Oh what a difference one day can bring.
When the Aggie football team visited Autzen Stadium late Friday afternoon, it was quiet ? eerily quiet. It was hard to imagine what awaits Utah State today when it takes to that same field against the No. 18 Oregon Ducks.
One thing is for certain when the game kicks off at 1:30 p.m. MT: You will not be able to have a quiet conversation. At least not when the Aggies are trying to run a play on offense or when the hometown team does something noteworthy.
There will be noise and lots of it.
?These people know how to disrupt an offense,? USU head coach Brent Guy said. ?What I mean by that is they won?t start yelling until you approach the line of scrimmage, and they?ll stand up and scream and as soon as the play is over they stop. ... They take pride in making teams jump and disrupting the offensive counts.?
And it has worked. Last season, Fresno State was whistled for three false starts, as was nearby in-state rival Oregon State. Last week, Washington avoided any of those infractions, but was blown out, 44-10.
The Aggies, who opened the 2008 season last week with a 27-17 loss at UNLV, have tried to prepare for the noise this week. The USU offense has worked in Romney Stadium with the sound system blaring all sorts of noise.
Did it help?
?We got prepared,? Guy said. ?We were not able to create the loudness we are going to face, but got some idea of the irritation of it. You don?t really realize how loud it is until you get there and have to do some silent snaps and things like that. If they (fans) get you once, they even get louder.?
The Aggies have played in front of bigger crowds ? Autzen Stadium holds 54,000 ? but the USU coach knows they have not played in a noisier place. Guy is well aware of how loud it can get, having been the defensive coordinator at Arizona State and playing in Eugene several times.
?It will be a challenge for us,? Guy said. ?Those first few series, getting everybody lined up and communicating, getting the snap off. It?s just something we have not experienced.?
While trying to simulate the noise, the Aggies also worked on hand signals to communicate between quarterback, receivers and running backs. There is no sense in trying to yell any play changes.
While it is sure to be a raucous anti-Aggie crowd, USU players are excited to get a chance to play a national title-contending team.
?I think it?s fun,? Aggie defensive end Darby Golden said. ?It?s definitely a challenge. As a team, we want to rise to the challenge, and we?re really forward to it. We want to pull off the upset.?
Golden, running back Robert Turbin and kicker Peter Caldwell were named captains for USU for today?s game. Turbin had similar thoughts as Golden.
?Oregon is going to be a great place to play, they have terrific history and tradition,? Turbin said. ?But we?re going down there to try to win a football game, regardless of what they are ranked. ... We?re going to try to win the football game. That?s what we are going to focus on.?
And running the football better. Last week USU had 132 yards on the ground, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. However, Borel had a lot to do with that.
Quarterback Sean Setzer is especially excited about playing Oregon. His family lives two hours north in Portland and will be making the trip down to see him play. However, they may not be wearing blue and white.
?Most of my family are Ducks? fans,? Setzer said. ?A lot of my family has been messing with me, saying they hope I play a good game, but they hope the Ducks win.?
Setzer made his first career start as an Aggie last week. He passed for 123 yards on 10-of-17 attempts, but only saw action on one series in the second half.
The Aggie coaches had said Diondre Borel would get to play some and he came on early in the third quarter. He ended up playing the rest of the game, throwing for 80 yards on 8-of-16 attempts and a touchdown and leading the team in rushing with 70 yards on 15 carries.
Guy said both will play today against Oregon. As of Friday night, he had not released who would start against the Ducks and planned on sitting down with offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey to decide.
?It?s not who starts, it?s who?s playing the best and helping us, who is moving the football and keeping the chains moving? Guy said. ?That?s the important thing. ... It could be the first series one guy, the next series the other guy. We are going to need both of them. I think they both can help us win football games, and we will continue to use them both.?
Borel proved that with the way he ran the ball against UNLV last week. Setzer also showed he can scramble, finishing with 10 yards on three carries. The Aggies were not sacked last week.
Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Setzer is looking forward to trying to play well in front of his family and friends.
?It would be nice to go out there and in front of my family and quiet Autzen Stadium down a little bit,? Setzer said. ?If anything, I like the spotlight and I like the pressure.?
There should be plenty of that today against the Ducks in front of an expected sold-out stadium.
