This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
College football and basketball seasons converge just enough to create multiple opportunities for success and failure in a school's flagship sports. That's how last weekend's performance could be declared Utah State's worst two-day showing in almost a decade.
Only the fact that the basketball team's loss came in an exhibition game kept the dual effort from sinking any lower in Aggie lore. So the November 2006 combination of a 42-point football defeat at Nevada and a 17-point basketball loss at Northwestern State of Louisiana remains USU's biggest mutual disgrace of this century.
Yet when the subsequent, sudden loss of the basketball team's No. 2 scorer is added to the disheartening events of November, it is clear that the month is not progressing well for the Aggies. They need some good news — and soon.
Sophomore forward David Collette's pending transfer from USU is a stunning development. Coach Tim Duryea's decrying the "poaching" of players by other programs will could Collette's next move — depending on where he lands — even more controversial. It is difficult to imagine another coach targeting Collette, knowing that he won't be eligible to play until about Dec. 20, 2016 — with less than two full seasons of eligibility remaining — but you never know.
Regardless of how Duryea's first season plays out, the 77-60 exhibition loss to Cal State Monterey Bay and Collette's transfer will become the backdrop. Both events can be spun positively if the Aggies win Friday night at Weber State. Conversely, any more negativity could create a downward spiral for Duryea as he tries to establish his program.
As for the football team, I'm looking silly for declaring the Aggies in the mix for a New Year's 6 bowl opportunity after last month's upset of Boise State. Well, it was true at the time. USU's 48-14 loss at San Diego State, followed by last Saturday's 14-13 defeat at New Mexico, now make it unlikely for the Aggies to win their division of the Mountain West.
USU benefited from Boise State's similar fade in 2013, enabling the Aggies to play in the conference championship game after losing to the Broncos. The Aggies (5-4) can stay in the race if they win Saturday at Air Force, although they still would need some help from a Boise State opponent. If they lose to Air Force, though, the Aggies will have to beat Nevada or BYU just to finish 6-6 - far short of expectations for 2015.
The good news is that coach Matt Wells is losing some marketability on a national level, increasing the chances of him staying in Logan. Of course, if the Aggies have another weekend like the last one, Wells and Duryea won't be especially popular even in their own town.
Twitter: @tribkurt