Gary Andersen is wasting no time applying mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the CPR dummy that is the Utah State - Boise State rivalry.
"My job is to take the (team) to the cream of the crop (in the WAC). What is that? It's Boise State," Andersen said. "Here we come."
Parenthetical descriptive phrases aside, that is a pretty strong statement coming from a man who just took over at Utah State. As such, we'll cut him some slack for not knowing off the top of his head that his Aggies have lost to the Broncos by margins of 35, 52, and 39 points the last three years under the tutelage of one Brent Guy.
But "here they come," Bronco fans. Are we ready?
Ready for what, is the question. Utah State was supposed to give the Broncos fits this season, what with their renewed confidence and potent offensive attack. Instead, minus two big USU passes, it was business as usual in a 49-14 blowout. We've heard the talk before about Utah State being better and scarier, but until Andersen puts results to those promises, Bronco fans are going to have a hard time buying into the Aggies as a threat.
Utah State is going to have to get leaps and bounds better if they hope to approach the "cream of the crop" in the WAC, as Andersen puts it. And judging by the digs for his introductory press conference, the university is ready to spare no expense to promote the Aggie football progam. Sorry, Psych 101. You're going to have to meet elsewhere.
On top of borrowing classrooms for pressers, Andersen will be working with a new weight room and upgraded facilities that were built under Brent Guy's watch. Plus, he'll have a returning quarterback in Diondre Borel who some describe as a poor man's Colin Kaepernick, and he gets LB Jake Hutton, an all-WAC performer, for another year to lead the defense.
If Boise State's not careful, the Aggies could sneak up behind them into, what? Fourth or fifth place in the conference?
"Here they come," Bronco fans. Prepare as you see fit.
Then again, they're still Utah State. Andersen is going to have the same problems recruiting and succeeding that past USU coaches have had. Essentially, the Aggies get the castoffs from bigger schools in the area like BYU and Utah, which is evidenced by the poundings the Aggies routinely take at the hands of the Cougars and Utes. Andersen will have his work cut out for him, and he might need to get creative in order to pull talent into Logan.
One other thing about Andersen is that his career coaching record is 4-7, and he put up that sterling mark at Southern Utah in a one-year stint there. Many people call it a great coaching job since SU was horrible before Andersen arrived. Many others see it as 4-7, three games under .500.
Then again, 4-7 would be an improvement over any season under Brent Guy.
Andersen's Aggies are headed in the right direction, and his goals of competing at the top of the WAC are admirable. But until there is production on the field and wins in the win column, he might need to re-evalute his assertion that Utah State is coming after Boise State.
"Here they come." San Jose State better watch out.
Read more: Andersen to Boise State: 'Here we come' [Deseret News]