End of the Rainbows? Hawaii WAC football preview

Part 6 of our WAC football preview is here. Today, I am examining the June Jones-less Warriors of Hawaii. The Warriors enjoyed a magical 2007 season that saw them capture the league title...play a cupcake schedule and get beatdown on national television by Georgia (it's ok Warrior fans, we know what that feels like). Will the Hawaii train keep on a rollin' without June, Colt and the dreadlocks? Hmmmm.

The Warriors lose a lot of big offensive tools from last season with the departure of Colt Brennan, Ryan Grice-Mullen, Davone Bess and company. The Warriors also lost June Jones...who was also a giant tool. Will the upheaval on offense spell doom and despair for Hawaii? The short answer is yes. The Warrior D is decent for the first time in a long time...but the Warriors success over the last few seasons has been predicated by their ability to put up tons of points—and without Brennan and company those points will be a little bit harder to come by. The 'bows may not drop as far as people think, however. Shall we discuss?

"McMackin" is not when you pick up someone at McDonalds
Greg McMackin took the reins from June Jones this offseason...or maybe it would be more accurate to say he took the floral print shirts and leis from June Jones this offseason. Either way, opposing team's fans are unsure what to do now that a villainous creep is not roaming Warrior sidelines. Could we be entering an era where I actually root for Hawaii when they aren't playing the Broncos? I doubt it will go that far, but McMackin does seem to be the polar opposite of Jones; humble, respectful and runs a tight ship. Unfortunately, McMackin's disciplinarian role and laid back approach may take Hawaii in the opposite direction, reversing what in many circles is known as "the Dennis Erickson" effect. Will no more recruiting the local jails, no more arrogant proclamations, no more JC raiding equal less wins for the Warriors? It's entirely possible. The islands are a difficult place to recruit and if McMackin can't hold on to the wealth of local talent, the Warriors seem destined for a decline. Add in the fact that Jones threw the entire university under the bus with his departure and sent a message to any recruits willing to fly the Pacific that Hawaii isn't committed to their athletics, and the gravy train may be permanently parked at the station. McMackin just may restore a modicum of respect to the Hawaii program, however...and not the type of "respect" that the Colt Brennan Express has garnered over the last few seasons...the lasting kind.

Most improved
Having a Hawaii player named preseason player of the year is nothing new...but having one named on defense is. Linebacker Solomon Elimimian (how many Elimimians do you guys have over there?) was named the preseason Defensive Player of the Year by the WAC media types and he should lead arguably the strongest linebacking corps in the WAC this year. Elimimian, who had 141 tackles in 2007 will be joined by Adam Leonard and Blaze Soares and they should pose a formidable challenge this season for WAC rushers. Ryan Mouton will lead the vastly improved Hawaii secondary. The Hawaii defense finished the '07 season ranked 34th nationally...a very good step for the Hawaii D. If defensively minded McMackin can keep those fires stoked...I don't see why the Hawaii D will have a huge letdown this year since many of their top playmakers return. In a reversal of sorts, the Hawaii defense should keep Hawaii in games this season—if not...another bowl trip could be tough.

Yes...you are rebuilding
A lot of coaches, when faced with the yearly departures of upperclassmen and early draftees, like to reassure fans that the team isn't really "rebuilding" but rather "reloading"...in some cases this is true...for Hawaii, it is not. McMackin and crew and most assuredly rebuilding after losing Colt Brennan and a slew of talented wideouts. JC-transfer Brent Rausch will lead the Warriors against Florida this Saturday...but don't expect to see a Colt Brennan clone take to the swamp...Rausch likely would not have gotten the nod over Brennan's heir-apparent, Tyler Graunke had Graunke not had some academic "problems" this offseason. But as it stands, Rausch is the man for their first outing...a probable beating at the hands of the Gators. Graunke has been re-instated, but has definitely run afoul of McMackin and crew and will really have to fight and claw his way back into the starting spot past Greg Alexander, Inoke Funaki and Rausch. McMackin also intimated at WAC media days that the Warriors are going to add a new element to their offense this year...something called "rushing"...no word yet on how that little experiment will pan out for them (I might advise against it). If McMackin sticks with the Jones version of the Run-n-Shoot...he better have the best man under center...because it can get ugly, at times without one (ask Timmy Chang).

