The Utah State football program seemingly took a step backward this year when it finished 4-7 following a 5-6 record in Mick Dennehy's first year.
Yet ask anyone around the Aggie program and they'll tell you there is tremendous optimism for the future of Utah State football, despite its independent status for at least next year and perhaps longer.
Dennehy has brought needed discipline to the program along with a wide-open style of play that has brought the fans back to Romney Stadium. This year the Aggies set a new record for average attendance (21,734) even though neither Utah nor BYU was on the home schedule.
On the field, the Ags endured a typical killer schedule, although this might have been the toughest yet with four games against Top 25 teams. Except for the fiasco in the finale against Fresno State, the Aggies played the other ranked teams well, leading BYU by 13 in the second half, trailing Oregon by just three points in the fourth quarter and staying close to LSU before losing 31-14.
The Aggies lost 23-19 to Utah in the opener in a game that wasn't that close, but they felt like they should have beaten Wyoming and South Florida. Mistakes, in the form of penalties, were a big factor in each loss.
"In spite of the schedule we had, we competed hard and were right there against some outstanding team," said Dennehy. "We had some really outstanding performances by individuals this year."
The most consistent player for the Aggies all season was receiver Kevin Curtis, who wasn't even listed on the first team heading into the season and didn't even have a scholarship. The walk-on from Snow College caught a 46-yard pass on the first play of the season and finished with 11 receptions in the opener at Utah. He never let up, finishing with 100 catches and No. 1 in the nation in receptions with 9.1 per game. He also finished second in receiving yards with 139.2 per game.
Emmett White concluded an outstanding career by rushing for 1,361 yards, the sixth most in USU history, just ahead of his 1,322 total of the previous year. White could have moved near the top of the list except for an injury in the second series of the final game that limited him to just one yard rushing.
It also kept White from repeating as the NCAA leader in all-purpose running as he fell from No. 1 to No. 5 in the final statistics.
Jose Fuentes also had a fine year with 3,100 passing yards that puts him within 400 yards of the all-time USU passing yards record. He also passed for 24 touchdowns, but his 18 interceptions were second highest in the nation among the top 100 passers and something that must be rectified next year according to Dennehy.
The Aggie defense improved as the season went along and played very well in late-season games against Central Florida and South Florida. The Aggies will miss standouts such as cornerback Tony Walker, defensive linemen Nick Onaindia and Ryan Duncan and linebacker Tony Newson.
Looking ahead to 2002, the Aggies return seven starters on offense and seven on defense, along with punter Steve Mullins (9th in the nation) and placekicker Dane Kidman. Also 21 redshirts that practiced on the scout team this year will be available, including several that could move into starting positions, according to Dennehy.
White will be difficult to replace, but the Aggies had to be pleased with the play of David Fiefia, who ran for 116 yards in the finale against Fresno State and filled in for White to help clinch a win over Central Florida.
Dennehy said Fiefia will be in a battle with freshman Roger Fernandez and redshirt freshman Richard Watson for the starting tailback position.
"It should be an interesting battle," said Dennehy. "David is the most experienced and Roger has such good speed. Richard has more size and looks like a legitimate runner."
The biggest off-season concern in the defensive end position Ryan Duncan and Onaindia are graduating. Plus the status of Nate Putnam, who started several games the last two seasons, is up in the air.
Putnam was bothered by a bad shoulder all season, yet played through it and he's scheduled for surgery in two weeks. If the surgery and rehab are successful and if he can put more weight on his 6-6, 220-pound frame, he'll be back next year. Otherwise he'll redshirt.
The Aggies will need to bring in two or three junior college defensive linemen, along with a couple of JC offensive linemen to replace Jim Walker and Jess Shuck. Dennehy said he's happy with the linemen in the program, but they need some "older" players to fill in some of the gaps.
Dennehy may feel secure in his job after his contract was extended through 2005 the week of the final game, but he said it doesn't make his job any easier.
"I'm real happy here and it is a great challenge," he said. "I think we're moving in the right direction. The biggest problem they've had here over the years is continuity and I think this is a sign of stability."
Utah State has another difficult schedule, although Dennehy calls it "fairer" than this year's slate.
The Aggies will play Utah and BYU again, but both games will be in Logan. They go to Nebraska, a perennial Top 10 program and play road games at Iowa and Boise State, but also have winnable games at Troy State and Louisiana-Monroe. Other home games will be against New Mexico, New Mexico State, South Florida and Idaho State. They Aggies may also pick up a 12th game, most likely on the road, since college teams are allowed 12 games in 2002.
"I think it's a great schedule with six home games for the first time in a long time," said Dennehy. "But there comes a point where you need to make some breakthroughs. We need to start winning more games."
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