Aug. 28, 2006
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Game #1 at WyomingSaturday, Sept. 2, 2:30 (MT)War Memorial Stadium (32,580)Laramie, Wyo.
Radio: 610 AM (Logan) 1280 AM (Salt Lake City) www.UtahStateAggies.com
TV: None
GameTracker: www.UtahStateAggies.com
Tickets: 1-888-U-STATE-1 or (435) 797-0305 or www.UtahStateAggies.com
USU SID: Mike Strauss (435) 797-1361UW SID: Tim Harkins (307) 766-2256
2006 Utah State (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
Date Opponent Time/ResultSept. 2 at Wyoming 2:30Sept. 9 at Arkansas 5:00Sept. 16 UTAH 6:05Sept. 23 at Brigham Young 1:00Sept. 30 IDAHO* 1:05Oct. 7 FRESNO STATE* 6:05Oct. 14 at San Jose State* 4:00Oct. 21 at Louisiana Tech* 5:00Oct. 28 Bye WeekNov. 4 HAWAI'I* 1:05Nov. 11 at Nevada* 2:00Nov. 18 at Boise State* 1:00Nov. 25 NEW MEXICO STATE* 1:05All times are mountain
2006 Wyoming (0-0, 0-0 MWC)
Date OpponentSept. 2 UTAH STATESept. 9 at VirginiaSept. 16 BOISE STATESept. 23 AIR FORCESept. 30 at SyracuseOct. 7 at New MexicoOct. 14 UTAHOct. 21 COLORADO STATEOct. 28 at TCUNov. 4 SAN DIEGO STATENov. 9 at Brigham YoungNov. 18 at UNLV
Aggies To Open Season At Wyoming
QUICKLY -- Utah State will kickoff its 108th season of football, as well as its second year in the WAC and second year under head coach Brent Guy... USU is opening its season on the road for the fourth straight season as well as for the seventh time in the last eight years... USU has lost eight straight season openers since a 21-14 win at Utah to begin the 1997 season... USU won its last road game, a 24-21 win at New Mexico State, to close the 2005 campaign.... USU was 1-5 on the road last year... USU's last non-conference road win was 31-21 at UNLV in 2004 (then lost 10 straight road games before winning at NMSU last year)... With a win in its final game last year, USU is looking to post consecutive wins for the first time since defeating Arkansas State (49-0) and Middle Tennessee (41-20) in late 2003... Wyoming is the first of three Mountain West Conference teams USU will play this season as the Aggies will host Utah on Sept. 16 and play at Brigham Young on Sept. 23.
ON THE AIR -- All Utah State football games are carried on KVNU 610 AM in Logan, 1280 AM The Zone (or 97.5 FM TALK) in Salt Lake City, and at www.UtahStateAggies.com with Al "Lariat" Lewis calling the play-by-play and "Cowboy" Craig Hislop providing analysis. Saturday's game will not be televised. USU home games and all WAC games can be seen via the web at WAC.tv for a fee. Home USU games and some road games can be accessed via Game Tracker. This service provides updated play-by-play and statistics as they happen. This week's game can be followed on Game Tracker through www.UtahStateAggies.com
TRAVEL PLANS -- After working out at home, Utah State will bus to Rawlins, Wyo. and will headquarter at the Best Western Cottontree Inn Friday night. Mike Strauss (C: 435-770-3131) and Doug Hoffman (C: 435-881-8011) of the athletic media relations staff will travel to the game.
COACHES SHOW ON THE ROAD -- For the second straight year the Brent Guy radio show on Thursday nights (6:05-6:45 p.m. on 610 AM KVNU) will be held at different locations on campus and near campus. The show gives USU students an opportunity to ask questions and interact with Coach Brent Guy and players. Food will be available at each show at a reduced rate from University Food Services. Here is a look at the schedule for the first six weeks:
Aug. 31 - Taggart Student Center PatioSept. 7 - Oak Ridge ApartmentsSept. 14 - LDS InstituteSept. 21 - New Living CenterSept. 28 - Old Farm/Pineview Apartment AreaOct. 5 - Chi Omega Sorority House
DID YOU KNOW? -- Utah State's 2005 season opener was canceled due to Hurricane Katrina. The Aggies were supposed to host Nicholls State, which is located 60 miles southeast of New Orleans, on Sept. 3, but the results of the hurricane prevented Nicholls State from being able to play that week. The game was never rescheduled.
UP NEXT -- Utah State will play another away game, traveling to Arkansas to meet the Razorbacks on Sept. 9 at 5 p.m. mountain. USU is 0-2 against Arkansas all time having played at Fayetteville in 1975 (L 0-31) and 1976 (L 16-33).
