Football

The Aggies once again proved that they can play with anyone. The defense was very effective in limiting the damage of the nation’s leading rusher Ryan Mathews, well, for the first three quarters at least. The offense marched down the field time and again, but struggled to capitalize in the red-zone. Andersen again seems to lack confidence in the offensive line to get a push in 4th and short situations electing to use the leg of Peter Caldwell to give the Aggies better field position.

Ultimately, my opinion is the same with this team. We are well coached. We always have a good game plan. We always start off well. The team will never give up, but need to get bigger and stronger to be able to finish teams off. In order to win the offense will have to outscore the other team in the second half. For the offense to produce in the second half, Borel will need to be more effective at hitting his second, third, or fourth option in the plays. More experience will get us there. Borel is the right guy, and he shows it with a 100% effort every play. Next year will be our year.

Basketball

This year might be our year. We are deep. We have experience. We have size. We are skilled. We are athletic. These five guys surprised me last night:

Jared Quayle looked a full step faster than he did last season. He ran circles around the opposing point guard all night long. He didn’t assert himself offensively, but we all know the ability is there. His line: 9 points on 3 of 6 shooting including a pair of threes, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 turnovers, and 4 steals in 23 minutes of play.

Preston Medlin can score the basketball. He demonstrated a well rounded offensive attack by knocking down spot up jumpers, pull up jumpers, and a drive to the basket. The best part is his ability to find shots within the system. Preston could earn quality minutes this year. His line: 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting with a three, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover in 22 minutes of play.

Tyrone White looks like a basketball player. At 6′ 6″ he is long and surprisingly athletic. He handles the ball well and can take it to the bucket. He demonstrated an ability to knock down the open three pointer, as well as the ability to defend well. He looked surprisingly mature and composed on the court last night. His line: 11 points on 3 of 6 shooting including a whopping 3 from long range, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover in 21 minutes of play.

Brady Jardine is coming along well. It is rare that the most athletic player on your team is a 6′ 8″ post player but Jardine proved this to be true with a tomahawk dunk on a fast break in the first half. He goal tended a shot that was still above the box. The most impressive plays by Jardine, though, were the ones where he exhibited patience and control. His athleticism has it’s advantages at the right time, but he showed that he has been working on the fundamentals too. His line: 4 points on 2 of 4 shooting, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 2 blocks, 2 steals in only 13 minutes of play.

Nate Bendall is stronger than Gary Wilkinson which allows him to be better at converting around the basket. He is a strong rebounder. He can block shots. He has great hands. He can hit free-throws. He plays well within the system. Does this guy have any limitations? Well, he hasn’t shown an ability to shoot from the outside. Fortunately, Tai Wesley did last night. These two are going to enjoy playing alongside each other for the next two years. Nate’s line: 17 points on 7 of 7 shooting and 3 of 3 free-throws, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 steal in only 17 minutes of play.

Keep in mind that the competition will get much better in the coming weeks. I think these guys are looking forward to showing what they can do against quality opponents. For now my feeling is that we are going to have a good, very good, Utah State basketball team.

Aggie Noise

Official USU website: Aggie Men Roll To 85-51 Exhibition Win Against Northwest Nazarene and Aggies Nipped By Bulldogs, 31-27, Saturday

Cache Valley Daily: Fresno State rallies past Utah State 31-27 and USU opens season with big win over Northwest Nazarene (with photo gallery)

Herald Journal: Ags throttle NNU

Desret News: Utah State football: Aggies let another one slip away and Utah State basketball: Aggies cruise to exhibition win

Aggieville: exhibition report

“We’re hoping our new guys can step up and be an integral part with Pooh hurt,” Morrill said. “Pooh is going to miss some games, so we will look to play some freshmen and new guys. That’s just the way it is.”

 The scrimmage begins at 7 o’clock but the doors open at 6:30. In the past it has paid off to show up early to see the players display their athleticism by throwing down acrobatic dunks.

Friday night brings the first exhibition game of the season as the Aggies host Northwest Nazarene. The game starts at 7 o’clock and will provide trick-or-treating for kids who wear a costume.

The exhibition games give the new guys a chance to show what they can do in a real game situation. It may give us a better idea of who Coach Morrill will be using in Pooh’s absence to start the season.

