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Show ▪ Statesman Sports Page 12 Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010 0-1 has never looked so good N o w , there's some The View fuel to pump from into the USU football-hype Section F machine. Now, there's , , , more ' than just talk to back up what everybody has been saying about Utah State football for the last 18 months. Now, there's reason to believe. Sure, the Aggies are 0-1 to start the season, but I dare say it's one of the best looking 0-1 records I've ever seen. Now it is time to build upon that momentum, as odd as it sounds to be building momentum off of a close loss. The fact is though, that when you nearly pull off a once-in-ageneration upset in college football, in a year when USU's football program is still rebuilding and out to prove its legitimacy, a game like the one we saw Saturday is a very positive step forward. I've always felt that if you want to be legit, the first thing you must do is act legit. If Saturday's performance against Oklahoma wasn't legit enough for you as a football fan, than you don't know what you should be looking for. While the one true school down south was going down to the wire at home with a Washington team that went 5-7 a year ago, and Utah was going to overtime at home versus a No. 15 ranked Pittsburgh team, your very own Aggies went toe-totoe with the No. 7 ranked team in the nation on the road. At the very least, USU has to be mentioned alongside of Utah for which team looked the most impressive among in-state college football teams, and despite the loss, a very solid case can be made that Utah State had the best performance of the big three in week one of the season. Now, everything Gary Andersen has been saying about turning around this program can hold some water. Now, the Aggies return home for three of their next four games. Now, Utah State looks like it could be a strong enough team to be just a few big wins away from playing for a Western Athletic Conference champion- ship on Dec. 4 in Boise. There's obviously still a long way to go and a handful of big wins to be had before USU can think about knocking off the Broncos, and even still, the prospect of an upset will be a monumental task. After Saturday, though, such an upset doesn't seem as illogical to consider as a long-shot possibility. But like I said, there is still a long way to go, and that road continues Saturday at Romney Stadium. The opening-day buzz will be flying all around the town. The tailgate parties will be stocked full of burgers, bratwursts and beer. Blue-clad Aggie fans, both young and old, will cover USU's campus in anticipation of finally seeing Utah State football return to glory. Inside the stadium there will be chants back and forth between different seating sections. There will be a huge, inflated, USU football helmet with smoke pouring out, from which the football team will make it's dramatic entrance into the stadium. There will probably be around 7,000 students jumping up and down proclaiming their belief that we will win just prior to kickoff. During the game there will be noise on third down when the Aggies are on defense, and dead silence before the snap while on offense. There will be fans doing crowd push-ups with their friends after touchdowns, and there will even be a Wild Bill sighting (clothing optional). All of these things mean just one thing: college football. It's here and this Saturday it's in our own house. Our team looks like they are indeed legit, and it's only fair that our stadium environment is up on that same level. Nobody stands to benefit from being a part of a raucous student section more than the USU students who are down there in the crowd, and it is up to nobody else but the USU students to lead the revolution. UTAH STATE MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY opened up it's 2010 season Saturday, running at the American West Heritage Center. The men's team finished in first place overall, with the top finisher in junior Brian McKenna, while the women's side finished fourth overall. CATHERINE URIE photo Menfinishfirst, women fourth at cross country season opener By MATT SONNENBERG Matt Sonnenberg is a senior majoring in print journalism. Matt is an avid fan of Aggie athletics and can be found on the front row of every home football and basketball game. He can also be reached at matt.sonn@aggiemail.usu.edu. assistant sports editor Utah State Open Results (Sept. 4, 2010) Men's Team Results 1.UTAH STATE - 20 2. Weber State - 41 3. Utah Ski - NP 4. UNA - NP Men's Top 5 Finishers 1. Brian McKenna (USU), 21:49 2. Brett Hales (WSU), 