One hit wonders?
I like what I've seen and heard from Greg McMackin so far. Despite his striking resemblance to Dick Van Patten and affinity for 44-oz Cokes...he seems like a solid guy. Solid guys usually can get the most out of their players...and I think that the defending WAC champion Warriors will again be in the mix. I don't, however, think that they will be able to repeat their success. For starters, their schedule isn't laughably weak like last years and isn't overly heavy with home dates...the Warriors may have exorcised some of their mainland demons last year, but I don't expect them to do much off the island this season. The Warriors will not beat Florida, Oregon State or Cincinnati and will likely have trouble with Washington State in their OOC matchups—they will roll Idaho and San Jose State and handle Utah State and New Mexico State easily...but that is where their conference domination will end this year. They will fail to get by Boise State, Fresno State and most likely Nevada...and will have their hands full with Louisiana Tech. No matter how you slice it...this is going to be a letdown year for Hawaii, who is coming off their best season ever. I think that a 5-7 year is not out of the question, but think a little leftover magic from 2007 will push them to 7-5. One thing is certain, they won't beat Boise State this year...the Broncos want that championship back...and they want it bad.

In the long run...you'll be better off without him.

Previous previews:
Utah State preview
Idaho preview
New Mexico State preview
San Jose State preview
Louisiana Tech preview

Dooley noted: Louisiana Tech WAC football preview

Part 5 of our WAC football preview is here. Today, I am examining the down-but-not-out Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. The Bulldogs have been down in recent years, but they are always capable of killing WAC title hopes for any number of WAC teams. With a new coach and a new outlook, the Bulldogs might surprise some teams this season. Then again...maybe they won't.

Ruston, Louisiana's motto is "a city planning for the future"—and while a more fitting motto for the city may have been "only 5 hours from New Orleans" or "no worse than Moscow"...2nd year La Tech coach Derek Dooley is taking the city's mantra to heart and planning for the future of the Bulldogs. Louisiana Tech hasn't won a WAC championship since 2001 (at the expense of the Broncos, no less) and has only been on the good side of .500 once since then...but the Bulldogs seem to have renewed vigor under Dooley and are hoping that this year may be the year that they get over the hump.

And to think you could have known only victory on the blue turf
Quarterback Taylor Bennett at one point looked destined to become a Bronco. Things changed... Taylor fell out of love with the blue and went on to a so-so career at Georgia Tech. In a ironic twist of fate Bennett was still able to experience the blue turf in a Humanitarian Bowl loss to Fresno State last year. Now, through the magic of NCAA loopholes, Bennett has departed Georgia Tech and enrolled at Louisiana Tech...where he will likely become the starter. Now, Bennett will again get to experience what playing on the blue turf feels like when the Bulldogs visit Boise on October 1st and thanks to Ryan Winterswyk and Mike T. Williams will also get to find out what blue turf tastes like.

Lookin' for bright spots
The Bulldogs should be better in the quarterback department after the departure of the not-so-aptly named Zac Champion. Champion threw for a mere 13 TDs last season while throwing 10 INTs...he was also sacked 29 times. Obviously the passing stats weren't great during the Champion era...but the 54 quarterback sacks in the last two seasons certainly point to another underperforming unit: the O-line. The O-line performed adequately enough to spring senior running back Patrick Jackson for nearly 1,000 yards last season...but clearly their pass blocking must improve. Thankfully for the Bulldogs...Jackson is back and they have junior RB Daniel Porter to lean on as well. Porter and Jackson may be the third best running back tandem in the WAC behind Boise State's Johnson and Whoever and Fresno State's Matthews and Miller. With consistency in the running game and better play from the Offensive Line, Tech should improve upon last year's 99th ranking in scoring offense...and they must if they want to finish higher than 5th in the WAC. Oh...here's a bit of good news—Bennett was 27 of 44 for 370 yards and 3 scores in Sunday's Fall Scrimmage. Good news for the offense, anyway—which leads us to...

Shrewish Defense League
The Bulldogs were ranked 91st in total defense last season, giving up an average of 424 yards/game. While not the worst defensive team in the WAC...they are far from the best—and their offense was not strong enough to allow for that kind of defensive production. By contrast, the top 2 teams in the WAC last year, Hawaii and Boise State, had national defensive rankings of 34 and 25, respectively. On a better note for the dogs' D, they nearly cut in half the amount of rushing yardage allowed from 2006 to 2007. Also, free safety Antonio Baker returns after putting together an all-WAC season and making 118 tackles. Baker is a solid player for the dogs and will lead their defense again this season...whenever your free safety leads the team in tackles, however, there are problems with the line. CB Weldon Brown will help Baker keep offenses from getting too deep into the La Tech secondary...but both, I'm sure, would appreciate a bit more help from the boys up front.

