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Show StatesmanSports Page 10 The Blue and the White Aggies in need of urgency on offense against Hawaii ill somebody please put an end to the ghastly nightmare that the USU football program is suffering through? Seriously. Somebody? Anybody? Might I suggest it be the team itself. Well, more specifically, the coaches. Oddly enough, I'm still behind this team in its rummage around for something seemingly so simple as a victory. That's because I've been behind them from the time I was in diapers. But the difficulty in defending them and the sweat they put into each letdown is getting old—especially with the incredibly conservative play-calling in the fourth quarter against the University of Utah. It was bewildering to see the Aggies, though down three touchdowns with 6:27 remaining in the game, go with what looked more like a lazy-summer-day offense than one resembling the words "hurry up." Maybe that's too harsh. I don't really know since I'm not a grown man who has dedicated his life to coaching the sport of football. But you can be the judge. The Aggies' second-to-last drive began with a four-yard run by Aaron Lesue, followed by a Lesue one-yard gain, followed by a short side pass to Lesue for a one-yard loss. Only on the proceeding do-or-die, fourth-and-six was when a critical nine-yard pass was made, this time to tight end Rob Myers. Next play? Leon Jackson lost two yards on a scramble. Then Derrvin Speight made that up with a three-yard rush. And, finally, after nearly four minutes had disappeared from the game clock, Jackson threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Otis Nelson. The twopoint conversion was cashed in to make it only a two-touchdown/two-point conversion deficit. USU recovered the onside kick and started its final drive from its own 40. Now, remember, at this time only 2:33 was still on the game clock. The Aggies' first play? A Speight rush for only one yard. The game clock continued to get shorter. On the second play, the call is for another Speight rush—this time, again, for one yard. In the meantime, the time was still ticking. Jackson took the ball himself on the next play for five yards, after which the Aggies called their final timeout. USU returned to the field to face a fourth-and-three with 1:53 left- Jackson scurried ioi fuur vaids to keep the drive W alive while game time was slowly getting buried in the snow. Then came the really big play, the one that should have been called long, long ago: a 31-yard pass completion to Aggie moneyman Kevin Robinson, a huge play that put the Aggies 18 yards away from the end zone, but a tad late, wouldn't you say? What followed was the unsurprising demise the program has gone through for who knows how long. Jackson's next pass went for Robinson at the far right corner of the end zone, but it was well defended by the Utes. Jackson then scrambled again for five yards. On the final fourth-and-five, the call was a short pass to Speight that lost four yards and cemented the fifth loss of the season. The loss after loss after loss after loss doesn't get any easier. Amazingly, it feels worse and worse, darker and darker each time. Next week at No. 16 Hawaii, the Aggies should spread the field on offense, throw some long passes to Robinson and others to at least make it exciting. An electrifying loss is better than a boring one. We'll see the real mettle of this team Oct. 20 at Romney Stadium vs. the Nevada Wolf Pack. By that time, the Aggies will have been routed by 16thranked Hawaii and been through a bye week of rest. So far Utah State has fought to the end of games and seemingly not given up, which is noble. But at 0-6, will the Aggies display some form of giveup-itis? "It's starting to get to me a little bit, but I can't focus on that," Robinson said Monday. "I've got to focus on a new game every time I go out there and just do my best every game. I can't go around thinking about the last game and how we lost it, or how we lost the game before that. I've just got to realize that a new game is a new game and hopefully I can do something better this time so that we can get a win." Let's all hope so. After all, there will still be six games to go—three of them at home. Sammy Hi si op is a junior majoring in public relations. Let him know your thoughts on Aggie football at samueihislop@ aggiemail.usu. edu Sports Debate Sam Bryner is a senior majoring in business management. Comments can be sent to him sam.bryner® aggiemail.usu.edu David Baker is a senior majoring in print journalsirn. Comments can be sent to him da.bake@aggiemaiiusu.edu 1. Biggest upset in college football this weekend? The whole weekend was upsetting, but the worst had to be the Oklahoma Sooners dropping the ball against Colorado. I feel bad, not because this will probably cost the Sooners a trip to the national championship game, but for the way it cheapens the Aggies' 54-3 loss to OU earlier this year. It s OK to lose that bad to a team that plays for the national title. It s like losing your girlfriend to Brad Pitt —you actually feel a sense of pride. It's not OK to lose to a team that lost to the Crispin Glover of the Big 12. The biggest upset of the weekend has to be the Florida Gators. Auburn went inlo the swamp and tamed the mighty and powerful Gators. The late Steve Irwin, also known as the crocodile hunter, would be proud. Florida was not supposed to lose to Auburn - maybe Louisiana State University, but not Auburn. You cannot afford to lose to a team with two losses. Luckily for