Saturday, the Aggies travel to Fresno, California to face the Bulldogs of Fresno State. This game is going to be a real challenge for the Aggies. The Bulldogs have size, depth, and strength; those are three things that the Aggies are lacking.

Ryan Matthews leads the Nation in rushing yards this season. His three touchdown performance against Boise State proved just how talented he is. The Aggies are going to have to swarm him to keep this game close.

I’ll go more into depth on this match-up later in the week.

Aggie Noise:

Herald Journal: Aggies host annual scrimmage tonight and USU needs to play better in 4th

Deseret News: Utah State basketball: Aggies plan annual scrimmage tonight and Utah State football: USU’s Borel has progressed at QB and Utah State football: Ags land 2 more commitments

Aggeiville: two new commits

Jared Quayle:

As the lone senior, Jared Quayle leads this team from the point guard position. A natural scorer, Quayle also has a knack for the ball which allows him to be one of the better rebounding guards in the WAC. Last year was Jared’s first season at point guard and showed discomfort handling the ball against a good press, although he did an adequate job. Expect a stellar senior year from this top 3 WAC point guard.

Tyler Newbold:

Newbold enters his third season as a starter. The sharp shooter plays as hard as anyone and smarter than everyone. Tyler is a lock to be toward the top of the list nationally in assist to turnover ratio. Tyler is a good perimeter defender who may have to spend more time at the 3 this year due to injuries. Newbold has yet to show an ability to create his own shot on a regular basis even when he is constantly asked to take more shots. He will fill the stat sheet again this year.

Tai Wesley:

Also entering his third season as a starter, Wesley is expected to break out this season. What he lacks in height he makes up for in strength, savvy, and touch. Tai is the fire on this team. Last season he showed the ability to control his temper and stay out of foul trouble. This season he will be asked to take on more of a scorers role down low. Tai has a great understanding of the game and is an exceptional passer from the block. Watch out for Tai Wesley.

Nate Bendall:

Filling the shoes of Gary Wilkinson is a tall order, but Bendall may be up to the challenge. He is a different kind of player than Wilkinson was, he is much more comfortable on the block and plays a more physical game. He has great touch around the basket and moves laterally better than Gary. He played for USU as a freshman and gained valuable experience last year at Salt Lake Community College. Bendall should step in and produce right away.

Brian Green:

Expected to replace Pooh Williams on the wing for the first month of the season, Brian Green has many singing his praises early. Coach Stew Morrill loves his competitive nature and his sweet shot. Green, while shorter than Williams, is also expected to be a strong perimeter defender. If he can put up good numbers on offense Pooh Williams will have to fight to get his starting minutes back.

Expected to Contribute

Pooh Williams:

A stress fracture, and the surgical procedure to fix it, will keep Williams sidelined for the first month of the season. After that he will battle Brian Green for minutes at the wing. Williams is the team’s most athletic perimeter player and focuses that athleticism on the defensive side of the ball. Pooh has shown that he is a capable scorer but isn’t a go to guy just yet.

Matt Formisano:

Matt surprised a lot of people last year with his strong play off the bench. He will be ready to fill in for Wesley or Bendall and provide sound play. He has shown the ability to stroke it out to about 18′ and has nice touch around the basket. He understands the system well and will help keep the momentum rolling off the bench.

Brady Jardine:

The best jumper on the team and most hyper to boot, Brady Jardine was given an unfair shake last season. He was thrown, unexpectedly, into the fire last season just months back from a two year mission. While a red-shirt season would’ve been best for him individually, he was able to enjoy being a part of an historic season last year. Jardine could be a big time energy guy off of the bench this season. He has a WOW factor that can provide instant momentum for a team. If things really start clicking for him, Brady could battle for significant minutes in the post.

Jaxon Myaer:

As a redshirt sophomore, Myaer is entering his third season with the Aggies. He has shown flashes of brilliance in his short career, and is expected to spell Jared Quayle at the point. He handles the ball well and can shoot the three ball. His competitiveness makes up for his lack of size. If he can improve his decision making on the court he will provide solid depth at the point guard spot.

