This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
On Monday when BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall called the matchup with Utah State a huge game, the Aggies understood he was taking more of a dig at the Utah Utes for not scheduling the Cougars rather than giving the Aggies credit for being an improved program.
Yet the Aggies believe they can indeed be a huge opponent for the Cougars.
Sure, the Cougars are undefeated, have a quarterback who is gaining a national reputation and are 6-1 against the Aggies under coach Bronco Mendenhall.
The Aggies, meanwhile, will head into the game with backup quarterback Darell Garretson as the starter following Wednesday's news that Chuckie Keeton could be out for the season due to lingering knee issues.
But none of those points are dampening the enthusiasm of the Aggies.
"The last time we beat them was before I got here, so I'm looking for my first win," offensive lineman Kevin Whimpey said. "What better place for it to come than down in Provo. It's really important for us, and probably for the coaches for in-state recruiting, but for us for bragging rights."
The Utah and BYU rivalry had national attention as the "Holy War," but with the Utes bowing out of scheduling the Aggies and the BYU-Utah rivalry not a yearly guarantee, both the Aggies and Cougars seem willing to turn their rivalry into a more high-profile clash.
"We're excited about playing BYU and I promise you our players are too," Utah State coach Matt Wells said. "They're excited about playing us? Cool. You've got a team that's undefeated and deservedly in the playoff talks. They're going to have to beat Utah State to do that."
Unfortunately for the Aggies, notching wins against them hasn't been too difficult for the Cougars lately.
The Aggies' last win over the Cougars was a 31-16 decision in 2010. Since then, the Aggies have lost 27-24 in 2011, 6-3 in 2012 and 31-14 in 2013.
Linebacker Zach Vigil joked this week he imagined that 6-3 game was probably one of the worst fans had had to sit through since it lacked much offense.
However, that is just the kind of game the Aggies would love to have this time, to better their chances of logging an upset.
BYU's offense is running well behind quarterback Taysom Hill, while the Aggies have struggled with their own.
However, Whimpey is optimistic the offense can be better and is working hard on deficiencies.
"We thought we would be prepared and the coaches have put us in a position to be prepared, but things haven't clicked," he said. "That means that we as players and we as leaders on the offense need to do more and that's something that we are doing."
While part of the offensive issues has been missed opportunities and untimely mistakes that have killed drives, Whimpey said ultimately more reps and time is the answer to help the offense improve. Until then, he admits, the Aggies still need the defense to carry them.
"I think we're playing at a championship level on defense," he said. "That's why I haven't really panicked yet as one of the leaders on the offense. I know Zach [Vigil] has his guys right. I know the defensive line is going to come off the ball and stop the run, so as soon as we click, we'll be the team that we want to be. I know it."
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