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Logan • The Utah State Aggies took defending national champion Auburn to the wire in a road loss that got them some rare national attention, then pummeled Weber State in their home opener. Which sets things up nicely for Saturday, when USU plays host to Colorado State at Romney Stadium.
With a win over the Rams, the Aggies would earn their first two-game home winning streak since 1997, notch a second win over a Mountain West Conference opponent in as many years, gain valuable momentum going into next week's game at Brigham Young University, and, perhaps most crucially, take a big step toward the program's first bowl berth since 1997.
You know, like last year.
Except last year didn't turn out so well. Faced with a nearly identical situation last September, the Aggies fell flat on their faces.
They took powerhouse Oklahoma to the final minutes in Norman in their opener before falling short, came home and whipped the Big Sky's Idaho State, then, with anticipation building and in front of a nearly full stadium, Utah State was routed 41-24 at home by Fresno State.
And just like that, everything changed. Injuries to mainstays like running back Robert Turbin and receiver Stanley Morrison stacked up. USU coach Gary Andersen had a short stay in the hospital after blacking out and suffering a head injury, and the Aggies struggled to a second straight 4-8 finish.
"It was hard to take," Aggies defensive end Quinn Garner said. "It was everything. The injuries.
"The loss to Fresno, the grind of the season. It was hard. We never want to go through that again."
The Aggies haven't been 2-1 since 1997, and they are looking for two consecutive home wins for the first time in the Andersen era.
And USU isn't the only one looking for a breakout season. WAC commissioner Karl Benson is looking for his league's next signature football program. The Aggies, with their Turbin-led running game, the fast emergence of freshman quarterback Chuckie Keeton and improved line play on the both sides of the ball, look like as good a candidate as any to supplant Boise State (gone to the Mountain West) and Nevada and Hawaii (MWC-bound next year) as the WAC's next big thing. A win Saturday would be a sign that Utah State is trending in the right direction.
"Since 1999, every WAC-Mountain West game has been important," said Benson, who plans to attend Saturday's game. "As the WAC goes forward gain, with the core of the five ongoing schools, we're going to compete against the Mountain West. We share the same footprint, the same recruiting states. This one may mean a little more to USU because of what's transpired over the course of the past year."
In many ways, coming close against Oklahoma in 2010 was the worst thing that could've happened to the Aggies.
In the following weeks, practices weren't quite the same. They weren't as intense. They didn't have the same feel, the same hunger as before.
"Guys were a little complacent," Garner said. "People started settling, like we had arrived. I don't think that will happen this year. We have too many people that have been here before."
The evidence appears to bear that out. The Aggies don't talk about a potential bowl game when asked. They don't focus on anything but the next opponent. For Utah State, the loss to Auburn was frustrating, not something to be celebrated like the near-win against the Sooners.
The win over Weber State was different from the victory last season over ISU, because the Aggies found a way to dominate the Wildcats in a way they never did with Idaho State.
Most importantly, the Colorado State matchup is about climbing another rung on the ladder. And it's about finding a way to win, when Utah State has previously found so many ways to lose.
"It's a tremendous opportunity for us," Andersen said. "It allows us to take the next step. We haven't won two in a row. It allows us to do that. It's just one more thing we haven't accomplished. We've made tremendous strides. This could be another one for us."
Twitter: @tonyaggieville —
What's at stake
With a win over Colorado State, Utah State would earn its first two-game home winning streak since 1997, notch a second win over a Mountain West Conference opponent in two years and gain momentum for next week's matchup with BYU. A win over the Rams also would be a big step toward a bowl. —
Not-so-fast starts
The Aggies after their first three games in each of the last 10 years:
Year Record
2010 1-2
2009 1-2
2008 0-3
2007 0-3
2006 0-3
2005 1-2
2004 1-2
2003 0-3
2002 1-2
2001 0-3