Dog Days
I truly believe that Derek Dooley is going to be a great coach...I just don't know if it is going to be at Louisiana Tech. Dooley's first year in Ruston saw his team go 5-7, which was a modest improvement over 2006's 3-10 campaign with Jack Bicknell at the helm, but Dooley can prove the worth of his contract this season if the Dogs can go above .500. That said, the Bulldogs face no easy task this year as their schedule is not a friendly one sending them to play at Kansas, Boise State, Hawaii, Army and San Jose State. Throw in tough home games against Mississippi State, Fresno State and a Nevada finale and the it appears that the dogs could replicate last season's record. I am going to go ahead and give Dooley the benefit of the doubt and say that the dogs will go 6-6 this season—I doubt that they'll get by Nevada, Fresno, Hawaii or Boise State in conference and the Kansas and Mississippi games will be toughies...but they should distinguish themselves as better than the bottom of the WAC and will be knocking on the door in another year or two. Though they are a terrible geographical fit for the WAC, I like Louisiana Tech and their fanbase...and I think that Derek Dooley will run a tight ship—whether that will translate into wins or a shot at the WAC title remains to be seen. Maybe next year?

Previous previews:
Utah State preview
Idaho preview
New Mexico State preview
San Jose State preview

Sparty over here: San Jose State WAC football preview

Part 4 of our WAC football preview is here. Today, I'm examining the oft-mediocre, but always scary, San Jose Stat Spartans. The Spartans have some intriguing transfers and returners, but you just never know what you're going to get with Tomey's boyz. Let's what they have to offer in 2008.

In 2003, Boise State defeated San Jose State in Boise by a score of 77-14...in regulation. To this day, it is the most points the Broncos have ever scored on an opponent. The following year in San Jose, the Broncos won 56-49 in overtime. These night-and-day type performances typify the play of the Spartans over the last few years...at times horrific...at other times terrific. What "ific" will they embrace this year? It is hard to say.

Sock it To-mey
Dick Tomey's sleepy demeanor pushed his Spartans to a 9-4 season in 2006 and a bowl win over New Mexico. The momentum for the Spartans was then so great that it catapulted them to a 5-7 season in 2007. Are you seeing a pattern yet? Tomey has been one thing since he took the reins of the Spartan program in 2005: Not Fitz Hill. He has guided his Spartans to new heights and par-for-the course lows in his brief tenure...but playing close-to-500 ball is what the Spartans do best. Tomey looks like he may just take a nap on the sidelines or during interviews at any moment—maybe his apathetic, Stan Laurel-like persona is what keeps the Spartans on such a milktoast even keel. We know the team can play...but when they decide to is a different story.

No O...no go
Losing your top tailback in the first game of the year is tough. When you have no capable backups for that injured tailback—it's real tough. This is the scenario that the Spartans faced last year. Star RB Yonus Davis went down in the Spartans opening game against Arizona State and never returned—neither did the Spartans rushing attack. The Spartans barely scratched the 1,000 yard rushing mark last year as a team...their top rusher had 331 yards on the year and 1 touchdown. This lack of a running game hampered the Spartans all year, and had it not been for the inspired play of WR Kevin Jurovich and the capable passing of senior Adam Tafralis, the Spartans may not have even been lucky enough to win the 5 games they did. However, for all of their offensive difficulties last season, the Spartans nearly toppled eventual champ Hawaii, dropped 51 points on New Mexico State and defeated a pretty good Nevada team in their finale. Not the type of year that Spartan fans had in mind, for sure, but no reason to push the panic button quite yet either. Yonus Davis returns to the backfield and Jurovich will be a threat...a little O can go a long way. The Spartans do have to replace 3-year starter Tafralis...but capable replacements abound in Myles Eden, Jordan LaSecla and Cal-transfer Kyle Reed. I doubt the Spartans will repeat their feat of getting shutout twice in one season, as they did against Stanford and Fresno State—but they have a little ways to go to trade offensive blows with the WAC's best.

Come one, come all
The welcome sign is always on and buzzing at Spartan Stadium, apparently, as they have drawn Pac-10 transfers with the greatest of ease. Besides the Cal-transfer on offense, the Spartans have added Coye Francies from Oregon State to their defensive secondary and more impressively, ex-USC defensive end Jeff Schweiger. Schweiger and Francies should make their presence known this season...the Spartans already had a pretty good secondary and the addition of Francies alongside all-WAC second team corner Chris Owens will soften the blow that Dwight Lowery's graduation/drafting dealt. Schweiger is a big boy and with a Trojan pedigree may wreak havoc on WAC O-lines. Heck, OBNUG thinks he may be the DPOY. Could be...but you gotta go through Ryan Winterswyk to get it, savvy?

