What has happened to Utah State football? Just five years ago, the Aggies were making history as they took down Utah, won a school record 11 games, won the WAC, a bowl game, and finished ranked in all three major polls (AP, Coaches, BCS).
Things were looking up for Utah State, a program that had struggled mightily since the 1980s. They had a dark horse Heisman candidate in quarterback Chuckie Keeton. They were set to join the Mountain West Conference in 2013. They were finally building new facilities on campus to accommodate the on-field success. Gary Andersen had turned the program completely around in just four years.
Then overnight things changed. Andersen, who said he wouldn’t leave Utah State, suddenly bolted for Wisconsin, one of the best programs in the Big Ten. USU soon started a national coaching search, but decided to go with someone already on staff, offensive coordinator and former Aggie quarterback Matt Wells.
I was critical of the hire at the time, but even I must admit, I stopped complaining pretty quickly when, despite multiple injuries, including to Keeton, the Aggies rattled off a 9-5 campaign that included a trip to the first MW Championship game and a Poinsettia Bowl win over nationally-ranked Northern Illinois.
Things were still going pretty well in 2014, when the Aggies knocked off undefeated BYU in Provo for the first time since 1971. Even after injuries yet again forced their hand, playing a fourth string QB for half the season, the Aggies showed resiliency, going 10-4 and winning the New Mexico Bowl, and continuing to send more players to the NFL.
But then after Wells had basically used up all of Andersen’s recruits, the cracks started to show in the armor for Utah State. The Aggies finished 6-7, their first losing season since 2010, capped off by losing to Akron in the Idaho Potato Bowl, a team who had never previously won a bowl game. The team even demolished No. 21 Boise State during the season, but only went 2-5 in their final seven games. Players started getting in trouble off the field, highlighted by top receiver and kick returner JoJo Natson being dismissed for an unspecified violation of team rules before the season.
Then, during the off-season, former USU linebacker Torrey Green was arrested on multiple charges of rape, allegedly occurring when Green was attending the university. As details emerged in the cases against Green, I couldn’t help but think of the Baylor sex scandal (albeit on a lesser scale) that cost Art Briles his job. Could Wells have known about the issues and let them slide, putting wins above anything else? We had seen an increase in off-field issues and suspensions in the last couple of years, but this was terrible. Now, I am no way blaming Wells for anything related to Green, but lack of control of his program and players does need to be brought to light, as repeated issues continue to arise.
Aggie fans were hopeful for a rebound in the 2016 campaign as a dark cloud loomed over the program, but things went from bad to worse on the field. The team, that had previously been competitive against some of the top programs in the nation — a touchdown loss to No. 8 Oklahoma in 2010, a one-point loss at No. 22 Wisconsin in 2012 and a three-point loss to USC in 2013 — was getting blown out and blowing leads.
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The 2016 season got worse from there on out, losing close games, getting blown out, blowing leads. The Nevada game was absolutely dreadful, blowing a 37-24 lead with eight minutes left in the game. Wells repeatedly made coaching errors on the sideline, repeatedly the team seemed to not respond. They’d appear to be overconfident after taking a lead and then not play the rest of the game. After five consecutive bowl appearances, the Aggies were nowhere near one in 2016, winning just three games, and losing nine. The season finale put the icing on the cake of a sub par season, as the Aggies were rolled by BYU.
It was apparent that the program was shifting in the wrong direction, and many Aggie fans wondered if it was time for a change. Instead, athletic director John Hartwell issued a letter of support to Wells and the community, which at least Wells was getting another go at it in 2017.
With the Green sexual assault still lurking in the background, it seemed like 2017 was a make or break season for Wells’ career. Well, the first half of the opener went well. Playing Wisconsin on the road, the Aggies headed into the half tied at 10 with a top ten program. Then the second half started, and it looked much like the previous seasons games. The Aggies got down by two scores, seemed to give up and be uninterested, and got beat 59-10.
After big wins against lesser opponents Idaho State (FCS), and San Jose State (the worst team in the MW), the Aggies got routed on the road at Wake Forest, a middle of the pack ACC team at best, after giving up a first series pick-six and falling flat for the rest of the game.
The BYU game that followed seemed like a massive win against a rival, but now that we know BYU is awful (1-6) and has the 129th ranked offense in the FBS (out of 130) it makes me wonder how they gave up 24 points in the first place. And again with the possible overconfidence, the Aggies seemed like their head was still in the clouds after beating the Cougars, came out flat and lost to Colorado State. The Bridger’s Battle versus Wyoming went the same, blowing a lead, giving up the final 12 points, and losing at home.
The 2017 season is already nearly lost for the Aggies, and at 3-4 and 1-2 in MW play, with five conference games left, including a game against Boise State, the outlook appears to be bleak. If the Aggies can’t turn their season around, it’s time for a change at the helm of the program.
Off-field problems with players and lack of control, becoming less competitive as games and seasons go on, too many coaching mistakes on the sideline and back-to-back losing seasons with no bowl appearances should force Hartwell’s hand. Wells needs to be replaced and the program needs to go in a different direction, before it’s too late and losing becomes a regular thing again. The last thing the Aggies need is to return to another three-decade run of mediocrity and losing seasons in the basement of the Mountain West.
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