Up in the Air

Modou Niang:

Modou has the body and athleticism to be a great college basketball player. He injured his hand last season forcing him to use a medical red-shirt and further slowing his progression as a player. He is possibly the biggest question mark on the team. Unless he has improved the speed at which he makes moves in the post, he will only play spot minutes.

Preston Medlin:

A high school recruit from Texas, Medlin would probably be best suited to red-shirt this season. However, the loss of Pooh Williams to start the season may require Stew Morrill to call on him to spell the other wing players. Medlin is a shooter with a knack for getting open shots. He has good length for a wing player but could use a red-shirt to gain some bulk and learn the system.

Tyrone White:

Tyrone is the other young wing Morrill may use to add depth in the absence of Pooh Williams. He is a year removed from high school having played at a prep school associated with the Air Force Academy. His extra year of experience could give him the nod over Medlin, but White could also use some bulk and experience learning the system. Tyrone is a better athlete than Medlin and a hair taller, but he isn’t as pure a shooter as Medlin. He might be best fit to fill a defensive role.

Anthony DiLoreto:

Standing more than 7′ tall, DiLoreto has already created a buzz. His story is incomplete without mentioning his conviction of bank robbery, fortunately judgement has been passed and we can move on to talking about his future as an Aggie. It would be ideal for Anthony to red-shirt and bulk up before attempting to bang with the big boys, but it may be possible that he helps fill the void left by Gary Wilkinson.

Practice Squad

Morgan Grim:

A transfer from the University of Utah, Morgan is a skilled low post player. He has good height and a nice shooting touch. The knock on him is that he plays soft. A red-shirt year banging with Tai Wesley and Nate Bendall will do him some good.

Preston Eaton:

A scorer in high school who just returned from a mission, Preston Eaton is a preferred walkon at USU. A redshirt for experience and a lot of hard work to prove himself will determine his fate. If his scoring ability from high school can be replicated at the next level, he could be a great pick up.

E.J. Farris:

A walk on transfer from College of the Sequoias in California, Farris will likely redshirt this year. He is a promising point guard with four years to play three, and has experience above the high school level.

Chandler Smith:

A walk-on wing player who will likely redshirt. I’ve yet to find much information on him other than he is pictured on the USU Men’s Basketball Poster.

Aggie Noise:

Official Site: Aggie Men Host Northwest Nazarene Friday In First Exhibition Game Of The 2009-10 Season and Utah State Opens Two-Game Road Swing Saturday At Fresno State

Aggieville: Lessons learned

Cache Valley Daily: Aggies get first WAC win, take out La. Tech and Craig Petersen’s Photo Gallery: USU 23, La Tech 21

Deseret News: Extreme Makeover, Spectrum Edition and Utah State football: Aggies build lead, hold on to post WAC victory and Utah State basketball: What will Stew do without Pooh? 

Tyler’s Blog: The Season Has Begun

Salt Lake Tribune: USU football: Aggies ‘grows up’ in win over ‘Dogs

Herald Journal: Turbin effective vs. Tech: Aggies’ pass rush saw improvement and Offense aplenty in closed scrimmage

It’s happening again, the same thing that happens every year at this time… Aggie fans, and the media alike, skip over the end of the football season as if it were the opening act for Utah State basketball team. This didn’t bother me as much under the Brent Guy regime because, well, our team stunk. Not only that, but there was little hope in the Aggies building a viable football program over the long haul.

Things have changed. Our administrators have made a commitment to football. They fired Brent Guy and hired Gary Andersen. Gary Andersen has brought in an offense that is entertaining to watch, and a defense that is improving each week. He has utilized players much more effectively than Guy ever did. Andersen had a great recruiting class in a shortened recruiting period, and should only continue to bring in more talent each year. While the win column may not prove it, there is genuine reason to hope for a healthy, competitive football program at USU in the near future.

It is for this reason that I hope to see Aggies continue to show our football team support. The basketball team has earned our support already, and it is easy to become more interested in the speculation of their season than the end of the season for a 1-4 football team. The basketball team certainly deserves our support,  but so does the football team. There should be plenty of support to go around for both teams.

There is a program in our conference, I won’t name names, that has a very good football team. The fans are exceptionally proud of this football team and show with their support. This same school has had success on the basketball court in recent years too. Unfortunately, the fans have not been so supportive of their basketball team even when they finished tied for first place in the conference a few years ago.

