Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PROVO — BYU and Utah State play an in-state rivalry game almost every year, and Saturday’s battle for the Old Wagon Wheel won’t lack any more passion or emotion than the previous 85 meetings.
But for BYU defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki, squaring off against the Aggies (3-8, 1-7 Mountain West) will be special.
Tuiaki’s first full-time Division I college football job came in Logan from 2009-11, when he coached the Aggies’ running backs and special teams under former head coach Gary Andersen.
So Saturday’s game will bring back a flood of emotions, and it won’t just be in recognizing the Cougars’ seniors prior to the 8:15 p.m. MST kickoff on ESPNU and KSL NewsRadio.
“I loved it there,” Tuiaki said. “I enjoyed the people I was with, loved the town, had a baby there. That place will always be special to me, just because of how early in my career and with my wife I was.”
Tuiaki spent two seasons with current head coach Matt Wells, who was the Aggies’ quarterbacks coach. Current assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator Frank Maile was one of Tuiaki’s graduate assistants on staff. The current staff also has several close friends, including co-offensive coordinator Jovon Bouknight, football operations lead Waqa Damuni, and former BYU running back Fahu Tahi, who is currently an offensive administrative assistant after finishing his bachelor’s degree at Utah State a year ago.
In the five years since Tuiaki left Logan, with coaching stops at Utah and Oregon State, the first-time defensive coordinator has seen the Old Wagon Wheel go from a purely in-state series to a veritable rivalry game — especially among native Utahns, the media and two passionate fan bases.
In Tuiaki’s three seasons in Logan, the Aggies went 1-2 against the Cougars, with the lone win a 31-16 margin in Logan on Oct. 1, 2010.
“It’s going to be a good, tough in-state rivalry game,” Tuiaki predicted. “Since I was there, we weren’t very competitive, but then we pulled one off — and ever since then, it’s been competitive.
“It’s a big night of our seniors … so we’ll definitely give them our best, too.”
Offensive coordinator Ty Detmer isn’t as concerned with the Aggies’ three-win record that will keep them from a postseason bowl game for the first time in five years. Utah State has come a long way since he went 4-0 as BYU’s quarterback against the rivals from northern Utah.
“They’ve done a great job of building that program,” Detmer said. “It’s come a long way since I was in school, and we know it’s going to be that type of game again. They’ll come in jacked up and ready to go. You expect to see everything thrown at you, and all the emotions that go into it.”
Saturday’s game will be the final home game of a lengthy but prolific career for BYU quarterback Taysom Hill, as well as 20 other seniors who will be honored in a pregame ceremony.
Going out in a fierce in-state rivalry game is the perfect ending to a home career.
“They’re a good football team,” Hill said. “I’ve faced them a number of times, and they always bring it. I expect them to play really hard; they’ve got some good talent on their team. I expect nothing less.”
