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Utah State Hosts No. 22 Utah Saturday In Aggies' Home Opener
Sept. 8, 2008 LOGAN, Utah - Complete Utah State Notes for #22 Utah Game in PDF Format
#22 UTAH at UTAH STATE Saturday, Sept. 13, 6 p.m. (MT) Romney Stadium (25,513) - Logan, Utah
QUICKLY -- After two games on the road to open the season, Utah State (0-2, 0-0 WAC) returns home to the friendly confines of Romney Stadium (25,513) to host in-state foe and 22nd-ranked Utah (2-0, 1-0 MWC) on Saturday, Sept. 13... Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. (MT) and the game can be seen on TV on KJZZ (Comcast Ch. 14 in Cache Valley). RIVALRY -- Saturday is the 108th meeting between Utah State and Utah... This is the nation's 12th-most played rivalry in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (Formerly Division I)... Here's a look at the nation's most played rivalries: 143 games Lafayette - Lehigh* FAMILY FEUD -- Utah State sophomore RB Curtis Marsh's father Curtis Marsh, Sr., played football at Utah from 1993-94 before going on and playing in the NFL, playing for Jacksonville, Pittsburgh and Cleveland... USU sophomore CB Geno Odong's cousin is Utah sophomore LB Stevenson Sylvester... Both of Utah sophomore C Zane Taylor's parents are Utah State alums... Utah sophomore WR Mike Hicken's mother is also a Utah State graduate. BOTH SIDES -- Utah State senior reserve OL Mike Green received his bachelor's degree from Utah after a three-year stint in the U.S. Army. CLASH OF THE AGGIES-UTES WEEK -- Saturday's football match-up between Utah State and Utah is just one of three clashes between the Aggies and Utes as they'll face off in volleyball (Friday at 7 p.m. at SLC) and soccer (Friday at 7:30 p.m. at SLC). HOME OPENERS -- USU is 8-12 in its last 20 home openers, losing its last two... Utah has been the Aggies' home-opener opponent seven times during that span, going 1-6 against the Utes... Prior to the 1990 home and season-opener vs. Utah, the previous home opener against the Utes was 1900 and 1892 when the clash with Utah was the Aggies' only game... Here is a look at USU's last 20 home openers: 1988 - W 32-20 vs. New Mexico State 1989 - L 10-37 vs. BYU 1990 - L 0-19 vs. Utah 1991 - L 7-23 vs. San Jose State 1992 - L 18-42 vs. Utah 1993 - L 24-48 vs. Baylor 1994 - L 17-32 vs. Utah 1995 - L 14-38 vs. Boise State 1996 - W 20-17 vs. Utah 1997 - W 41-7 vs. Idaho State 1998 - L 12-20 vs. Utah 1999 - W 51-17 vs. Stephen F. Austin 2000 - W 30-14 vs. Southern Utah 2001 - L 42-43 vs. Wyoming 2002 - L 3-23 vs. Utah 2003 - W 28-10 vs. UL-Monroe 2004 - W 14-7 vs. Idaho 2005 - W 31-24 vs. UNLV 2006 - L 0-48 vs. Utah 2007 - L 16-23 vs. UNLV GOOD TO BE HOME -- Saturday is Utah State's first home game in a span of five games dating back to last season, as the Aggies played on the road in the final two games of the 2007 season and the first two games on this year's ledger. AN OMEN -- Saturday is also USU's first home game in a stretch of three in a row... This is the first time since 1997 that the Aggies have had three-straight home games, which coincidentally was the last time that USU went to a bowl game. ON TV -- Saturday's match-up of the Aggies and the Utes will be broadcast on KJZZ (Comcast Ch. 14 in Cache Valley)... The play-by-play announcer is Steve Brown with the color commentary by Mike Norseth. ON THE AIR -- All Utah State football games are carried on 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 this week. GAMETRACKER - Fans can follow all Aggie home games through the USU web site at www.UtahStateAggies.com via GameTracker, a free service, which updates play-by-play and statistics throughout the game. USU VS. THE TOP 25 -- Utah State will be playing its 47th game all-time against a ranked team (Utah is No. 22 in this week's AP poll) and is just 1-45 against teams in the AP poll... Included in that stretch is a 48-6 