21:59 3. Daniel Howell (USU), 22:02 4. Hunter Nelson (USU), 22:34 5. Chio Lopez (USU), 22:40 Utah State Men's Top Finishers 1. Brian McKenna, 21:49 3. Daniel Howell, 22:02 4. Hunter Nelson, 22:34 5. Chio Lopez, 22:40 Women's Team Results 1.BYU - 23 2. Weber State - 46 3. Utah - 83 4. UTAH STATE - 84 5. Utah Ski - NP 6. UNA - NP Top 5 Women's Finishers 1. Katie Bowen (BYU), 16:48 2. Sarah Callister (WSU), 16:54 3. Nicole Nielsen (BYU), 17:05 4. Taylor Thornley (WSU), 17:13 5. Rachel Lange (BYU), 17:20 Utah State Women's Finishers 11. Jessie Chugg, 17:39 13. Ruth Hilton, 17:45 15. Kim Quinn, 17:57 22. Alex Litzsinger, 18:14 23. Stephanie Burt, 18:17 24. Marissa Floodman, 18:33 26. Laura Hatch, 19:04 53. Ashley Robison, 19:11 53. Ashley Robison, 19:11.0 55. Brittany Fisher, 19:18.5 57. Lexie Meyer, 19:27.4 58. McKayla Williams, 19:38.7 USU cross country is officially off to the races after Saturday's season-opening meet at Cache Valley's American West Heritage Center, which saw mixed results between the men's and women's teams. "This is a meet where we just try to find out where everybody is at," head coach Gregg Gensel said. As it stands, after one meet the men's cross country squad looks to be in a very good spot following a first place finish Saturday. For the women, however, a fourth place finish has them looking ahead to improving upon those standings. Despite the disappointing finish, Gensel isn't letting himself worry about his women's squad just yet. "I liked what I saw today," he said. "We've got some work cut out for us on the women's side, but I think they'll be there when they need to." The women started off the event by finishing fourth overall, with the team's highest finish coming from junior Jessie Chugg in 11th place, with a time of 17:39.3. While the low finish by the women was not their ideal way to open the season, it was partly the result of a plan by the team and coaches to run together for the first mile and a half of the race before breaking apart and trying to close the gap between themselves and the leaders. "I think we did what we were supposed to do, but I think we need to improve a Living away from home for the first time can be exciting and unsettling. Why complicate it with banking hassles? The A+ Account Visa debit card means you can access your account wherever you go. A+ Account includes: • Easy transfers from mom and dad • Online banking with Bill Pay and Web Teller • ATMs in the library and student center • Your very own branch just off campus • 24/7 Telephone Teller • Visa debit card ALL free. ALL convenient. No hidden fees. IR $25 AND $25 • Open your A+ Account* and get a $25 deposit plus $25 to spend any way you want. lot," Chugg said. Joining Chugg among the top-15 finishers were USU teammates Ruth Hilton and Kim Quinn, who finished with times of 17:45.6 and 17:57.2, respectively. The Aggies had four of the top five finishes in the men's race, and eight of the top 10. Leading the way for that group was junior Brian McKenna, who finished in first place with a time of 21:49.9. McKenna's time was nearly 10 seconds ahead of Weber State's Brett Hales, who finished second after leading for the majority of the race. Just as the women's team stuck together, the men's team ran together for the first half of their race before breaking apart and stepping on the accelerator. "We had a plan and all the guys were in on it," McKenna said. "We went out hard and everything went as planned." During the opening stretch of the race, as the USU team kept itself packed together, Hales opened up a substantial lead, putting the pressure on USU for the second half of the race. "I just watched him get further and further away, but I had enough foot-speed there at the end to catch him," McKenna said of Hales. Following Hales to the finish were three more USU runners in juniors Daniel Howell and Hunter Nelson, with times of 22:02.8 and 22:34, and senior Chio Lopez, who crossed the finish line at 22:40.8. Rounding out the last four spots of the first 10 to finish the race were USU runners Kyle McKenna, Michael Budge, Eric Larson and and Jacob Barton. USU's next cross country event will be the Montana State Open on Sept. 18 and then travel to the University of Notre Dame two weeks later. - matt.sonn@aggiemad.usu. edu AGGIE ICE CREAM y • Bring this ad to the campus branch to get your FREE Aggie Ice Cream. *To open your account bring your driver's license, proof of residence, and social security card. cr LENDER 800.248.6361 aggie.usuccu.org Campus • Logan • Smithfield Providence • Brigham City CREDIT UNION Downloading Go laptops is what we do best. The Utah Statesman |