LOGAN — Jordan Love may or may not play Saturday night when the Utah State Aggies host the No. 21 Boise State Broncos at Maverik Stadium.
That was, for all intents and purposes, the latest update on the Aggies’ star signal caller.
“No comment. There is nothing to really tell at this point, so we’ll see.” — USU coach Gary Andersen, on Jordan Love’s availability
“I really don’t have anything on that yet,” Utah State head coach Gary Andersen said Monday during his weekly press conference, when asked about Love and his availability. “No comment. There is nothing to really tell at this point, so we’ll see.”
The junior quarterback played nearly three complete quarters in the Aggies’ victory over Wyoming over the weekend, before sitting out the fourth quarter for undisclosed reasons.
Love threw for 282 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions prior to being replaced by backup Henry Colombi.
Utah State quarterback Henry Colombi (3) throws the ball against Wyoming during the second half of an NCAA football game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019, in Logan.
Eli Lucero, The Herald Journal via AP
Colombi, who until further notice is Utah State’s starting quarterback, has the complete confidence of his teammates, even as a season-defining showdown with the Broncos looms.
“We watch Henry come in every day and do it in practice,” wide receiver Siaosi Mariner said. “If you can do it in practice, you can do it in games. Henry is a great guy, a great leader and a great competitor. It sucks that Jordan went down, that’s our guy and our leader, but we have Henry’s back.”
Andersen also spoke to Colombi’s preparedness to replace Love, if needed.
“Henry has stayed mentally ready,” he said. “Just watch him in practice. It’s not like he’s just over there watching the birds fly around, the pigeons up on the press box. That’s not what he’s doing. He’s ready. He sees it and he understands it, and I think he’s really playing it out in his mind, so that’s a credit to him. Coach (Mike) Sanford stays on him good in that situation to make sure that he’s continually growing. Henry understands that those are big shoes to fill when that opportunity presents itself.”
Colombi, a native of Hollywood, Florida, has appeared in four games this season, completing 14 of 18 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns. In the win over Wyoming, he completed 3 of 6 passes for 35 yards.
In addition to addressing Love’s availability and Colombi’s readiness, Andersen addressed a number of topics at his weekly presser.
— On redshirt junior linebacker Eric Munoz earning Mountain West Conference co-defensive Player of the Week honors:
I’m so happy for Eric, and all those awards are well-deserved. I think every one of them need to be pointed out for a kid that just battles because he loves the game of football. He kept fighting his way and said, ‘I’ll do whatever I need to do to keep playing football.’ It’s showed up since January. It shows up in the weight room. He is a hard worker, and he’s adjusted to the scheme and what we’re doing. ... Eric goes out there and does what he does, and did what he did in that situation because he prepared himself for that moment long ago — not just the last two weeks or whatever it may be. All the credit in the world goes to him and his teammates for helping him get in that spot.
— On the leadership of linebacker Kevin Meitzenheimer:
We’ve talked quite a bit about Kevin being the leader. Even when Woody (David Woodward) was there, Kevin was the vocal leader. Woody is not a good player, not a great player, but an elite player, but you’ve got to squeeze him to get him to talk and that’s just the way Woody is. Kevin was the vocal guy out there, and he’s continued to be able to do that. That’s showed a lot with Eric. Getting Eric out there, and not that Eric can’t handle himself mentally, but still walking into that situation, their relationship was key for Eric to go out there and be good and ready to play and attack it. Kevin has grown on the field, he’s grown off the field, and he continually grows from a young man to a man every single day, which is the most important part of this whole thing to me.
— On defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Justin Ena:
He is very, very, very good. Justin Ena is a tough, hard-nosed and a great teacher. Demanding? Yes. Hug them up? Yes. All those things that come with it. But that’s just who Utah State football is. That feeling of toughness and grit and hard-working, smart football comes out of that room. That’s who we need to be as an Aggie football team, and those guys (Meitzenheimer and Munoz) have done a great job of taking on that demeanor and taking it out on the field.
Aggies on the air
Utah State (6-4, 5-1) vs. No. 21 Boise State (8-1, 6-0)
Maverik Stadium, Logan
Saturday, 8:30 p.m. MST
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: KZNS 1280 AM