loss to Utah in 2004 when the Utes were ranked No. 15... The Aggies' lone win against a ranked team was a 20-19 upset of 25th-ranked Fresno State in 1991... Since then, USU has lost 20 straight games against ranked team... Saturday marks the eight time in the Brent Guy era that USU has faced a ranked team - here is a look at those games: Sept. 18, 2004 - L 6-48 #15 Utah Oct. 29, 2005 - L 3-35 at #5 Alabama Nov. 18, 2006 - L 10-49 at #18 Boise State Sept. 15, 2007 - L 3-54 at #3 Oklahoma Oct. 6, 2007 - L 37-52 at #16 Hawai'i Nov. 10, 2007 - L 0-52 vs #19 Boise State Sept. 6, 2008 - L 24-66 at #18 Oregon BACK-TO-BACK RANKED OPPONENTS -- Saturday is the first time since 2003 that USU is facing a ranked opponent in back-to-back games... That season USU played on the same dates as this year, losing at #23 Nebraska, 31-7, on Sept. 6, 2003 and losing 26-16 at #16 Arizona State on Sept. 13, 2003, when current USU head coach Brent Guy was defensive coordinator for the Sun Devils... The Aggies also played ranked opponents in consecutive games in 2001, losing at home to #6 Oregon, 38-21, on Sept. 29, 2001 and losing 54-34 at 18th-ranked BYU on Oct. 5, 2001... The 1991 season also saw USU play ranked foes two weeks in a row, losing 59-28 at #14 Nebraska on Sept. 7, 2001 and dropping a 55-21 game at #7 Oklahoma a week later... In 1989, USU faced #13 USC on Sept. 16 and #20 Illinois the next week, losing both games, 66-10 and 41-2, respectively. USU IN THE NINTH MONTH / ON SEPT. 13 -- Utah State will be trying to snap a 10-game September losing streak... The Aggies lost all four of their games in September last season and all five games in September in 2006, with USU's last win in the month coming on Sept. 24, 2005 against UNLV... Saturday is USU's first game on Sept. 13 since 2003, when the Aggies lost at #16 Arizona State, 26-16... Overall the Aggies are 2-4 on Sept. 13 since 1912, including 1-0 on Sept. 13 on the road as well as 0-2 vs. ranked teams on Sept. 13... Here's a look at how USU has fared on Sept. 13: 1969 - L 7-17 at Wichita State 1986 - L 10-24 at Missouri 1975 - W 13-7 at Idaho 1997 - L 24-35 at #25 Colorado State 1980 - W 14-7 vs. Idaho State 2003 - L 16-26 at #16 Arizona StateCOACHES SHOW ON THE ROAD -- For the fourth 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. The show gives USU students an opportunity to ask questions and interact with Coach Guy and players. Food will be available at each show at a reduced rate from University Food Services. Upcoming Coaches Show Schedule: Sept. 11, 18, Oct. 2 (MarketPlace) UP NEXT -- Utah State opens Western Athletic Conference action against border-state foe Idaho on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 2 p.m. (MT)... It will be USU Ag Day. OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN -- Each week Utah State will select game captains. Those selected for the Utah game are junior OL Tariq Polley for the offense, junior DE Darby Golden for the defense and senior RB Derrick Cumbee for special teams. USU-UU SERIES -- Utah leads the all-time series by a 75-28-4 count, including 10 straight victories since the Aggies posted back-to-back wins in 1996 and 1997... In fact, the Utes have won 18 of the last 20, 21 of the last 24 and 24 of the last 28 meetings between the two schools... In games at Logan, USU is 11-24-0 vs. Utah, losing the last five on the Aggies' home turf. ROAD WOE-IORS -- Life on the road has been tough for the Aggies, who are 3-20 under head coach Brent Guy... The win at New Mexico State on Nov. 17, 2007 snapped a 13-game road losing skid, as two of USU's three road wins are at NMSU, with the 35-17 victory last year plus winning on the road in the 2005 season finale at New Mexico State, 24-21, along with the 24-19 win at Idaho on Nov. 24 of last year. SWEET HOME? -- Utah State has just one home win in its last 12 home games, currently on a seven-game home