of the belief that conference entitles a team to a victory. May I cite the following games as examples: Wyoming-Tennessee 08; Hawaii-Washington 06; Utah-Pitt 05 (Fiesta Bowl); Utah-Alabama 09 (Sugar Bowl); BYU-Kansas State 96 (Cotton Bowl); BYU-Miami 90; and finally my best case in point, Boise St-Oklahoma 06 (Fiesta Bowl). There are just as many cases that a quality mid-major team can beat one of the BCS conference teams on the right day with the right matchup. Sure, USU is just going to be fighting for a winning season and a bowl berth, certainly not a BCS bowl berth, but this A&M team is beatable.

For USU, it will be a tall order, but a fillable one. I'm putting out the upset watch sign on this game.

Victim #1: errr...... Opponent #3: The Southern Utah Thunderbirds

Prediction: USU 42-6 SUU

Where to start with this game? This is the home opener for Utah State and the Aggie Homecoming game. Utah State will have every reason to win this game and should let loose on the small Division II opponent from Cedar City.

Not only is SUU a DII team, but they are a bottom dwelling DII team. Last year they went 4-7 in the Great West conference. The only D-1 FBS team that SUU faced last year was Air Force, and they were trounced 41-7. These guys are cupcakes, even more than Idaho and New Mexico State.

Much more than what I've just said is just statistic stacking. One sidenote that I think should be mentioned is the fact that Coach Andersen is a former head coach of SUU. In the first three games of the season, Gary will face the two teams he used to coach.

More to come... check in later.