This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Las Vegas • Utah State's 2016 football season started moments after last December's 23-21 loss to Akron in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
In the locker room on the wintery afternoon at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, defensive end Ricky Ali'ifua stood up, addressed his teammates and sent a clear message: Not good enough.
The Aggies finished 6-7 after losing to Akron, including five defeats in their last seven games. It was their first losing season in five years. Last minute-losses at New Mexico and Air Force made the stretch run even more disappointing.
At the Mountain West Conference preseason media event on Tuesday, Ali'ifua was asked about his decision to address his teammates in such a frank manner.
"I think I was just overwhelmed by how the end of the season went," he said. "I felt like we had too much talent to have the kind of record we had. … There were some things that were just unacceptable, as far as the behavior of the team goes and the attitude."
Ali'ifua shook his head.
"I just thought it needed to be said — not from a coach but from a player," he said. "I felt it had to be known that, starting in January with whoever was returning, we weren't going to play games. You're either all in or you're not with us at all. That was the gist of what I said."
Coach Matt Wells senses that Ali'ifua's message — and they way it was delivered — helped the Aggies refocus during the offseason.
"Any time you don't finish exactly the way you want to finish, it lends itself to more purposeful leadership," Wells said. "There's a very, very fine line in the Mountain West and in college football between having a good season and a great season. … The difference is leadership, sometimes."
A key to Utah State's success this season could depend on effectively replacing a talented group of linebackers, led by third-round NFL picks Kyler Fackrell and Nick Vigil.
On the preseason depth chart, inside linebackers Anthony Williams and Alex Huerta and outside linebackers Brock Carmen and Derek Larsen are listed as the starters.
None have started in the past.
"You're not going to replace last year's guys — not at the level they were playing when they walked out of here," Wells said. "… [But] here's what I am confident of. I'm confident in our players' talent level. And their development has to progress steadily."
According to Wells, Utah State will be solid along the defensive line and in the secondary. That could buy time for his inexperienced linebackers.
"If we play well on the front end and the back end," he said, "we can help their development. They will grow and, when we get to our Mountain West games, they'll be better than when we started."
In the preseason Mountain West media poll, Utah State was picked third in the Mountain Division behind Boise State and Air Force.
"We're a new team; we have new players," Aggie center Austin Stephens said. "So, for us, it's OK. I don't think we've ever been picked first since we've been in this league. For us it's nothing new. So let's put our hard hat on. Let's roll."
Added Ali'ifua: "From a players' standpoint, we pay no mind to that. To me, it's irrelevant. It doesn't matter if we're picked first or we're picked last. If you're picked first, you still have to go out and win those games. If you're picked last, it doesn't mean all is lost. You don't pack up and go home."
Utah State offensive lineman Jake Simonich and nose guard Travis Seefeldt joined Ali'ifua and Stephens on the preseason all-conference team. San Diego State, with six, was the only school with more players selected than the Aggies.
Twitter: @sluhm —
Aggie update
• Utah State coach Matt Wells thinks the Aggies have refocused after last year's 6-7 record.
• Senior defensive end Ricky Ali'ifua has emerged as one of the leaders of a rebuilt defense.
• Utah State opens the 2016 season on Sept. 1 against Weber State at Maverik Stadium.