losing skein... The Aggies are 3-12 at home under head coach Brent Guy. USU-UTAH SERIES NOTE-ABLE -- The Utah State - Utah series is the 12th-most played rivalry in the nation with 107 previous meetings. It is the most played rivalry in the rocky mountain region and third-most played in the west (Oregon and Oregon State have met 111 times and Stanford and California have met 110 times)... Did you know that Army and Navy have met just one more time than the Aggies and the Utes?... The first meeting between the schools was a 12-0 USU win in 1892. The Aggies must have been so excited that they did not field a team for three more years and did not play Utah again until 1900... By then the Utes had worked out the kinks in numerous games against City High, the YMCA, the BY Academy and the ninth Calvary, that when they met again in 1900, the Utes won 21-0. USU-UTAH NOTE-ABLE -- USU has one player on its roster that attended Utah, OL Mike Green, who went to Utah but did not play... Utah safeties coach Morgan Scalley played for the Utes, going 4-0 against Utah State... Both Utah State and Utah have a Coach Dickey on their staff, though Aggie offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey and Ute offensive line coach Charlie Dickey are not believed to be related. USU BESTS VS. UTAH -- Here is a look at some of the top USU statistical individual performances against the Utes over the years: Louie Giammona ran for 207 yards against Utah in 1974 for what was then the fifth-best total in school history (now 19th)... Tony Adams threw for a school record 561 yards in 1972, a mark that still stands. That total was also an NCAA record at the time and now ranks 22nd all-time... Anthony Calvillo threw for 380 yards in the 1993 game and Brent Snyder threw for 360 in 1987... Craig Clark had 224 receiving yards against the Utes in 1972, then a school record and now sixth... Cotie McMahon caught balls for 207 yards in the 1993 game.... Long plays included Giammona's 89-yard run in 1974 (third in USU history), four 80-plus yard passes, Tom Larscheid's 85-yard punt return in 1961, Steve Mullins' 70-yard punt in 2002 and Mickey Doyle's 52-yard field goal in 1972. USU VS. THE MWC -- Utah State is playing the second of three games against a member of the Mountain West Conference this season as the Aggies lost at UNLV, 27-17, on Aug. 30 and host BYU on Oct. 3... This is the third year in a row that USU has played three games vs. MWC teams... All-time USU is 146-204-14 vs. current members of the league... USU has lost seven straight against the MWC, as the Aggies' last win vs. a MWC team was in 2005 over UNLV... In its last 17 games against MWC teams, USU is 3-14... Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico State and San Jose State are the other teams in the WAC to play any Mountain West teams, and each only plays one with three of the four facing in-state rivals an in-state rivals as Nevada takes on UNLV, New Mexico State tangles with New Mexico and San Jose State squares off with San Diego State, who also plays Idaho. ABOUT UTAH STATE -- The Aggies are 0-2 after losing, 27-17, at UNLV on Aug. 30 and 66-24 at 18th-ranked Oregon on Saturday... USU has had some costly dropped passes at opportune times that thwarted offensive drives while costly penalties have continued drives on defense... The Aggies are sixth in the WAC and 90th in the NCAA with 310.0 yards of total offense per game, while ranked eighth in the league and 112th in the nation in total defense, yielding 520.5 ypg... USU is just 7-of-31 (22.6 percent) on third-down conversions, while the Aggies' opponents are 14-of-28 (50.0 percent)... Utah State has an even zero turnover margin, after losing two turnovers at UNLV and gaining two at Oregon... Sophomore QB Diondre Borel has come off the bench in both contests but leads USU statistically speaking, with 237 yards passing (118.5 ypg) and 