When the Aggie football team visited Autzen Stadium late Friday afternoon, it was quiet ? eerily quiet. It was hard to imagine what awaits Utah State today when it takes to that same field against the No. 18 Oregon Ducks.
One thing is for certain when the game kicks off at 1:30 p.m. MT: You will not be able to have a quiet conversation. At least not when the Aggies are trying to run a play on offense or when the hometown team does something noteworthy.
There will be noise and lots of it.
?These people know how to disrupt an offense,? USU head coach Brent Guy said. ?What I mean by that is they won?t start yelling until you approach the line of scrimmage, and they?ll stand up and scream and as soon as the play is over they stop. ... They take pride in making teams jump and disrupting the offensive counts.?
And it has worked. Last season, Fresno State was whistled for three false starts, as was nearby in-state rival Oregon State. Last week, Washington avoided any of those infractions, but was blown out, 44-10.
The Aggies, who opened the 2008 season last week with a 27-17 loss at UNLV, have tried to prepare for the noise this week. The USU offense has worked in Romney Stadium with the sound system blaring all sorts of noise.
Did it help?
?We got prepared,? Guy said. ?We were not able to create the loudness we are going to face, but got some idea of the irritation of it. You don?t really realize how loud it is until you get there and have to do some silent snaps and things like that. If they (fans) get you once, they even get louder.?
The Aggies have played in front of bigger crowds ? Autzen Stadium holds 54,000 ? but the USU coach knows they have not played in a noisier place. Guy is well aware of how loud it can get, having been the defensive coordinator at Arizona State and playing in Eugene several times.
?It will be a challenge for us,? Guy said. ?Those first few series, getting everybody lined up and communicating, getting the snap off. It?s just something we have not experienced.?
While trying to simulate the noise, the Aggies also worked on hand signals to communicate between quarterback, receivers and running backs. There is no sense in trying to yell any play changes.
While it is sure to be a raucous anti-Aggie crowd, USU players are excited to get a chance to play a national title-contending team.
?I think it?s fun,? Aggie defensive end Darby Golden said. ?It?s definitely a challenge. As a team, we want to rise to the challenge, and we?re really forward to it. We want to pull off the upset.?
Golden, running back Robert Turbin and kicker Peter Caldwell were named captains for USU for today?s game. Turbin had similar thoughts as Golden.
?Oregon is going to be a great place to play, they have terrific history and tradition,? Turbin said. ?But we?re going down there to try to win a football game, regardless of what they are ranked. ... We?re going to try to win the football game. That?s what we are going to focus on.?
And running the football better. Last week USU had 132 yards on the ground, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. However, Borel had a lot to do with that.
Quarterback Sean Setzer is especially excited about playing Oregon. His family lives two hours north in Portland and will be making the trip down to see him play. However, they may not be wearing blue and white.
?Most of my family are Ducks? fans,? Setzer said. ?A lot of my family has been messing with me, saying they hope I play a good game, but they hope the Ducks win.?
Setzer made his first career start as an Aggie last week. He passed for 123 yards on 10-of-17 attempts, but only saw action on one series in the second half.
The Aggie coaches had said Diondre Borel would get to play some and he came on early in the third quarter. He ended up playing the rest of the game, throwing for 80 yards on 8-of-16 attempts and a touchdown and leading the team in rushing with 70 yards on 15 carries.
Guy said both will play today against Oregon. As of Friday night, he had not released who would start against the Ducks and planned on sitting down with offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey to decide.
?It?s not who starts, it?s who?s playing the best and helping us, who is moving the football and keeping the chains moving? Guy said. ?That?s the important thing. ... It could be the first series one guy, the next series the other guy. We are going to need both of them. I think they both can help us win football games, and we will continue to use them both.?
Borel proved that with the way he ran the ball against UNLV last week. Setzer also showed he can scramble, finishing with 10 yards on three carries. The Aggies were not sacked last week.
Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Setzer is looking forward to trying to play well in front of his family and friends.
?It would be nice to go out there and in front of my family and quiet Autzen Stadium down a little bit,? Setzer said. ?If anything, I like the spotlight and I like the pressure.?
There should be plenty of that today against the Ducks in front of an expected sold-out stadium.
