A little ESPN love for USU

sam tingey · Post by **sam tingey** » September 20th, 2021, 8:35 am

From ESPN (this is not the Bottom 10):

Blake Anderson is working miracles at Utah State
Of the 34 remaining unbeaten FBS teams, there are plenty of unexpected names -- Rutgers, Texas Tech, Arkansas -- but one deserving of some real spotlight is Utah State.

A year ago, the Aggies were a complete mess. They finished 1-5, with all five losses by at least 19 points. The offense topped 16 points just once. Gary Andersen was fired just 16 games into his second stint with the program.

At Arkansas State, Anderson was ready for a change, too, after his first losing season with the Red Wolves. He took the Utah State job in December, brought QB Logan Bonner with him and set about rebuilding a program in marked decline.

The results so far have been remarkable. Utah State came from behind in Week 1 to beat Washington State. The Aggies thumped North Dakota a week later. Saturday, the Aggies once again erased an early deficit to topple undefeated Air Force 49-45. They've scored more points in their past two games (97) than they did all of last season (93). WR Deven Thompkins leads the nation in receiving yards with 454 -- 55 more than anyone else.

Whether Utah State emerges as a real force in a crowded Mountain West remains to be seen, but the early returns for Anderson have been better than anyone could've rightly expected. -- David M. Hale

AggieFBObsession · Post by **AggieFBObsession** » September 20th, 2021, 8:40 am

Well deserved.

stwinward · Post by **stwinward** » September 20th, 2021, 9:40 am

https://www.espn.com/college-football/s ... ned-week-3

Blake Anderson is working miracles at Utah State
Of the 34 remaining unbeaten FBS teams, there are plenty of unexpected names -- Rutgers, Texas Tech, Arkansas -- but one deserving of some real spotlight is Utah State.

A year ago, the Aggies were a complete mess. They finished 1-5, with all five losses by at least 19 points. The offense topped 16 points just once. Gary Andersen was fired just 16 games into his second stint with the program.

At Arkansas State, Anderson was ready for a change, too, after his first losing season with the Red Wolves. He took the Utah State job in December, brought QB Logan Bonner with him and set about rebuilding a program in marked decline.

The results so far have been remarkable. Utah State came from behind in Week 1 to beat Washington State. The Aggies thumped North Dakota a week later. Saturday, the Aggies once again erased an early deficit to topple undefeated Air Force 49-45. They've scored more points in their past two games (97) than they did all of last season (93). WR Deven Thompkins leads the nation in receiving yards with 454 -- 55 more than anyone else.

Whether Utah State emerges as a real force in a crowded Mountain West remains to be seen, but the early returns for Anderson have been better than anyone could've rightly expected. -- David M. Hale

stwinward · Post by **stwinward** » September 20th, 2021, 10:15 am

Sorry I missed your earlier post Sam Tingey. But hey, it's worth reading twice I guess.

ViAggie · Post by **ViAggie** » September 20th, 2021, 10:56 am

I noted we received two votes in the polls, WOOT!

Sl7vk · Post by **Sl7vk** » September 20th, 2021, 10:57 am

It's funny, but when I had ESPN + they had an article about ranking the college football coaching changes. Anderson was like a B- or C+ move and fell at or near the bottom of the entire list.

Wrong.

FL350Aggie · Post by **FL350Aggie** » September 21st, 2021, 10:29 am

https://www.espn.com/college-football/s ... ned-week-3

Awesome shout out to USU/Coach Anderson.

sonny · Post by **sonny** » September 21st, 2021, 12:19 pm

More love from ESPN : https://www.espn.com/college-football/i ... teams-real

The Mighty Mountain West: Utah State, San Diego State, Fresno State
2020 records: Utah State 1-5; San Diego State 4-4; Fresno State 3-3

Utah State is the only team here that truly struggled in 2020, and while Fresno State is not technically 3-0, all three Mountain West squads are off to very encouraging starts with four combined wins over Pac-12 teams.

First-year Utah State coach Blake Anderson is making an immediate impact in Logan, as the Aggies are 3-0 for the first time since 1978. A balanced offense is averaging 41 points and 563.3 yards per game, getting big lifts from wide receiver Deven Thompkins and others. The Aggies averaged only 15.5 points per game during the abbreviated 2020 season.

San Diego State has been a Pac-12 pest for years, but consecutive wins over Arizona (road) and Utah (home) are notable for coach Brady Hoke. The Aztecs' formula of stingy defense (18.3 points per game allowed) and a heavy run-based offense (142 rushing attempts, 53 passing attempts) remains in place, and could vault the team to its first Mountain West title since going back-to-back in 2015 and 2016.

Fresno State recorded the league's most impressive win late Saturday over then-No. 13 UCLA. Second-year coach Kalen DeBoer is one of the best under-the-radar coaches in college football, and has the offense surging behind quarterback Jake Haener. DeBoer told me Fresno State's only loss, a seven-point defeat at Oregon, gave the team confidence that it could match up physically with any remaining opponent.

FloridaAggie13 · Post by **FloridaAggie13** » September 21st, 2021, 12:59 pm

Sl7vk wrote: ↑
September 20th, 2021, 10:57 am
It's funny, but when I had ESPN + they had an article about ranking the college football coaching changes. Anderson was like a B- or C+ move and fell at or near the bottom of the entire list.

Wrong.

They don't pay attention to anyone outside of P5 unless there is a compelling human interest story or someone's nephew is a starter at a skill position on a G5 team that is doing well.

This is why they televised a high school football game last month between a nationally recognized powerhouse and basically a freshman team that made up their story so they could get a game on tv.

FL350Aggie · Post by **FL350Aggie** » September 21st, 2021, 1:09 pm

Speaking of ESPN how do we get them to update their picture of Maverik Stadium on the ESPN app? Shouldn’t they be somewhat embarrassed of a five year (or older) picture on their app?

OrangeCountyAggie · Post by **OrangeCountyAggie** » September 21st, 2021, 2:19 pm

Sl7vk wrote: ↑
September 20th, 2021, 10:57 am
It's funny, but when I had ESPN + they had an article about ranking the college football coaching changes. Anderson was like a B- or C+ move and fell at or near the bottom of the entire list.

Wrong.

Hartwell knows how to hire them!!

aggiesdotcom · Post by **aggiesdotcom** » September 21st, 2021, 7:56 pm

OrangeCountyAggie wrote: ↑
September 21st, 2021, 2:19 pm

Sl7vk wrote: ↑
September 20th, 2021, 10:57 am
It's funny, but when I had ESPN + they had an article about ranking the college football coaching changes. Anderson was like a B- or C+ move and fell at or near the bottom of the entire list.

Wrong.
Hartwell knows how to hire them!!

He's at least 1 for 2 on his Anders(e)n hires!

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