Aug. 29, 2008

LOGAN, Utah - By Ashley Schiller / USU Athletic Media Relations

There are plenty of reasons for Aggie cornerback Geno Odong to be anxious about this weekend. This Saturday's football season-opener is in his hometown of Las Vegas, Nev., where he will face off against former high school teammates and be playing in front of friends and family in the predicted 103 degree weather.

But to Odong, "it's just another game."

"I'm just going to try to go out there and make some plays and win the ball game," he said.

The quiet and incredibly consistent sophomore is not the type to be intimidated, according to USU head coach Brent Guy.

"I think he's just excited to play at home," Guy said.

Odong was unanimously chosen by his coaches to be the game's special teams captain. He is the only player who starts on all four special teams and "embodies the focus and intensity that we want all players to have," Guy said.

At the end of last season, Odong was also chosen by his teammates as the year's special teams captain, an unusual honor for a redshirt freshman. The nomination "demonstrated how much the players of all ages respect him," according to Guy. Odong again earned the respect of his teammates and coaches by being selected as one of the game captains for Saturday's contest.

Odong is a force to be reckoned with on the special teams playing field. Last year, Oklahoma had to double up on him to lower his threat level as the punt team gunner.

"When I'm out there on the field, I just think about making the play," Odong said. "I have a self-motivational drive that I just have to keep going and make the play. I never quit."

The majority of Odong's large family, including seven siblings and his parents will be in attendance Saturday evening. He will also see some familiar faces across the line of scrimmage. Two of his high school teammates play for UNLV. Rather than being nervous, he said he's just excited to talk with his old friends.

Odong feels optimistic about the game, especially following what he described as a very successful camp, where players both worked hard and shared a lot of laughs.

"I feel like we've always been a team, [but at camp] we overcame some of our adversity. As we continue to do that, we'll formulate a stronger bond," he said.

Even though a sophomore, Odong is considered a leader on the Aggies' squad, something that was even more strongly established through fall camp.

"Camp helps promote unity and so do individual players like Geno," Guy said. "He does everything absolutely right, on and off the field," Guy said.

Guy also added that Odong gets high grades, is always on time and is very involved on campus. The coaches also like to utilize him in talking one-on-one with other players.

"He is great with the younger guys," Guy said.

Odong especially likes to work helping ease the transition for African-American students who are new to Logan.

"It's a culture shock," Odong said. "I mean, you go in and the whole class is white and you're the only minority there. You have to learn how to socialize with people, talk to people."

The lifestyle in Cache Valley is a great contrast to that of inner-city Las Vegas, where Odong grew up. He described the atmosphere as a "fast life," where children are exposed to a lot of things they shouldn't be at young ages.

"You've got to be careful," he said. "There's people dying left and right, people getting shot left and right, ambulances going off at night. Being an inner-city kid, you get used to the sounds. Coming to Cache Valley, a place that's super quiet, you get to appreciate things like that."

Odong's success is inspiring people back home.

"A lot of people look up to me for making it. They think if I can make it, they can make it," he said.

His childhood experiences toughened him up, Odong said. He attributes his success to self motivation and focus, his family and his faith.

"If you can go through an inner-city experience, you can pretty much go through anything else," he said.

Odong was recently nominated for the Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team, which recognizes the extra efforts made by college football players and student support staff in helping those in need off field. He was the only athlete nominated from Utah and the Western Athletic Conference.

Saturday's season-opener kicks off at 8 p.m. (MT) at UNLV. All Utah State football games are carried on via KVNU 610 AM and KLZX 95.9 FM in Logan; 1320 AM in Salt Lake City; on KLZX 105.3 FM in Montpelier, Idaho, and at www.UtahStateAggies.com with Al Lewis calling the play-by-play and Craig Hislop providing analysis.

After playing at No. 21 Oregon on Sept. 6 at 1:30 p.m. (MT), the Aggies host in-state rival Utah in their home-opener on Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. (MT). USU continues its three-game homestand by opening WAC action against Idaho on Saturday, Sept. 20 for USU Ag Day. The Aggies then host another in-state rival in BYU on Friday, Oct. 3. After road games at San Jose State and Nevada on Oct. 11 and 18, respectively, USU hosts Fresno State in its annual Homecoming game on Oct. 25. The Aggies remain at home to take on Hawai'i on Nov. 1 on USU Military Appreciation Day. USU plays at Boise State on Nov. 8 and Louisiana Tech on Nov. 15 before concluding regular-season action on Nov. 29 against New Mexico State on Aggie Appreciation Day.

Aggie football tickets are available in person through the USU Ticket Office at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, online 24 hours a day at www.UtahStateAggies.com and clicking on "tickets" in left column, or by phone by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or (435) 797-0305.