This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Logan • Utah State opens football practice Friday at renovated Maverik Stadium — the first step on what the Aggies hope is the road to redemption.
Utah State finished 6-7 last season, after enjoying a splendid start. Halfway through, USU was 4-2 overall — losing only to Pac-12 teams Utah and Washington. The Aggies were 3-0 in the Mountain West Conference.
And after they rolled to a 52-26 victory over Boise State on Oct. 16, the future was in their hands.
They fumbled.
Utah State lost five of its last seven games, including last-minute defeats to New Mexico (14-13), Air Force (35-28) and Akron in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (23-21).
"After that Boise State game," defensive end Ricky Ali'ifua said, "I think we focused more on the end result and what we wanted our season to be instead of focusing on game-by-game.
"That's how we started strong. We worried about one game. But after Boise, I think we thought it was in the bag. That was definitely the wrong mentality, especially against the quality of opponents we still had to play."
Center Austin Stephens agreed.
"We weren't OK with the way things happened last year," he said. "It's motivating and we keep using that as we go forward, because it wasn't what we wanted. We had some highs and we had some lows. But we want to continue to build this program and take it to another level."
Utah State will hold its annual preseason media event on Thursday. It opens the season Sept. 1 against Weber State, as the Aggies try to rebound from their first losing season since 2010.
"It was a good learning experience for us," Ali'ifua said. "It sucked we had to learn the hard way, but sometimes that's the route you have to take in order to learn a big lesson. And we definitely learned that big lesson. And we grew up a little from that experience."
Utah State, which will attempt to reach its sixth straight bowl games, returns 12 starters, including nine on offense.
In training camp, the Aggies will practice in pads for the first time on Aug. 10. Two-a-days begin on Aug. 12. They will scrimmage three times, but only the last one on Aug. 20 will be open to the public.
"We are excited to start the season," coach Matt Wells said. "I expect a high-energy and fast-paced practice Friday. Our players have done a great job of preparing for fall camp and I'm excited to see that dedication play out on the practice field. ... We as a staff are looking forward to developing these young men into a successful team."
Twitter: @sluhm —
About USU football
• Utah State holds its preseason football media event on Thursday afternoon.
• The Aggies open the season Sept. 1 against neighborhood rival Weber State.
• Utah State will hold its only public scrimmage during training camp on Aug. 20.