HEAD COACH Brent Guy -- Brent Guy (Oklahoma State, 1983) is in his second year as head coach after coming to Utah State from Arizona State where he was the defensive coordinator for four years. Guy was an assistant coach (linebackers) at Utah State from 1992-94 under then head coach Charlie Weatherbie. During that time, USU posted its only bowl victory in school history, claiming the 1993 Las Vegas Bowl. Guy was involved in eight bowl games in 19 years as a collegiate assistant coach. Previous stops include Oklahoma State (1986-91 - graduate assistant 1986-87, recruiting coordinator 1988, linebackers 1989-91), Utah State (1992-94 - linebackers), Oklahoma State (1995-97 - linebackers), Boise State (1998-2000 - defensive coordinator) and Arizona State (2001-04 - defensive coordinator) before being named the Aggies' 25th head coach in December of 2004. In his first year at USU, the Aggies were 3-8 overall and 2-6.
Utah State Head Coach All WAC2005 3-8 2-62006 0-0 0-0Total 3-8 2-6
Assistant Totals Record NotesOklahoma State (1986-91, 95-97) 51-51-1 3 BowlsUtah State (1992-94) 15-19-0 1 BowlBoise State (1998-99) 26-10-0 2 Bowls, 2 10-win seasonsArizona State (2001-04) 13-19-0 2 BowlsTotals (19 years) 118-103-1 8 Bowls, 10 winning seasons
AGGIE ASSISTANT COACHES -- Utah State had three changes on its coaching staff from last year, as Shaun Johnson, Tracy Smith and Tony Flores joined the staff.
Off. Coord./QB - Mike Santiago (Southern Utah, 1977, 2nd Year)... Former head coach at S.F. Austin from 1999-2004.
Running Backs - Shaun Johnson (Utah State, 1995, 1st Year)... Former Aggie wide receiver, coached Division I-AA rushing leader at Brown in 2005.
Wide Receivers - Greg Stevens (Eastern Oregon, 1992, 2nd Year)... Former offensive coordinator at S.F. Austin with Santiago.
Tight Ends - Tracy Smith (LSU, 2003, 1st Year)... Worked with LSU quarterbacks last year. Is son of Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Carl Smith.
Offensive Line - Vance Vice (Oklahoma State, 1990, 2nd Year)... As an Oklahoma State tight end was the key to Barry Sanders winning the Heisman in 1988.
Def. Coord./LB - Mark Johnson (UC Davis, 1990, 2nd Year)... Has coached at four different WAC schools (San Jose State, Boise State, Nevada and USU).
Def. Line - Danilo Robinson (Utah State, 1997, 2nd Year)... Holds USU single-game sacks record with five vs. San Jose State in 1995.
Safeties - Jeff Copp (Boise State, 2001, 2nd Year)... Was an all- conference defensive end while playing at Boise State.
Cornerbacks - John Rushing (Washington State, 1995, 4th Year)... Was a freshman All-America corner at Washington State. Older brother of USU WR Kevin Robinson.
GA - Mike McMahon (Carroll, 2004, 2nd Year)... Helped coach Carroll College to three national championship appearances.
GA - Tony Flores (Utah State, 1st Year)... Moved up from serving as a work study in the football office in 2005.
USU-UW SERIES -- Utah State leads the all-time series by a 34-22-4 count, including a 13-12-3 advantage in games played at Laramie... USU posted a 20-13 win at Laramie in its last visit in 1978... USU's 34 wins against Wyoming are its most against any opponent (have beaten Brigham Young 33 times)... The teams first met in 1903 and played 58 times through the 1978 season. The teams then renewed their rivalry in 2001 and 2003 with Wyoming coming to Logan and defeating the Aggies 43-42 in 2001 and 48-21 in 2003... The teams are scheduled to meet in Laramie again next season.
USU-UW LAST TIME -- Wyoming scored touchdowns on each of its first four possessions en route to handing Utah State a 48-21 homecoming loss at Logan on Oct. 11, 2003. USU TB David Fiefia rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown on just 15 carries, while QB Travis Cox was 16 of 35 for 202 yards and a score. TE Chris Cooley, now with the Washington Redskins, returned to the lineup after missing two games with a stress fracture in his foot, and caught five passes for 72 yards. Wyoming ran up 434 yards of offense while USU responded with 357 yards. The teams provided some of their longest plays of the year as Kenny Coleman's 59-yard reception was the second-longest play of the year for USU, while Wyoming produced the two longest plays allowed by USU on the year on consecutive plays in the fourth quarter (a 47-yard touchdown run by Armah and a 62-yard touchdown pass from Bramlet to Bouknight). USU recorded four sacks in the game, but did not force a turnover, while fumbling twice and throwing an interception which led to three Wyoming scores (17 points).
