The decade of the 1980s was not a good one for Utah State football.
The Aggies had just one winning season, a 6-5 mark in 1980, a .500 season in 1981, followed by eight straight losing seasons.The latest losing campaign was completed Saturday as the Aggies' 31-18 loss at Long Beach State left them 4-7 for the second straight year.
"Had we beaten Long Beach, I could have come from the season with satisfaction," said USU Coach Chuck Shelton. "I saw the development of a good football team, the best we've had in our four years here, by far. But that loss put a damper on our season."
Still, as the Aggies approach the 1990s, they can truly look ahead with optimism. Especially the 1990 season.
First, there isn't a killer schedule staring them in the face for a change. Instead of top 10 teams like USC and Illinois, the Aggies will get Missouri and Kansas State, a pair of lower division Big Eight teams. They'll open again with Utah, but the game will be played in Logan.
Then there's experience. Next year, for a change, the Aggies will have an experienced team.
The Aggies lose just eight starters - only two on defense where the unit came together well in the last half of the season. And nearly all of the second- and third-teamers are underclassmen.
"We have 31 of our top 39 offensive players and 36 of our top 39 defensive players back," said Shelton. "And we're really excited about our redshirt freshmen. We have 16 to 18 who can make an immediate impact."
So all looks rosy for Shelton and the Aggies, right?
Well almost.
USU's biggest holes to fill will be in the offensive backfield and offensive line. And they could use some help at quarterback.
Two starting running backs, Brett Payne and Demetrius Brown, along with part-time starter Todd Richardson are graduating. In the offensive line three seniors, Nathan Kaczor, Dan Hill and John Stephens, will be lost.
"We certainly have to get a couple of JC running backs and a couple of offensive linemen, although that's not a high priority," said Shelton. "But the running back position is an absolute must. We have some good young backs but not enough depth."
Aggie assistants are already out recruiting junior colleges for a running back and Shelton will leave for Kansas later this week in the same search.
The Aggies could also be in the market for a JC quarterback, even though this year's starter Kirk Johnson and backup Kevin White are both sophomores.
But Johnson completed just over 40 percent of his passes and had a penchant for interceptions with four being returned for touchdowns. White completed just 33 percent of his passes in an injury-filled season.
The Aggies are losing receiver Patrick Newman, who had an outstanding four years, despite working with three different quarterbacks. But they'll return talented Rod Moore and Tracey Jenkins, who will both be juniors.
Shelton plans to return and has been given a vote of confidence by his superiors for the program he's molding at USU. But he is frustrated by a certain lack of success.
"I'm going through a self-evaluating process and I owe it to Utah State to do that," he said.
"I'm about four victories away from being one of the happiest coaches in the country," he said, pointing to four games he thought his team should have won the past four years - the UNLV game two years ago, San Jose State and Fullerton last year and last week's Long Beach State game.
The Aggies' 1990 schedule, which could be subject to change, shows home games with Utah and Long Beach State, Sept. 1 and 8, followed by the road games at Missouri and Kansas State.
"Everything looks better for next year," said Shelton.