Is a winning season so much to ask?
A winning season is never too much to ask...but is often too much to deliver. I think that the best-case scenario for the Spartans this year is a 7-5 record, but likely a 6-6 outing is in the tarot cards. I think they'll get by UC-Davis, SDSU and Utah State and then defeat NMSU, Idaho and La Tech. Fresno and Boise State have to come to the Bay...and I think the Spartans will put a scare into one of 'em (please, not Boise State again) but ultimately come up short. This is a big year for the Spartans and I think that even a .500 campaign will give them a nice boost after last years injury-plagued and disappointing season. After all is said and done, Dick Tomey will take a nice, long nap.

Hey Spartans, at least you don't have to deal with this tool anymore, right?


Previous previews:
Utah State preview
Idaho preview
New Mexico State preview

Mission Critical—New Mexico State preview

Part 3 of our WAC football preview is here. A little earlier than it should've been maybe, but OBNUG is snagging all the BSU camp stuff and I was getting bored. Today we preview the vaunted New Mexico State Aggies. They've got offensive talent, a boorish head coach and a redneck sounding D-coordinator...this should be good.

Hal Mumme is a man on a mission. After successfully completing several other missions, that included: Feathering his hair like a majestic bird, blowing snot-rockets on national television, and making people uncomfortable at WAC media events—Mumme has refocused his efforts this season on simply keeping his job. Mumme is a complicated man...a man who likes to wear lettermen's jackets and drape snotrags towels over his shoulder. He also likes to lose football games. BUT that is all changing this year...you see, Hal Mumme has a 'gut feeling' that this year's Aggie team will be successful. And if we know anything about Hal Mumme, it's that his gut feelings are usually correct. Let's see what they're up against.

Hooray mediocrity!
The Aggies return 15 starters from last season (and Chase Holbrook returns nearly all of his teeth), when they went 4-9...so you know those seasoned vets know how to lose quite well. Eight of those returners are on offense...an offense that is equal parts excellent under the guidance of senior QB Chase Holbrook...and terrible (might wanna check this out again). WR Chris Williams is a legitimate stud for the Aggies. He may be small, but he is fast and has soft hands. Williams had 772 yards receiving and 11 TDs in 2007 and he only played in 8 freakin' games! Chase Holbrook, when healthy...can really spread the ball around and routinely puts up big numbers and high passing percentages. Last season, a letdown by Holbrook's standards—he still managed to throw for almost 4,000 yards and toss 26 TDs. The headscratcher here is that they only won 4 games. Why? Well, no rushing game to speak of is a good start. The Aggies top rushers from 2007 combined for only 1,037 yards and 7 TDs. "They're a passing team", you'll say. But that doesn't matter, the Aggies are too predictable on offense—they have to get some production from their backs or Holbrook has to do too much. The Aggies put up an amazing -19 yards rushing against BSU last year. That's not good.

Defense wins championships...that's why NMSU has none.
New Mexico State's defense was ranked 94th in the country last year—giving up 430 yards per contest. That number looks pretty good, however, when you consider that, in scoring defense, the Aggies were ranked 107th. These dubious rankings were enough for the Aggies to jettison defensive coordinator Woody Widenhofer (I'm not kidding),a guy who looked like the "time to make the donuts" guy and coached like him too, and bring in Joe Lee Dunn, a former Memphis D-coordinator, who worked wonders for the Tigers' D in the early 90's. Dunn enjoyed (maybe that's too strong a word) stints in the SEC as well, bringing his defensive skillz to programs like Arkansas and Mississippi. Whether Dunn will be able to resurrect the Aggies' D remains to be seen, but expect some growing pains this year for the squad as they try to wrap their heads around his 3-3-5 defense. If Dunn can turn the Aggie D around...the Aggies can make good strides—that is, until Holbrook and Williams graduate and the Aggies' one-dimensional offense stinks again.