101 yards rushing (50.5 ypg)... After throwing his first TD pass in the UNLV game, Borel tossed two more TD's at Oregon... Senior QB Sean Setzer has started both games, completing a team-best 60.7 percent (17-of-28) passes for 184 yards (92.0 ypg)... The primary target for the Aggie QB's has been senior WR Otis Nelson, who has 11 catches for 104 yards (9.5 ypc) with one TD... Sophomore RB Curtis Marsh has been a dual threat with 35 yards rushing and 33 yards receiving, including his first career TD catch coming Saturday at Oregon... Defensively, senior S Caleb Taylor leads USU, making 18 tackles (eight solo, 10 assists) with one INT... Junior SS James Brindley adds 16 stops, including 1.5 tackles for loss, which is tied for the team lead with classmate, LB Paul Igboeli... Senior LB Jake Hutton is third on the squad with 14 tackles, after making 12 at UNLV but had just two at Oregon after seeing limited action with an mild injury... Sophomore K/P Peter Caldwell remains perfect (5-of-5) on PAT's and has made both field goals... Caldwell also has a 38.9 yards per punt average, including three over 50 yards and three inside the 20... Junior K Chris Ulinski has one touchback and has kept opponents inside the 25 four times. ABOUT #22 UTAH -- After knocking off Michigan on the road to open the season, the Utes pulled away from UNLV in Utah's home and Mountain West opener... After being down 14-7, Utah reeled off 35 unanswered points to take a 42-14 lead before UNLV scored late to close the gap to the game's final score of 42-21... UU tallied 440 yards of total offense while limiting UNLV to 288 yards and forcing eight punts... Utah is led by senior QB Brian Johnson with a 63.2 completion percentage with 488 yards (244 ypg) with three TD's... Johnson adds 88 yards rushing on 25 carries with one TD... Senior Brandon Godfrey has 10 catches for 115 yards (11.5 ypc) with one TD while classmate WR Brent Casteel has nine receptions for 84 yards (0.3 ypc)... Junior RB Matt Asiata has 111 yards rushing on 24 carries (4.6 ypc) with one TD... Defensively, sophomore defensive end Paul Kruger has 14 tackles, including four TFL's while junior DB Joe Dale has 12 stops with 2.5 TFL's. USU-UU LAST TIME - Sept. 29, 2007 - SALT LAKE CITY -- Despite not only scoring first but scoring in the opening quarter for the first time all season, Utah State lost to Utah, 34-18, at a cold and snowy Rice-Eccles Stadium on Sept. 29, 2007. After a 64-yard interception return by sophomore S James Brindley gave the Aggies a first-and-goal at the Utah 1, USU got on the board first, with a 1-yard plunge from senior QB Leon Jackson III. Freshman K Peter Caldwell followed with an upright split to gave the Aggies their first points in the opening quarter all season. Utah then scored the next 14 points, a 22-yard pass from Brian Johnson to Jereme Brooks and later a 75-yard punt return for a TD by Derrek Richards and USU never saw the lead again. Caldwell hit a 24-yard field goal, capping a 12-play, 66-yard drive to pull USU within 14-10 midway through the second quarter. Johnson had a 38-yard scoring pass to Marquis Wilson and Louie Sakoda hit a 31-yard field goal as time expired to send USU into halftime on the short side of the 24-10 score. The Utes expanded the lead to 34-10 on a 3-yard run by Darrell Mack and a 39-yard Sakoda field goal. The Aggies countered with a 10-yard pass from Jackson to junior WR Otis Nelson, then freshman RB Derrvin Speight tacked on the two-point conversion to pull USU within 34-18. Utah State recovered the onside kick and after a lengthy review on the play, senior WR Kevin Robinson was ruled to have successfully covered the ball. The Aggies drove to the Utah 13 before getting stopped on fourth down. The Utes took two knees to run out the clock and end the game. USU ended with 275 yards of total offense, led by Jackson's 17-of-24 passing with the one TD