Utah State is backed into yet another corner, maybe the worst one of all. Will America's hardest-to-figure college team, slapped with yet another bizarre plot twist in the soap opera that Aggie football has become, be a fighter or a fizzler today at 12:08 p.m. in Romney Stadium for homecoming against the best of the Big West?
Coach Chuck Shelton looks back on the week's practices and says, "I've seen nothing negative" but adds the Aggies usually do look good in practice.On Monday a frustrated Shelton announced his resignation - effective a month from now. This is guaranteed to have an effect on today's game. What that effect will be is this week's story line.
"I don't think it'll show up until Saturday," says Aggie tailback Roger Grant who, like his coaches, can't read the reaction of the team to Shelton's surprisingly timed resignation.
Says today's opponent, a wondering Jim Sweeney, coach of nationally ranked and unbeaten Fresno, "I like what Chuck said: `One-third of them probably like me, one-third of them probably don't like me and a third don't care.'
"Now," says Sweeney, "if the third that likes him play this one for old Chuck, the third that don't like him play because they're glad he's gone and the third that didn't care finally wake up, then we're in trouble."
There is enough Aggie talent to give Fresno problems. It's almost the same personnel that tied 24-24 at Fresno last year, and Fresno's basically the same players, too, though they've advanced.
Aggie offensive coordinator Pat Behrns says Shelton resigned earlier this week partly because, with increasing rumors flying around the team, "He felt he needed to take a little bit of pressure off the kids."
"I don't know if it added pressure," says Grant.
"I don't know how they're feeling," says defensive coordinator Fred Bleil. The Aggies were already "hard to judge at 1-6," Bleil notes.
"These kids are playing hard. They're not cheating anybody," Shelton insists. "The problem is, we are inconsistent in everything we do. We have yet to come out and relax and play a game."
Monday's announcement might allow that to finally happen.
Or not.
And if it does, can it be enough against a team Shelton says is in some ways better than Nebraska and in some ways better than Oklahoma?
At 1-6, does it matter? "You've got to take whatever goals exist for you and play for those," says Shelton.
"If we can beat Fresno, if we end up winning four games, it would help us all," asserts Behrns.
The coaches need jobs a month from now, several seniors with NFL potential need recognition, other seniors need something to look back on and younger players who are uncertain how they'll fit into a new program need something to cling to.
Success today will take exceptional enforcement of the defensive game plan that is to load up on the run, Fresno's top weapon in an offense that leads the nation, take away the long pass "and hope (quarterback Trent) Dilfer has to beat us in the medium zones," says Bleil. Dilfer is a freshman starting his second game after national efficiency leader Mark Barsotti broke a leg.
The Bulldog offensive line is outstanding, "But our defensive line is playing pretty good," says Shelton, who's not convinced Fresno's defensive line can dominate his offensive line.
Next, the Aggies have to possess the ball. "But right now, I'm struggling with whether we're going to move the ball against anybody until we do some things better," Shelton says.
And the Aggie kicking game has to rebound. It was a big asset until last week at Long Beach, when punter Rusty Carlsen struggled with his form and averaged 28.7 yards, and placekickers Doug Beach and Sean Jones each missed the uprights in a 7-6 loss. Rain and swirling wind were factors, but Shelton was clearly not happy anyway and says kicking's something USU has always done well even when it didn't have the talent it does now.