Florida, the loss came early enough in the season that if they win out they still have time to crawl back up near the top. 2. The best 4-0 team in the NFL? I will hate myself more and more with every word I add to this answer after this: It s the Patriots. Cheating or not, they are damn good. Bill Belichek won't make it on the cover of any fashion magazines, and he looks like he would smell similar to the Beto's bathroom on a busy Saturday night, but he's a good coach. I'llgo to hell for that statement. It must be true, though. I will keep praying every nightfortheir demise, but they are the Superman of the NFL~right now. The Packers are a fairytale story. Patriots are cheaters, and the Cowboys, well, they're the Cowboys. The best team in the NFL so far is the Indianapolis Colts. Every team that they have played thus far into the season, with the exception of the lowly Saints, has a winning record. Defensively they have been going crazy, and the offense is the same well-oiled machine that has been chewing up the rest of the league for years. 3. Does hockey season really start tonight? I thought they were still on strike or something. I've never claimed, and never will claim, to be a hockey fan. Hockey is great. But it's like a supermodel, which is another thing I've tried to get in touch with — until that restraining order and the short jail stint for coinddentally bumping into Heidi Klum on a few occasions — but have never quite been able to get into. I should like hockey. I was born to like it. I'm a man. I like beer. I like to watch people fight. There's the possibility for extreme violence — skates as weapons? I just don't get it. Until late last week, 1 had no idea the NHL still existed, let alone the fact they start playing games tonight. I was watching the sports ticker on ESPN, as I usually do with most of my free time, to get fantasy updates, and my football scores were interrupted with some small blurb about hockey. I looked on ESPN.com and found they actually have a page devoted to hockey. This is the least they could do since no one can watch their games, unless you subscribe to a very specific TV package that happens to carry some obscure channel called Versus. 4. More impressive; Mets decline or Rockies' surge? Ags on Ags: USU took game at NMSU hope to win match at home [J continued from page 9 hits .250 and averages 4.39 kills a game for the New Mags. She leads a team that is 4-1 on the road thus far hits .272 and holds its opposition to .166. Three starters for NMSU are back from a team that was 33-4 overall and 14-2 in the WAC last year. Saturday night, also at 7 p.m., USU will try to extend what will hopefully be a four-game winning streak at that point. Louisiana Tech will be the opponent in that game. The Bulldogs have a 1-5 record and just got their first WAC win, beating Boise State in five games. The Lady Techsters have already met the Aggies in Ruston, where Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2007 they lost largely due to their inability to put the brakes on Nielson's powerful hitting. Nielson led USU to a season-high .360 hitting percentage against La. Tech. -graham.terry@aggiernail.usu.edu Disagree with any of the Statesman staffers? Voice your opinion online. The Rockies. For about the last decade plus, that team has been like a bad TV show no one watches, but thennetwork is too afraid to cancel. Maybe that's why I wasn't watching when they suddenly turned into a can't-miss comedy like "Arrested Development" — except I don't think the Rockies will get canceled prematurely. The Rocks literally were a can't-miss team in the last 15 games of the season, only losing one in that stretch. The National League needs to watch out. The New York Mets blew a seven-game lead with 17 games left - no team has ever done that. As a Mets fan, you are hating life right now. The Yankees are playing well, and the beloved Mets are done. Whenever the Chicago Cubs are still playing and you're not, that's not a good thing. To make matters worse for Mets fans, the New York Jets of the NFL are winless and won't even have a chance to blow a big lead. 5. Rant It's really hard being a fan sometimes, especially when your the kind of fan I am. I have enough love to hate the head coach and the starting quarterback of my favorite team. People don't understand this supposed contradiction. But it's OK to hate your favorite team, or at least parts of it. In fact, that's what it really means to be a fan. If you don't hate, you aren't emotionally invested. I would bulldoze Mike Shannahan's house or kick Jay Cutler's dog — not out of spite, but out of love. Basketball season is here, with only 28 more days until the Aggies and the Jazz start playing. Am I the only one marking off days on my calendar? On Wednesday, Oct. 31, we should get school off. That day should be made a holiday. In fact, all Aggie game days should be declared holidays. How is anyone supposed to get anything done on game day? The schedule is a good one for the Aggies, and they have key players returning and a lot of newcomers who have huge poten tial. GEICO. A15-minutecall could save you 15% on car insurance. 1513 N. Hillfield Rd., Suite 3 (8O1) 752-O485 • Guaranteed Aviation •No Obligation •Tuition Assistance •Starting Salaries from $40l000-$50,000 For more info contact: Capt. Brandon Knotts Officer Selection Officer United States Marine Corps toll free: (866) 607-5567 knottsbs@marines.usmc.mil www.marineofficer.com Marines The Few. The Proud. Wedding Info: Send the Ciood N ews oTiice@statesinaii.usu.eaii i |