I fear that a similar situation could arise in Logan. If we don’t show our support for the football team now, when will we?

Please, go watch the game tomorrow. The team needs all of the support they can get to pull off an upset against a hot Nevada team (110 points in their last two games). Take a friend and cheer for our Aggies. Fan support helps to build strong programs. We need you.

Aggie Noise:

Deseret News: Utah St. football: Ags happy to finally be back home 

Utah State basketball: Aggies open practice shorthanded

USU Official Site: Aggie Men Begin 2009-10 Season With First Official Practice Friday

Salt Lake Tribune: Ags not a full strength as practice starts

Aggieville: The non-conference schedule and The season is upon us and Diondre Borel

Herald Journal: Ags want to get ‘swagger back’ and USU duo begins season injured

Cache Valley Daily: Grass Valley trio keeps on playing

The Statesman: COLUMN: Section F, a different point of view

For decades Aggie fans have complained about the lack of media coverage from the Salt Lake media, and probably for good reason. The Aggies have always played second fiddle to U of U and BYU when it comes to media coverage. There is only so much space on the sports page of a printed news paper, and for so long the Aggies were banished to the fifth page next to high school girls soccer updates with no pictures and a lame title.

But things have started looking up for the Aggies. We’ve gotten more coverage from the SL media. The articles that are written seem to be longer and more in depth. The new online media isn’t limited to a finite number of pages but has room for everyone in the news and the Aggies are starting to make some noise.

I have been impressed with a number of articles written by SL media writers about the Aggies this season. One of my favorite USU bloggers is Jared Eborn who writes for the USU blog associated with Deseret News. The blog started in February of 2008 with Jay Hinton as the writer. Jared Eborn took over in July of 2008 and has been posting consistantly ever since. His articles are worth the read.

So why all of the attention recently? I think there are several factors that play into this. I’ve listed them below in what I believe to be the order of influence:

1. The success of USU basketball. Stew Morrill is steadily gaining national respect for the USU basketball program. The SLC media is beginning to come around too.
2. The hiring of Gary Andersen. Andersen was adored by the SLC media as well as many U of U fans. He brings a lot of SLC sports interest to USU.
3. One significant factor in this was the star-like attention that Jaycee Carroll received his senior season (deservedly so). He was a media darling in his own right.
4. The hiring of Scott Barnes. I struggled with where to rank this one but I decided to leave it here because he hasn’t been around for long. However, that shouldn’t take away from the great work he’s done.

 With the announcement of our new TV contract and the creation of a new USU blog by a major media outlet, this has been a good week for USU public relations. My charge to USU fans is this, support these new media outlets. Subscribe to the Aggieville RSS feed. Read Jared Eborn’s blog posts. Tune into CW 30 for games you can’t attend live. Leave the TV on CW 30 when you can attend live games. As we show a demand for these services, we will continue to get better coverage. Better coverage means more brand recognition, which not only benefits athletic recruiting but academic recruiting. Let’s do our part in helping Utah State continue to take it to the next level.

Aggie Noise:

Herald Journal: Home cookin’ or not, penalties inexcusable

Salt Lake Tribune: Ags forced to use starters on special teams

USU official site: Aggie Football Coach’s Luncheon In Salt Lake City Thursday

ESPN: Nevada at Utah State

Wacsports.com: This Week in WAC Football-Oct. 13

KSL.com: Utah State: Opponents recap

Add putting together a new athletics television contract to the growing list of accomplishments for Utah State University’s Athletic Director Scott Barns.

The new deal is with XXL Sports and Cis-Com Productions who are to broadcast a minimum of 13 football and basketball games live on CW 30 this year, and a minimum of 15 games for the next three years.

Said Mr. Barnes:

This new TV partnership, along with our recent conference ESPN agreement, will provide our programs with unparalleled exposure. We have been focused on casting a wider net in terms of connecting with Aggie fans and building the Aggie Athletic Brand, and this partnership moves us forward another step.

