Farmington » In trying to revive Utah State football, coach Gary Andersen is using Aggie basketball as a model of what his program can become, winning conference championships and playing in front of fanatical crowds.

He also knows he will have to earn everything that USU basketball coach Stew Morrill enjoys.

So when he spoke after Morrill's comedy routine during a recent booster event, Andersen gave himself one ground rule: No jokes.

Maybe next spring, or a few years from now, when Aggie football has stopped providing its own laughs, Andersen can have some fun with the fans. For now, his earnest, energetic style is playing well with an audience that's eager to believe he can make USU athletics worth talking about, even before basketball season.

"I'm really encouraged," Bountiful resident Scott Davis said after listening to Andersen at Oakridge Country Club. "I'm just excited to see the product on the field. It should be fun."

That's not a word associated with USU football lately. The school fired its last three coaches, has won three games or fewer in the past six years and last enjoyed a bowl victory in 1993. So here's Andersen, a defensive coach for Utah's two unbeaten teams in this decade, bringing a new outlook to the school that once was the Utes' genuine rival but has lost to them 11 straight times. Undoubtedly, watching Andersen's Utah defense hold Alabama to one offensive touchdown in the Sugar Bowl inspired hope in Cache Valley.

"There's an expectation of success right away," said lifelong fan Wayne Henderson. "That's different."

USU followers are welcoming Andersen, figuring Utah's success suggests he can break the Aggies' curse, and generally are stirred by his enthusiasm. "Everybody has waited for a spark; he's giving that to them," said Al Lewis, a longtime Logan broadcaster, citing Andersen's "magnetic" personality.

Former USU quarterback Riley Jensen, who's employed in advertising, said of Andersen's approach, "I guess sometimes you need a used car salesman, especially at Utah State."

The customers' response will be better judged in the fall, after a season when USU's attendance average was only 14,736 -- even in a rare year when both Utah and BYU came to Logan. Athletic Director Scott Barnes believes Andersen's arrival is boosting the annual Big Blue Scholarship Fund drive and spurring the most important group: the players.

"The expectations that our student-athletes have from themselves is much higher," Barnes said. "I think he has absolutely stirred that pot. ... Cultures take a long time to change, but attitudes don't, necessarily."

Players confirm Barnes' impression. "It's just been a whole different atmosphere," said receiver Omar Sawyer, citing how Andersen "has brought our confidence up as a team."

Summarizing spring drills, defensive back James Brindley said: "You could just tell from the first practice to the last how much we improved as a team. They just expected more out of us and got more out of us."

Former coach Brent Guy's recruiting efforts raised USU's talent level, but depth remains an issue. So is strength. "We're not a physical-enough football team, and I've told the kids this many, many times," Andersen said.

His recruiting approach with Utahns, Polynesians and returned missionaries should eventually make USU more competitive. The questions are how long that process will take and where the Aggies' ceiling lies in a Western Athletic Conference with Boise State on top, five schools in the second tier and USU in the bottom three.

Andersen sold Barnes on his in-state recruiting plan, wanting to capitalize on a stunning rise in the number of Utah prep products receiving scholarships. That makes sense to Steve Tate. "The local kids have a lot more invested in the program," said Tate, a former Utah defensive back who began his career at USU.

Jensen remembers hosting recruits in Logan in the late '90s and learning they were being pursued mostly by lower-level programs. He's happy that Andersen is being more aggressive with top prospects.

Jensen also was impressed after USU's spring game, witnessing the impact of offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin, formerly of Michigan State and New Mexico. "I can't tell you how excited I was to see some semblance of a real offense," Jensen said.

The Aggies have a long way to go in becoming financially competitive, so a student-supported fee increase for athletics in March was vital. Davis, whose job is to evaluate the potential of small businesses, is reasonably bullish. "Maybe this year is not as exciting as we hope it will be, but it's going in the right direction," he said. "I see the dedication of resources, the willingness of the students to step up and the willingness of the athletic department and supporters to put up the money to make it work."

So Andersen's timing is good. A new end-zone complex at Romney Stadium, more favorable scheduling and increased funding give him advantages the previous coaches lacked. Andersen also brings his own mixture of caring and motivation that Tate is convinced will make USU's players respond to him, as the Ute defenders did.

Tate's wife once photographed Andersen with veins bulging in his neck and forehead, yelling at his defensive players to finish the game intensely. The score at the time? Utah 50, Wyoming 0.

No joke.

kkragthorpe@sltrib.com