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LOGAN — It feels like just yesterday that Gary Andersen was leading the Utes defense to an undefeated season and a second BCS bowl win, but that was five years ago — believe it or not.
Game Notes- Utah (1-0, 0-0 Pac-12) vs. Utah State (1-0, 0-0 Western Athletic Conference)
- Date: Friday, Sept. 7
- Time: 6:00 p.m. MDT
- Site: Romney Stadium (25,513/AstroTurf) Logan, Utah
- TV: ESPN2
- Radio: ESPN700
- Series Record: Utah leads 77-28-4
- Last Meeting: 2009 (Utah 35-17)
- Kickoff Weather: Mostly sunny, temps in the lower 80s
Andersen is a graduate of the University of Utah and was its defensive coordinator until 2008. He is excited about playing his former team and has a lot of respect for the program his mentor, Kyle Whittingham, has put together.
“Utah is obviously a very talented football team,” Andersen said in his weekly press conference Monday morning. “They are consistent; they have a consistent winning tradition over the years, the expectations of their program is to obviously win a conference championship, win a lot of football games, get into bowl games and win bowl games.”
Andersen believes the Utes have the talent to compete in the Pac-12 Conference and that they will be a tough test for his Aggies Friday night.
“They have got tremendous speed at the wide receiver position,” he said. “Obviously the running back is proven and has done a great job. The tight ends, (Jake) Murphy had a very good game and he is another great kid, a Pac-12 tight end from his first game performance.”
The gushing didn’t stop with the offensive side of the ball.
“In the back end on defense, obviously they are missing (Brian) Blechen who is a great player, but the young man that stepped in there is playing well,” Andersen said. “The corners and the safeties are skilled. Their linebackers run very well and are tough hard-nosed kids. They are quality from top to bottom as you watch them on film.”
Andersen believes that his team can matchup up with the Utes, but he is interested to see how they do since Utah boasts a notable size advantage.
“When you sit back and you watch them, their offensive line is gigantic,” he said. “They did a nice job of controlling the line of scrimmage in the (Northern Colorado) game … A lot of times if you cannot hold up in those situations in the trenches, it forces you to become dramatic in the back end. Whether that is on offense or on defense, and that can lead to dramatic things — sometimes good, sometimes bad. That would probably be my number one concern, is the ability to hold up snap after snap in the trenches.”
Andersen is also concerned about how his team will react to all the attention surrounding the nationally-televised game (ESPN2) Friday night and to the difficulty that is bound to come from facing a team like Utah.
“You can say what you want, but the last game there was not a whole lot of adversity,” he said. “I am sure this game will not go like that and we will have some good and some bad. How we can handle the good and how we can handle the bad will be a big statement for where we are as a football team against a quality opponent."
Andersen and Whittingham basically grew up on the football field together and learned from the same coaches, so both coaches might feel like there is an advantage in their familiarity with the other.
“Over the years we have changed a little bit,” Andersen said. “Utah hasn't changed a lot, but we have changed a few things here and there, and they have tweaked their system to what is best for their personnel.”
The Utes haven’t played Utah State since 2009 when they beat the Aggies 35-17. Under Andersen, the Aggies have clearly improved since then. In quite possibly the last game between the two in Logan, Utah, we’ll see just how much they have improved Friday night.
“I believe in our guys,” Andersen said. “It is going to be exciting to watch them match up against some very good players."
Trevor Amicone is the founder of byutahinsiders.com which covers BYU, Utah and national college football with weekly polls and bowl projections, opinions and analysis. Follow its brand new Twitter page at @BYUtahInsiders and Trevor's, @TrevorAmicone