pass. Jackson's 17 completions gave him 298 for his career and moved him into seventh on USU's career passing completions list. Jackson also moved to No. 9 on the Aggies' career total offense list with 3,711 yards. Speight matched his previous week's debut with 22 carries for the second game in a row, but only had 67 yards. Robinson had seven catches for 71 yards, giving him 149 for his career and moving him to tied for No. 5 on USU's career receptions list with Kevin Alexander (1992-95). Defensively, the Aggies were led by linebackers, junior De'von Hall and sophomore Paul Igboeli with 11 tackles each. Fellow linebacker, junior Jake Hutton also nabbed his first career interception to go with eight tackles. Utah had 325 yards of total offense, led by Johnson with 18-of-29 passing for 181 yards and two TD's. AGGIES-UTES LAST TIME AT LOGAN - Sept. 16, 2006 -- For the third game in a row the Utah State offense was shutout as the Aggies fell to Utah 48-0 in its 2006 home opener. The tone of the game was set on the first series as Aggie quarterback Leon Jackson was intercepted for the first time in seven appearances in Romney Stadium and had that throw returned 21 yards for a touchdown by Eric Shyne just 1:06 into the game. The Utes scored 17 first-quarter points after the Aggies had allowed just one field goal in the opening period of their first two games combined. By halftime the Utes had pushed the margin to 24-0 and at the end of the third quarter the Aggies were down 38-0. USU recorded just 98 offensive yards while Utah rolled up 401. Jackson completed just four-of-15 passes for 39 yards and two interceptions before giving way to a pair of backup quarterbacks in Bryan Black and Mike Affleck. Black, who made his first appearance for USU since playing as a freshman in 2003, was two-of-three, but fumbled once. Affleck was zero-of-two. In all, USU had six turnovers after committing just one in the first two games combined. In fact, the Aggies had not had more than one turnover in its previous five games dating back to 2005. USU's rushing game produced 34 yards as the Aggies had 83 positive yards and 49 negative yards. USU's longest play on the day was a 23-yard pass from Jackson to Nnamdi Gwacham, who was playing in his first collegiate game, while the longest run was nine yards by Marcus Cross. Defensively, LB Jake Hutton recorded a game-high 10 tackles, while S Terrance Washington and DT E.J. Reid each added seven stops. TONNEMACHER ON RIMINGTON TROPHY WATCH LIST -- For the second year in a row, offensive center Ryan Tonnemacher has been named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List, given annually to the nation's most outstanding center in college football.. Tonnemacher (pronounced Tawn-uh-mawker), a 6-3, 292-pound senior from Chandler, Ariz. (Hamilton HS), is one of 43 players named to the Watch List. Tonnemacher is one of four centers from the Western Athletic Conference to be recognized, as he's joined by John Estes from Hawai'i, Adam Korby of Idaho and Nevada's Dominic Green. Tonnemacher is the only center from the state of Utah on this season's list. As a junior last season, Tonnemacher started all 12 games at center, one of eight Aggies to start every contest. His 759 offensive plays tied him with offensive guard Shawn Murphy and offensive tackle Derek Hoke for most on the offense and were the fourth-most on the team. Tonnemacher enters his senior season with a team-leading 24 consecutive starts after starting all 12 games in both 2006 and 2007. He is a three-year letterwinner after starting three games as a freshman in 2005. A total of 17 centers were repeat selections from last year's preseason Watch List, including Tonnemacher, Korby and Green, as well as last year's winner, Jonathan Luigs from Arkansas. The Rimington Trophy has not had a repeat winner in its history. HUTTON AND IGBOELI IN BUTKUS TROPHY WATCH LIST -- Utah