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LOGAN — At this time last year, Quin Ficklin was entrenched on the BYU football team as a backup center who played in seven games at fullback — including catching a fourth-down pass from Tanner Mangum that helped the Cougars to a 31-14 upset win at Michigan State.
But in another “life comes at you fast” moment in college athletics, Ficklin will find himself suiting up against his former team Friday at 6 p.m. when his new club — Utah State — hosts the Cougars (1-3) at Maverik Stadium.
“I’ve played against these guys hundreds of times before,” said Ficklin, who went from walk-on to starting center by the end of fall training camp in Logan. “I played against them in practice a lot, so I know all of the defensive linemen, the linebackers and the defensive backs. I know them really well.
“It’s not so much surreal. It’s going to be exciting.”
Ficklin is so new to the Utah State program that he is still in a group text with his former offensive line teammates in Provo. The group hasn’t been very active this week, for obvious reasons. But he did receive a complimentary text from offensive line coach Mike Empey after the Aggies’ dominant 61-10 win at San Jose State last Saturday.
“He and I still talk and we’re still close,” said Ficklin, whose mother Twila ran track at BYU. “They have a lot of good guys and I have no hard feelings toward BYU football at all. They were great to me and I had a great three years there. I’m having an even better year here at Utah State, though.”
No longer buried on the depth chart behind former freshman All-American center Tejan Koroma or fullback Brayden El-Bakri, Ficklin has flourished with the Aggies. Offensive line coach Steve Farmer was the first to receive contact from the Mesa, Arizona, native after BYU granted him a release from the team. The two talked, and head coach Matt Wells remembers Ficklin being a “straight-up young man” who addressed the coaches with "'Yes, sir,' and 'No, sir.'"
“He said he wanted to come walk on and earn a spot. He earned a spot. He earned a scholarship,” Wells said Monday. “He’s been very good. He’s a vocal and emotional leader. He’s a guy that spends a lot of time watching tape, learning what we’re doing and preparing for the next opponent. He cares an awful lot.”
The Aggie junior’s path to Logan followed former BYU roommate Roman Andrus, who also starts on Utah State’s offensive line. Andrus played two seasons at BYU before transferring to Snow College and eventually to Utah State.
“Roman Andrus was my lifting partner when the coaches would lift with the kids. I love that kid,” BYU defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki said. “But any time you start a new system with new kids, it’s a change. You can see that they are still learning, but they are being well coached.”
Ficklin also cares about his former teammates — but only to the extent of them also being this week’s opponents, of course. He speaks fondly of his three years in Provo, blocking defensive tackle Handsome Tanielu in practice and joking with former safety and converted linebacker Matt Hadley about the time his older brother took Hadley’s sister to the senior prom.
In an age where some claim college transfers have reached epidemic proportions, Ficklin holds no ill will toward his old team or his new team. The northbound move to Logan has worked out pretty well for him, and he wishes head coach Kalani Sitake best wishes moving forward.
Things have worked out well for him, so they might as well for the Cougars.
“It’s been one of the best decisions of my life,” Ficklin said. “I’m absolutely grateful and couldn’t be any happier. I wish I could have been at Utah State for my entire career — nothing against my three years there. I love Logan more than I love Provo and I love this university more than I loved BYU.
“Coach Wells letting me come up here and giving me a chance has been something better than I ever would have asked for.”
Therein lies the connection between BYU and Utah State as the status of in-state rival is solidified. The Cougars wouldn't view any rivalry bigger than the one with the University of Utah, and Utah State has a full slate of Mountain West play to look forward to.
But make no mistake — both of these teams want to win.
“When I got there, we were on a 17-year losing streak. Every time we played them, the stadium was packed and the Cache Valley filled with both types of fans,” said Tuiaki, who coached at Utah State from 2009-11. “It’s a big game for the players. There are a lot of in-state kids on both teams that know each other, and I think it’s a big game for both of us.”
The Aggies (2-2, 1-0 MWC) have twice as many wins as BYU, but the victories have come against FCS foe Idaho State and San Jose State to open conference play.
“That’s a team that has rebounded coming off of some tough losses,” Tuiaki said. “I think they are playing with confidence.
“They are a well-coached group with a new offensive coordinator who does a good job, and you can tell the kids are starting to feel the system.”
The Bengals (2-2) boast a 30-28 upset win over Nevada on their schedule, ranking 27th in the Football Championship Subdivision with 434 yards per game. But ISU also boasts the 111th total defense nationally (out of 123 FCS schools).
Related:
Players-only meeting helps BYU address bye-week concerns, prep for Utah State
There’s been a lot of malcontentment around the BYU football program after a 1-3 start. <br> None more than from senior linebacker Fred Warner, either.San Jose State, meanwhile, ranks among the worst teams overall in the Football Bowl Subdivision; the Spartans are 117th in total offense and 119th in total defense.
A win over BYU — even one whose 1-3 start forced a players-only meeting during the team's bye week — would help legitimize an Aggie squad coming off a miserable 3-9 campaign in 2016.
Utah State is planning a home-field “whiteout” with all-white uniforms Friday night. That means BYU will play a rare road game wearing home royal blue jerseys with white pants.
“It is a big rivalry to us. It gets our guys excited,” said Wells, a former USU quarterback. “The stadium will be electric Friday night. I know the students are all fired up. The student crowd I know will be sold out, and I expect the general crowd to be capacity, as well. Hopefully it’s a really loud home-field advantage for the Aggies.”