USU-UW LAST TIME IN LARAMIE -- In a game that counted in the Pacific Coast Athletic Association standings for Utah State, the Aggies posted a 20-13 win at Wyoming on Sept. 30, 1978. Tony Gipson rushed for 99 yards and Rick Parros ran for 93 more as the Aggies improved to 4-0 on the season. QB Eric Hipple completed four of 12 passes for 49 yards with three interceptions, while Guy McClure punted six times for 46.1 yards. USU scored first on a Hipple three-yard run before Wyoming responded with 10 straight points. Gipson then ran 35 yards for a score and PK Steve Steinke booted two field goals to give USU the victory. Game-time temperature was 69 degrees.
USU VS. THE MWC -- Wyoming is the first of three Mountain West Conference opponents USU will face this season as the Aggies will host Utah on Sept. 16 and travel to BYU on Sept. 23. The Aggies are 146-197-14 all-time against current members of the league. USU's only two non-conference wins in the last two years have come against MWC teams as the Aggies defeated UNLV 31-21 at Las Vegas in 2004 and then beat the Rebels 31-24 in Logan last season. Since the MWC formed in 1999, USU is 3-14 against the league with the two UNLV victories and a 45-44 overtime win against New Mexico in 2002.
GUY VS. WYOMING AND THE MWC -- USU head coach Brent Guy is 1-1 against MWC teams as a head coach falling to Utah and beating UNLV last year. As an assistant coach he is 11-9 against current members of the conference. As an assistant coach at Oklahoma State, his Cowboys were 3-1 against Wyoming. Here is a look:
1987 - Oklahoma State 35, Wyoming 29 at Laramie1988 - Oklahoma State 62, Wyoming 14 at San Diego (Holiday Bowl)1989 - Oklahoma State 27, Wyoming 7 at Stillwater1995 - Wyoming 45, Oklahoma State 25 at Laramie
CURRENT AGGIES VS. WYOMING -- Several current Aggies were freshmen when Utah State and Wyoming last met in 2003. Among those players who saw action that season were QB Bryan Black (did not play vs. Wyoming), WR Tony Pennyman (played but no stats vs. Wyoming), PK Justin Hamblin (no attempts vs. Wyoming), DE Ryan Taylor (three tackles vs. Wyoming as a linebacker), S Antonio Taylor (did not play vs. Wyoming), S Terrance Washington (six tackles in his third career start at strong safety vs. Wyoming).
DID YOU KNOW? -- USU is opening the year with consecutive road games for the first time since 2003 when the Aggies actually played three straight away before hosting Louisiana-Monroe in its home and Sun Belt Conference opener.
DID YOU KNOW? -- Utah State has five games in the month of September this year after playing just two during this month last year. In 2005 the Aggies had their season opener against Nicholls State canceled due to Hurricane Katrina and then after playing Utah on Sept. 10, had a bye before meeting UNLV on Sept. 24.
USU-UW NOTE-ABLE -- Despite being neighboring states, USU does not list any players on its roster from the state of Wyoming and Wyoming has no players from the Beehive state... USU OL coach Vance Vice played against Wyoming three times while an offensive lineman/tight end at Oklahoma State, including the 1988 Holiday Bowl (as well as 1987 and 1989 OSU wins against UW)... USU Associate SID Doug Hoffman is making a return to his alma mater where he worked as a student trainer and then worked as a graduate assistant for Kevin McKinney in the UW SID office... UW development officer Jared Newland was an assistant SID at Utah State... Jerry Hill, a two-time Wyoming All-America running back in 1959 and 1960, and who later scored Baltimore's only touchdown in its loss to the Joe Namath-led New York Jets in Super Bowl III, was a neighbor of USU SID Mike Strauss in Denver, Colo... Emmett White's 274 rushing yards against Wyoming in 2001 is the third-best rushing total in school history... Tony Adams threw for a then school record 389 yards against Wyoming in 1971 (currently ranks 12th all-time at USU)... USU has produced two runs of more than 75 yards against Wyoming all-time with an 82-yard run by Jay Van Noy in 1948 and a 75-yarder by Merrill Johnson in 1958... USU produced 571 total yards against Wyoming in 2001 (11th in school history)... USU's 57-0 win against Wyoming in 1917 is the eighth biggest winning margin in school history.