State linebackers Jake Hutton and Paul Igboeli were both named to the 2008 Butkus Award watch list, given annually to the top linebacker in college football, announced by the Butkus Foundation. Hutton, a senior, and Igboeli, a junior, were one of 10 sets of teammates on the 66 player list. The Aggie duo were two of four Western Athletic Conference players on the watch list, joining Adam Leonard of Hawai'i and Josh Mauga of Nevada. Hutton and Igboeli are also two of the three players from Utah schools, joining Utah's Stevenson Sylvester. Hutton, a native of Pocatello, Idaho (Pocatello HS), earned second-team all-WAC honors last year after he led USU and ranked eighth in the WAC as well as tied for 71st in the NCAA with 102 tackles, including 58 solo stops. The 58 solo tackles ranked tied for fifth in the league. His 58 solo tackles were also the most for an Aggie since Jesse Busta had 64 in 2002. Hutton registered a USU single-game season-best 16 stops at New Mexico State. Igboeli (pronounced Ig-bo-lee), a Grand Prairie, Texas (South Grand Prairie HS) native was second on the team and 13th in the WAC with 95 tackles, including 51 solo stops, which ranked among the top 15 in league. He was tied for second on the team with eight tackles for loss and also tallied three pass break-ups and one fumble recovery. Igboeli posted two of USU's top five tackle outings on the year with 15 at New Mexico State and 12 at Fresno State. In 2006, Igboeli was the WAC Freshman of the Year. The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985, has been given annually to the top linebacker in college football. The Award, named in honor of Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus, is regarded as one of the elite individual honors in college football. This year, the Butkus family has taken stewardship of the Butkus Award to fully realize it's original purpose of honoring athletic achievement and service to the community. It will be presented by the Butkus Foundation. The Butkus Award will be presented January 13, 2009, at the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in Chicago. HEAD COACH Brent Guy -- Brent Guy (Oklahoma State, 1983) is in his fourth 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 in the Western Athletic Conference.
Utah State Head Coach
All WAC
2005 3-8 2-6
2006 1-11 1-7
2007 2-10 2-6
2008 0-2 0-0
Total 6-31 5-19
GUY VS. UTAH -- Aggie head coach Brent Guy is 2-6 all-time vs. Utah, currently 0-3 as head coach, 0-3 as an assistant at USU and 2-0 as an assistant at Boise State. 1992 USU Asst. - L 18-42 at Logan 1999 BSU Asst. - W 26-20 at Boise 1993 USU Asst. - L 29-31 at SLC 2005 USU head coach - L 7-31 at SLC 1994 USU Asst. - L 17-32 at Logan 2006 USU head coach - L 0-48 at Logan 1998 BSU Asst. - W 31-28 at SLC 2007 USU head coach - L 18-34 at SLCAGGIE ASSISTANT COACHES -- Utah State had one changes on its coaching staff from last year, as Thomas Dunson joined the staff. Offensive Coordinator - Darrell Dickey (Kansas State, 1984, 2nd Year)... Former head coach at North Texas... Guided Mean Green to four consecutive conference championships from 2001-04. Wide Receivers - Greg Stevens (Eastern Oregon, 1992, 4th Year)... Former offensive coordinator at S.F. Austin... USU interim off. coord. for eight games. Running Backs - Shaun Johnson (Utah State, 1995, 3rd Year)... Former Aggie wide receiver, coached Division I-AA rushing leader at Brown in 2005. Tight Ends - Tracy Smith (LSU, 2003, 3rd Year)... Worked with LSU quarterbacks in 2005... Is son of former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Carl Smith. Offensive Line - Vance Vice (Oklahoma State, 1990, 4th Year)... As an Oklahoma State tight end was a key to Barry Sanders winning the Heisman in 1988. Def. Coord./LB - Mark Johnson (UC Davis, 1990, 4th Year)... Has coached at four different WAC schools (San Jose State, Boise State, Nevada and