 This new television contract certainly casts a wider net as it will reach Aggie fans in Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Nevada. The station is available on Comcast, DirecTVand the Dish Network. This new deal is not only great for Aggie fans, but benefits the sports programs with regard to recruiting. More exposure of a strong USU brand is one way to entice a recruit, but letting them know that they are guaranteed to play on TV a minimum number of times each year will do wonders.

Barnes has already increased the size of the BBSF by 100%. His efforts in increasing student athletics fees has increased the athletic budget by $2.1 million. He’s largely responsible for the new Aggie Sports Hall of Honor. Not to mention his success in hiring Gary Andersen as the new football coach. Clearly, Barnes has been productive in his first year and a half at the helm of the athletic department. (See his bio for more info)

Our first game to be televised on CW 30 is this Saturday against Nevada. I hope most Aggie fans attend the game live, but if you are an out of stater like me you can always visit www.bigbluechat.com on game day.

Aggie Noise:

Herald Journal: Turbin reaches milestone and also Special teams dismal vs. NMSU

Deseret News: Utah State signs TV deal

USU Official Site: Aggies Host Nevada Saturday In WAC Home Opener and about the TV deal Utah State Athletics Signs New Television Rights Package With XXL Sports and Cis-Com Productions

Deseret News: WAC rankings: USU drops

WACsports.com: Week 6 Football Recaps

The Statesman: Brutal: 10th consecutive road loss for Ags

MVP of his high school basketball league as a junior and getting ready to follow it up with a stellar senior season, James Walker decided he’d like to do that as a future Utah State Aggie.

His statistics aren’t mind numbing, and he’s not a high flyer, but the high school senior has had interest from more schools than just the Aggies. He had been contacted by Pac-10 schools as well as other schools from the WAC. What is it about the kid who averaged only 14 points and 2.6 assists per game that earned him MVP honors and attention from good college hoops programs?

First of all, he has good size and length to go along with his ability to play the point guard position. At 6′3″, Walker will rarely be at a height disadvantage.

Secondly, he’s a great defender. He averaged almost two steals and more than a block a game last season. He has the length and quickness to be a strong perimeter defender in the WAC.

Lastly, he does a little bit of everything on the court. You can add 7.3 rebounds per game to his stat line. Walker seems to be the kind of player who does what is needed on the court. The tough, do-it-all player that USU loves to have as it’s point guard.

Walker is one of the higher ranked high school recruits that has decided to come to Logan, Utah. With the kind of success USU has seen with it’s high school recruits of late (Carroll, Wesley, Newbold, and Williams) there is a lot of reason to be excited about a commitment like this.

James Walker Noise:

Orange County Register: Griffins dominate Seahawks (recap of a game last season)

Parsing the WAC: James Walker to Utah State

ESPN: James Walker | SG

Max Preps: James Walker Profile

Sr. Point Guard - Jared Quayle

Normally, five weeks into the football season the sports enthusiasts of Logan, Utah are begining to look forward to the basketball season. I am usually one of the first to change my focus to basketball partly because the team always wins and partly because I am more knowledgable of basketball than football. This season is a little different. Having played four games this year the football team has left me more intreagued than it has disappointed. I’m still curious and hopeful for this season. But there is no reason to worry, I have plenty of room on my sports plate for some Aggie basketball. Especially with the exciting possibilities that lie ahead for this year’s team.

I came accross some Aggie noise today that has stoked the basketball flame for me. The Reno Gazzette-Journal(RGJ) has really stepped up the quality of sports coverage in the last couple of years. Specifically for basketball and football. Today they did a peiceon the best point guards in the WAC. USU senior, Jared Quayle, came in at #3 on the list behind Mac Hopson of Idaho and Armon Johnson of Nevada. Quayle stepped in and had an immediate impact last season. He battled a foot injury the entire second half of the season, and rumor has it he has worked harder than anyone on the team in the off season. Jared deserves the honor of first basketball post on my blog. Here’s to a great senior season.

Aggie Noise:

Heral Journal: USU coach happy for Idaho’s success- By Wade Denniston

USU Starts WAC Play On The Road For First Time Since 2005… more

Deseret News: We’re learning so much about college football – By Mike Sorensen

Another week of college football is in the books and we’re learning so much as the season heads into October . . . So much for the Mountain West Conference’s superiority over the Western Athletic Conference… more