Utah State Season in Review

It was Gary Anderson's first season in Logan, and I will have to call it a success, even if the Aggies did not finish the season Bowl eligible.  Rome was not build in a day, and a team does not go from 1-11 to 6-6 with road games at Utah, Texas A&M and BYU and a home game against Boise State.  Yes, there were some close and disappointing losses, but overall the Aggies were better than I expected this year.

The Aggies finished 4-8 overall and 3-5 in WAC play.  They were two wins from bowl eligibility, and had three one-score games in conference play, and also had a one-score loss at Texas A&M.  But more important than the Win-Loss record, USU averaged some 15,900 fans through the turnstiles at Romney Stadium without either BYU or Utah on the home schedule.

The games that could have turned the season around for USU

@ Texas A&M--The first drive in the fourth quarter stalled and ended in downs.  The Aggies had the ball with less than a minute left and fumbled it away.

@ New Mexico State--The Aggies were penalized 12 times for 128 yards in a game that was decided by 3 points.

Vs. Nevada--USU let a 24-14 lead get away.  It was an Aggie fumble in the 3rd quarter that led to the first 7 of 21 unanswered Wolfpack points.  The fumble gave the Wolfpack the momentum that Nevada carried for most of the second half.

@ Fresno State--USU also had a 27-17 half time lead, but could not move the ball in the second half.

So, with a little more experience and consistent play, the Aggie should turn the corner and be bowl eligible in 2010.  They have a hole to fill in the schedule for 2010 as well.  That will likely be a home game against an FCS team.  They have road non-conference games scheduled at Oklahoma and San Diego State with a home game against BYU.  They should flip the conference schedule which means they will have Hawaii, Fresno State, New Mexico State and Idaho at home with Nevada, Boise State, Louisiana Tech and San Jose State on the road.  With this schedule, and optimist would put them at 10-2, a pessimist at 6-6 and a realist at 8-4.  Either way, the USU Aggies go bowling in 2010.