USU). Def. Line - Danilo Robinson (Utah State, 1997, 4th Year)... Holds USU single-game sacks record with five vs. San Jose State in 1995. Safeties - Jeff Copp (Boise State, 2001, 4th Year)... Was an all-conference defensive end while playing at Boise State. Cornerbacks - John Rushing (Washington State, 1995, 6th Year)... Was a freshman All-America corner at Washington State... Older brother of former USU WR Kevin Robinson. GA-Offense - Thomas Dunson (LSU, 2003, 1st Year)... Comes to USU after one season at Rice... Was on Darrell Dickey's staff at North Texas for three seasons (2004- 06). GA-Defense/Special Teams - Tony Flores (Utah State, 3rd Year)... Moved up from serving as a work study in the football office in 2005. DID YOU KNOW? -- Utah State offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey did not face Utah while head coach at North Texas, but he was 1-0 vs. Utah as offensive coordinator at SMU in 1997 and was 0-3 vs. Utah while assistant head coach/offensive coordinator at UTEP from 1994-96. DID YOU KNOW? -- USU head coach Brent Guy and offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey played against each other when Guy was a linebacker at Oklahoma State and Dickey was a quarterback at Kansas State... Oklahoma State won all four meetings during Guy and Dickey's tenures, winning 42-15 in 1979, 10-0 in 1980, 31-10 in '81 and 24-16 in '82... Oct. 20 marked the 25th anniversary of Guy and Dickey's last meeting of 1982 when Oklahoma State hosts Kansas State... In the 1982 Cowboy-Wildcat clash, Guy had 18 tackles, including one TFL and two pass break-ups while Dickey was 17-of-35 passing for 185 yards with two TD's and one INT. OFFENSIVE NOTES -- The Aggie offense did not have a turnover for the first time since Oct. 7, 2006 vs. Fresno State... The USU offense six different players have rushed the ball (seven receivers, five rushers at UNLV; 10 receivers, six rushers at Oregon)... The Aggies had a season-high 314 yards of total offense at UNLV including a season-best 111 yards rushing... USU had a season-high 218 yards passing at Oregon... Utah State totalled a season-best 18 first downs at Oregon. DEFENSIVE NOTES -- USU snagged two turnovers for the third time in last four games and ninth time in last 13 games dating back to last season... Also dating back to last year, the Aggie defense has at least one interception in 10 of their last 14 games. SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES --Saturday at Oregon marked the first time since Nov. 11, 2006 at Nevada that USU did not have a kickoff return of at least 20 yards... The Aggies remain perfect on the season in both PAT's (5-of-5) and FG's (2-of-2). USU NOTE-ABLE -- 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 only one of those other locations giving USU seven games this season at 4,000 feet above sea level after playing eight in 2006 and seven last year. USU will play at Reno, Nev. (#8 at 4,505 feet) against Nevada on Oct. 18... The Aggies will face two of the other teams on the list in #6 BYU (Oct. 3) and #9 Utah (Sept. 13). School City, State Elevation 1. Wyoming Laramie, Wyo. 7,220 2. Air Force Colorado Springs, Colo. 6,010 3. Colorado Boulder, Colo. 5,328 4. Colorado State Fort Collins, Colo. 5,003 5. New Mexico Albuquerque, N.M. 4,957 6. Brigham Young Provo, Utah 4,550 7. UTAH STATE LOGAN, UTAH 4,534 8. Nevada Reno, Nev. 4,505 9. Utah Salt Lake City, Utah 4,262RECORD BOOK WATCH -- Senior linebacker Jake Hutton entered his final season in Aggie blue and white with 218 career tackles, in need of 95 more to reach USU's top 10 list, as Blake Eagal currently holds the No. 10 spot with 313 career stops from 1997-2000... After 12 stops Saturday at UNLV, Hutton currently as 230 career tackles. NUMBER CHANGES -- Utah State had several jersey number changes prior to this season and/or from the media guide:
Doug Barbour from 80 to 87 Brian Mason from 91 to 49