Whuzzit mean?
Part of me really dislikes Hal Mumme (the part that comprises 99% of me)—so I'd like to see him get his sycophantic hieny kicked on a weekly basis. I love having coaches like Hal "the towel" in our conference because otherwise, it is really hard to get up for these layup games against the WAC bottom-feeders. Chase Holbrook is a fringe NFL guy and the Aggies certainly have some talent on offense...but until they abandon that gimmicky "Air Raid" offense and start playing some smashmouth football, they're going to continue to eek out 3 and 4 wins seasons. They get the Broncos in Las Cruces this year, so it should be a bit more interesting than the last tussle (wanna see this one more time?), but I think that the Crimson Aggies will only manage 5 wins this season against Nicholls State, UTEP, Idaho, La Tech and Utah State. Sadly, this will be enough for Hal Mumme to stick around...but on the bright side, this will be enough for Hal Mumme to stick around.

In short, watching Aggie football is a lot like watching this commercial:

It hurts.

Did you hear the one about the Vandals?

Part 2 of our WAC football preview is here (remember, we're starting from the bottom), and this time we brought in the big guns. Kevan Lee from OBNUG was kind enough to write this glowing send up of those loveable losers—the University of Idaho Vandals. We're glad that someone out there also thinks that Robb Akey looks like the dad from Family Ties (but with the social graces of the neighbor from Office Space). Adam Korby looks a little like Tina Yothers, too. No?

Robb Akey's mustache has seen a lot of things: the sidelines of Washington State, coaching stops at Northern Arizona and Weber State, and enough Just for Men to drown a horse seven times over. But through the mustache's journey from town to town and Arby's to Arby's, one thing the mustache has yet to see is a WAC win.

Akey and his furry friend failed to earn one last year, losing games to New Mexico State (inexcusable) and Utah State (virtually impossible) along the way to going 0-for-the-conference. The final tally in the first year of the Akey:

• 0-8 conference record
  
• 37 points per game allowed
  
• one Boise State "donkeys" reference
  
• one 58-14 loss to Boise State
  
• 18 instances of throwing hands up in the air as if to say, "What more can I do? Besides teaching fundamentals, I mean."
  

Yet through it all, one thing has remained clear to Akey. This Vandal team is his family.

“I like the way this family is together at this point in time and that is going to be huge,” Akey said. “We’ve got a family here and that is a great thing."

Forget for a moment the ramifications of such smothering statements (recruits want to hear "We have hot coed girls" not "You're like the son I never had") and imagine what love Akey must have in his heart to desire kinship with this ragamuffin group. The Vandals are one of the most dysfunctional teams in the country, so it takes a big man to love them so much. I don't necessarily mean that as a compliment.

At some point in the evolution of Akey's head coaching tenure, he obviously made the decision to take this family thing and run with it. Was his mustache jealous? Most certainly, but a horse-hair ivory brush fixed that. Still, choosing the family angle is a rather unique approach to an undisciplined, untalented bunch. And it leads to some interesting questions:

• Can the players call him Papa Akey?
  
• Does Adam Korby get the birthright?
  
• Who does the chaperoning on dates?
  
• In bed by 10:00? Lights out at 11:00?
  
• What will he say when Shiloh Keo asks why he looks different than Nathan Enderle?

Family vacation to nowhere
With family in tow, Akey is ready to hit the road and go places in the WAC. Too bad Nathan Enderle hates car rides. The Idaho quarterback-by-default-not-by-choice will take the Vandals as far as they will go this year, and he will do so with a blatant disregard for completion percentage.

Enderle, who is perhaps better known for not being Joey Harrington's little brother, was not particularly good last year, which fit in well with the overall theme of the Vandals. He is nothing if not a team player.

If you ask us, Enderle's problem is his inaccuracy, poor decision-making, and ADHD pocket presence. If you ask Robb Akey, Enderle's problem is not having a mustache.

There. Fixed.

Enderle's inadequacies are too bad because the Vandals have a very good running back behind him. Sophomore Deonte Jackson, heretofore referred to as "the offense," has the potential to be the WAC's top runner this season both because he is talented and because he will get an overwhelming amount of touches. The Vandal skill players are short on skill and long on getting tackled easily, so Jackson's game-breaking ability will be much needed. Yes, I know I just said "game-breaking ability."

It was the mustache's idea to put Idaho State on the schedule
The Vandals are always good for at least one Division I-AA team on the schedule. Goodness, if they weren't, they might never win a game. But whereas most D-1 schools breeze through these cupcakes, the Vandals fight and claw and scratch their way to seven-point wins. And boy are they happy about it.

