Utah State: A Brent Guy-Coached Football Team

The state of Utah has had another great season of College Football. The Utah Utes and the BYU Cougars are headed to bowls and one of them (barring unforeseen circumstance) to a BCS. Both of those schools boast marvelous coaches. 

Yet, for all the hoorah, there is a third Utah team that has done quite well in its own rights, but not brandishing the victories that success supposedly merits. The team is the Utah State Aggies.

Brent Guy has coached Utah State since 2005 but was fired this year. The irony behind Guy’s firing is that they (his players) were beginning to jell for the first time this season. 

Utah State lost six of their first seven games, winning only against the University of Idaho. Week eight would add another loss to their total. The Aggies lost a two-point heartbreaker that many believed was the fault of poor officiating. 

That game seemed to turn the tide for the Aggies, as they won their next game against Hawaii 30-14. Truly Guy’s team was motivated at the right time. However, their next opponent was Boise State, who beat them soundly 49-14. 

It was not right for the Aggies to fire Coach Guy because of that beating. The Boise State Broncos went undefeated this year and moreover were hardly tested by any team.

But the Aggies failed to win the next game at Louisiana Tech as well and came up short by a touchdown 45-38. 

Guy’s team was playing with heart and they showed it on senior day. On the Aggies final game of the season, they blasted New Mexico State 47-2. In that game, Utah State scored five touchdowns rushing, and their defense held New Mexico State to negative-seven yards on the ground. 

Who were these masked bandits? They were the same bunch of guys who fought hard each game, and they were improving. Coach Petersen of the Broncos noticed that they were beginning to make a statement with their play.

These well-coached kids played one of the hardest schedules this year. They opened the season with two road games: UNLV and the University of Oregon Ducks. They returned to play three home games.

Scheduling was not on their side, as they played Utah, who also went undefeated, then Idaho which they won. The first victory was short-lived, as the next opponent was BYU who at that time was winning and ended this season with only two losses.

After the pleasure of those home games, it was back on the road. The second road game was against Nevada, who had an offensive dynamo to contain as Nevada was nationally ranked.

But through those hard fought games the Utah State Aggies were getting better. They were playing with heart. Not many teams play schedules as tough as Utah State's, going 3-9 and finishing as strongly as they did. 

It may be that Utah State was a tad rash in firing Guy without recognizing the good that was accomplished and rewarding him with one more year.

Utah State may come to regret that move. Brent Guy still has quality coaching left in him.