James Brindley from 26 to 3 Kejon Murphy from 9 to 1
Marquise Butler from 19 to 13 Emmanual Ojeriakhi from 88 to 19
Peter Caldwell from 38 to 8 Jake Poulson from 20 to 30
Marquise Charles from 3 to 26 Chris Randle from 24 to 7
Greg Clark from 93 to 91 Robert Turbin from 30 to 6
Levi Koskan from 91 to 93 Chris Williams from 10 to 9
Junior Keiaho from 92 to 59 Zac Zimmerman from 70 to 48
VETERAN EXPERIENCE -- USU has 17 seniors on its roster which matches last season as the biggest senior class in head coach Brent Guy's three seasons at USU and the largest Aggie senior class since 1999's 21 seniors. THREE "A" AGGIES -- Out of the 17 seniors on the roster, 12 of them are three-year letterwinners. TIME TRAVELERS -- Utah State will play in three different time zones this season: Central (at Louisiana Tech on Nov. 15), Mountain (all home games, at Boise State on Nov. 8) and Pacific (at UNLV on Aug. 30, at Oregon on Sept. 6, at San Jose State on Oct. 11 and at Nevada on Oct. 18). While Utah State only plays in three different time zones this season (Mountain for all home games and at Boise State, Pacific at UNLV, at Oregon, at San Jose State and at Nevada, Central at Louisiana Tech), the Aggies have at least one player from five different time zones, Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific and Hawaiian-Aleutian. BEEHIVE BUNCH -- Utah State has 23 players from the state of Utah on its roster. TALL HOKE -- Senior offensive tackle Derek Hoke is the tallest player on USU's roster at 6'9" - Hoke is one of seven players on the Aggie roster listed at 6'5" or taller... He is also unofficially, the second-tallest player in NCAA Division I this season, behind 6'10" Alejandro Villanueva of Army. BIG BOOKENDS -- Utah State's bookends at offensive tackle, senior Derek Hoke on the left and sophomore Spencer Johnson on the right, are two of the combined tallest tackles in the country, with Hoke towering at 6'9" and Johnson at 6'5"... The Aggie duo's combined height of 13'2" unofficially trails the 13'5" Colorado tandem of Nate Solder (6'8") and Ryan Miller (6'7") and the 13'3" Wisconsin duo of Gabe Carimi (6'8") and Eric Vanden Heuvel (6'7"). BIRTHDAY BOYS -- In all 20 Aggie players have birthdays from the time camp opened on Aug. 1 to the end of the season... Two Aggies have a birthday on a football game day: senior RB Chris Forbes (Sept. 13 vs Utah) and senior DE Gregg Clark (Oct. 11 at San Jose State). SEVEN 2008 OPPONENTS WENT BOWLING -- USU will face seven teams that went to a bowl game last year, including a stretch a four weeks in a row.
USU is one of four WAC teams to play three non-conference games against a team that was in bowl game last year, joining Boise State, Fresno State and Hawai'i. 2008 OPPONENTS IN THE POLLS -- Utah State will face three teams ranked in the top 25, though the four different polls have different teams, with the two constants in all four major polls, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, ESPN and AP, with BYU and Oregon the constants, while Fresno State is ranked in both the USA Today and ESPN polls but not by Sports Illustrated and is among others receiving votes in the AP poll, while Hawai'i is only in the Sports Illustrated poll and is also among others receiving votes in the AP poll... Other USU opponents in the others receiving votes list include Utah and Boise State. Utah State and Nevada are the only two WAC teams to play more than one Top 25 team in the AP poll, the "official" poll of college football... The Aggies tangle with No. 16 BYU (Oct. 3) and 21st-ranked Oregon (Sept. 6), while the Wolf Pack of Nevada plays sixth-ranked Missouri and No. 12 Texas Tech... Four other conference teams play one AP Top 25 team: Boise State (No. 21 Oregon), Fresno State (No. 13 Wisconsin), Hawai'i (No. 5 Florida) and Louisiana Tech (No. 14 Kansas).

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