This year's I-AA opponent is Idaho State; the same Idaho State who will lose to the Broncos by 50 points the week prior. After the Bengals, Idaho gets Western Michigan, Utah State, and San Diego State in what, for any other team, would be a super easy stretch. For the Vandals, it will be a perfect opportunity to show how far they have or haven't come. If they can't win two games out of those four, then they might as well fold the program and let Akey's mustache use the Kibbie Dome as its own, personal bachelor pad. Did someone say Kibbie Dome mustache?

We swear we didn't know there was film in the camera
The Vandals have a few things going for them that are entirely new and foreign. For starters, the coaching staff returns in tact (which may or may not be a good thing). Second, there are some good players on the team in Jackson and Korby. Third, the schedule is incredibly easy. Start printing those "2008 Idaho Vandals: 3-9" T-shirts!

But then again, these are the Vandals we are talking about. And they obviously have serious lapses in judgment.

Might this problem manifest itself at the most inappropriate times on the football field? Of course it will, although hopefully they'll keep their shirts on this time. Idaho is bound to blow it once or twice this season; that's what they do best. But it appears that their strategy is to put themselves in situations where screwing up royally doesn't cost the team in the win column. For instance, Nathan Enderle forgetting what an out route is will probably happen in the San Diego State game, but the chances that the Aztecs take advantage of the mistake will be minimal. Their schedule could seriously save them a game or two.

Of course, they stand no chance of beating the Broncos, Bulldogs, or Wolf Pack. But it is becoming increasingly more apparent that the Vandals are not concerned with competing at the top of the WAC. They are concerned about competing somewhere, anywhere.

And that should be good enough for the mustache to see its first WAC win.

Bottom feedin': WAC 2008 preview starts with Utah State

An ESPN feature recently ranked the most hated teams in each conference. The WAC's most hated team turned out to be Fresno State, while the least hated team was Utah State. The Aggies, according to the "Hate Meter" just haven't made any real enemies in their three pitiful years in the league...they also have never finished above seventh place. Well, I say more teams should hate the Aggies. They consistently bring down opponent's SOS, their games are yawn-inducing, and they were at one time coached by Johnelle John L. Smith. But what do they bring to the table this season? Let's see.

You call that coaching?
Brent Guy, seems like a nice enough bloke—he's a self-described "family man" and he at one point was the defensive coordinator at Boise State. Only problem is: he stinks as a head coach. Guy is 6 and 29 in his tenure at Utah State...and his most successful season was a 3-8 romp in 2005. Since that magical season, the Guy-led Aggies have been outscored 868 to 377. Impressive, no? No. This season may just be "do or die" for coach Guy, another 10 or 11 loss outing, and Utah State's dwindling fanbase will be calling for his head on a charger.

No offense, but you have no offense.
Remember when I told you that Utah State has been outscored 868 to 377 in the last two seasons? Turns out...that's not good. The Aggies were shutout 4 times in 2006 and once last season (but hey, they scored 3 against Oklahoma). While the Aggies did manage to improve their point-output by 117 from 2006 to 2007...they still have one of the weakest offenses in the nation. The Aggies run game produced only 1499 yards last year as a team—that's just a shade over how many yards last year's WAC rushing champ, Luke Lippincott had all by himself, and about 1000 yards behind the Broncos team rushing totals from '07. The Aggie passing attack was anemic last year as well, producing only 11 TDs through the air against 9 INTs. To make matters worse, the Aggies two top receivers from 2007, Kevin Robinson and Rob Meyers, have graduated. Obviously, if the Aggies don't get some skill position help, and fast, 2008 will be another stinker.

Defending your life
The Aggie defense needs to improve in a hurry. Utah State allowed 3 teams last year to score over 50 points on them and allowed an average score of 33.8. Boise State, which had what many consider to be a down year defensively in 2007, only allowed 20 points per game. The Aggies will return much of their defense this season—not sure if that is a good thing or not.

Special returner won't return
Utah State may be hurting this year in another key area: special teams. Kevin Robinson, who was a major homerun threat as a kick and punt returner last season is gone: drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. His replacement is unknown, but it is hard to imagine that they will enjoy the level of productivity that the versatile Robinson enjoyed.

Bottom Line:
The Aggies will have another snore of a season. They probably don't have a shot at winning a game until the Vandals visit Logan on September 20th...but by that time, their probable 0-3 start will have their confidence shaken and a win over the Vandals is as good as a coin flip. I can legitimately see the Aggies going 0-12 this season, and I predict they will. The November 8th visit to the blue turf will be the last time that Brent Guy ever is in close proximity to a winning program.

Feebs.