A CHANGE IN ALTITUDE -- There are nine division I schools that are located in cities with an elevation of at least 4,000 feet about sea level. Utah State's home of Logan ranks seventh on the list with an elevation of 4,534 feet. This season the Aggies will play at three of those other locations giving USU eight games this year at 4,000 feet above sea level. USU will play at Laramie, Wyo. (#1 at 7,165 feet), Provo, Utah (#6 at 4,550) and at Reno, Nev. (#8 at 4,505). Here is the list:
School City, State Elevation1. Wyoming Laramie, Wyo. 7,1652. Air Force Colorado Springs, Colo. 6,0103. Colorado Boulder, Colo. 5,3284. Colorado State Fort Collins, Colo. 5,0035. New Mexico Albuquerque, N.M. 4,9576. Brigham Young Provo, Utah 4,5507. UTAH STATE LOGAN, UTAH 4,5348. Nevada Reno, Nev. 4,5059. Utah Salt Lake City, Utah 4,262
SEASON OPENERS -- As mentioned Utah State has lost eight straight season openers since beginning the 1997 campaign with a 21-14 win at Utah. In that time, USU has faced some difficult opponents to begin the year. Here is a look:
1997 - W 21-14 at Utah1998 - L 12-20 UTAH1999 - L 7-38 at #12 Georgia2000 - L 16-38 at Texas Tech2001 - L 19-23 at Utah2002 - L 3-23 UTAH2003 - L 20-40 at Utah2004 - L 17-48 at Alabama2005 - L 7-31 at Utah
WHAT A 1-0 START MEANS -- If history means anything, and there are those who say it doesn't, then the result of the season opener has dictated whether Utah State will have a winning or losing season for each of the past 20 years. USU won its first game in 1993 and finished 7-5, won in 1996 and finished 6-5 and won in 1997 and finished the regular season 6-5 before falling in the Humanitarian Bowl to finish 6-6. In the other 17 seasons when the Aggies opened the year with a loss, they went on to a losing season. The last time USU won a season opener and had a losing season was 1985 and the last time USU lost its opener and produced a winning season was 1980.
STARTING RUNNING BACK DEBUT -- With junior college transfer TB Marcus Cross expected to make his first major college start in the season opener, here is a look at some recent running back starting debuts:
Ryan Bohm, Fr., at Utah, 2005 (game #1), 11 att., 56 yards Rod McNeal, Jr., NORTH TEXAS, 2004 (game #6), 5 att., 3 yards Tyrone McKinney, Sr., at Troy, 2004 (game #5), 6 att., 28 yards Peter Shields, Sr., at UNLV, 2004 (game #4), 3 att., 7 yards Chris Forbes, Fr., at Alabama, 2004 (game #1), 11 att., 28 yards Richard Watson, Fr., at Boise State, 2002 (game #5), 24 att., 74 yards James Samuel, Jr., at Nebraska, 2002 (game #2), 9 att., 37 yards David Fiefia, Jr., UTAH, 2002 (game #1), 2 att. -4 yards Emmett White, Jr., at Texas Tech, 2000 (game #1), 20 att., 143 yards
FIRST-TIME STARTS -- If the depth chart remains true, seven Aggie players could make their first career starts on Saturday, including four on offense (OT Shawn Murphy, OT Taylor Wallace, TE Rob Myers and TB Marcus Cross) and three on defense (DE Darby Golden, LB Daryl Fields, SS Caleb Taylor).
YOUTH MOVEMENT -- Last season in Brent Guy's first year as Utah State head coach, the Aggies played 20 freshmen, including 12 true freshmen. Of that group, 12 started at least one game. The 20 freshmen played ranked 11th nationally, while the 12 freshmen starters ranked third in the country behind only Western Michigan (17) and Cincinnati (13).
YOUTH MOVEMENT II -- The 2006 preseason two-deep lists just three senior starters with eight juniors, nine sophomores and two freshmen at the top. Taking it further, only 28 of the 44 players in the top two have earned at least one letter at USU and 13 players are in their first season of playing at the major college level.
Two-Deep Starters TotalSeniors 3 10Juniors 8 13Sophomores 9 13Freshmen 2 8
Experience 3L 2L 1L SQ JC RS HSOffense 0 8 6 1 3 2 2Defense 2 4 8 1 1 3 3Total 1 12 15 2 5 4 4
(# of letters, SQ=Squad, did not play enough to letter, JC=Junior College, RS=Redshirt, HS=High School)
POSITION CHANGES -- USU made several off-season position changes, including the following:
Jimmy Bohm from tight end to fullback
Ryan Bohm from tailback to fullback
Kerry Shepherd from defensive end to defensive tackle
Jake Hutton from outside linebacker to middle linebacker
Chris Forbes from running back to safety
Eric Sobolewski from quarterback/wide receiver to safety
Ryan Taylor from linebacker to defensive end
OUT -- Here is a list of injured players who would be on the depth chart: DE Ben Calderwood, OL Malik Cin, LB Andy Carlsen, WR Nnamdi Gwacham, WR Omar Sawyer, DL Carl Singleton.
CAPTAINS -- Each week Utah State will select game captains. Those selected for the first game are QB Leon Jackson III and LB Jake Hutton.
WHAT A DUO -- The combination of Tony Pennyman and Kevin Robinson has been a very productive one on offense and on special teams in the past two years. The two topped the WAC in all-purpose yards last year as Pennyman averaged 146.00 yards per game to lead the league and Robinson was second at 138.18 per game. Here is a look at the two wide receivers and return men:
Tony Pennyman, Sr.
• Second-team all-WAC return honors (2005)
• Averaged 29.3 yards per kickoff return to lead the WAC and rank fifth in the NCAA last year. He had two returns for scores.
• Had 43 receptions for 598 yards in 2004 and 63 for 741 last season.
• Has caught at least four passes in 10 straight contests.
Kevin Robinson, Jr.
• Has returned three punts and one kickoff for touchdowns in the last two years.
• Had 44 catches for 602 yards in 2004 and added 43 receptions for 661 yards and eight touchdowns a year ago.
• Has caught at least two passes in 17 consecutive games.
• Has 11 career touchdown receptions.
JACKSON DIFFERENT AT HOME AND ROAD -- QB Leon Jackson, who was a first-year starter last season, played quite differently at home and on the road. In four home games his touchdeown to interception ratio was 7-0, while in five road games it was 1-6. Here is a look at the difference:
Home A-C-I Yds. TD Away A-C-I Yds. TDUNLV 25-19-0 212 2 Utah 25-12-1 95 0San Jose St. 26-17-0 200 2 Idaho 26-14-3 157 1Boise St. 29-16-0 206 3 Fresno St. 19-12-1 128 0La. Tech 44-27-0 372 0 Alabama 28-11-1 147 0 Hawai'i 7- 4-0 30 0Totals 124-79-0 990 7 Totals 105-53-6 557 1Avg./Pct. 64% 247.5 Avg./Pct. 50% 111.7
OFFENSIVE NOTE-ABLE -- A player other than a running back led USU in rushing in nine of 11 games last year... USU returns its leading rusher (Ryan Bohm), receiver (Tony Pennyman) and passer (Leon Jackson III)... USU threw just eight interceptions in 2005, a figure that tied for 11th nationally for fewest picks... USU never scored more than once in a first quarter last season and in fact did not score in the first quarter in five games.
DEFENSIVE NOTE-ABLE -- USU's rush defense improved 47 yards as the Aggies allowed 191 yards and ranked 90th nationally in 2004 and improved to 144 yards and ranked 53rd last season... The USU defense allowed single digit scoring by the opponent in each of last season's last 10 quarters... USU has just four seniors on defense and only one of them (FS Terrance Washington) has ever started a game.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTE-ABLE -- USU has produced six returns for touchdowns in the last two years as Kevin Robinson scored on two punt returns and a kickoff return in 2004 and Robinson added a punt return for a score, while Tony Pennyman had two kickoff returns for scores last year... USU made just seven of 17 field goal attempts last season.
USU NOTE-ABLE -- USU is 0-2 in known games on Sept. 2 with a 21-17 loss at Arkansas State in 1995 and a 38-16 defeat at Texas Tech in 2000... USU returns its leading rusher, receiver, passer and tackle leader for the first time since 1991... USU opens its season with three of its first four games on the road... USU will play all four of its non-conference games in the first four weeks of the season... USU will play four straight games in the state of Utah from Sept. 16-Oct. 7... USU will meet Brigham Young for the first time since 2002... USU will play five teams that played in bowl games in 2005... Seven Aggies have made at least 10 career starts and three have made at least 10 consecutive starts in OG Pace Jorgensen (11), LB Jake Hutton (11) and WR Tony Pennyman (10)... Pennyman leads the team in career starts with 20, while FS Terrance Washington is second with 17 career starts.
NEW BUILDING -- Work has begun on a new north endzone facility at Romney Stadium. The building, which will be ready prior to the 2007 season, will house lockerrooms, a sports medicine area, an equipment room, coaches offices, and team meeting rooms. The cost of the 50,000-plus square foot building will be $10.5 million.
NEW JERSEYS -- Utah State is wearing new jerseys this season. A major change on the jersey is on the back, as instead of player's last names, the word "Aggies" is imprinted to signify that the team is more important than any individual.
