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Show StatesmanSports Page 8 Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012 Wagner cementing his place in Seahawks family The funniest *7*N May the thing has happened 0 iipl, Schwartz in the P be with Andersen ► 161 Era of you Utah State University football: The local team has in one harmonious way or another become a family. This may be why USU fans have lately taken results to games, events and accomplishments in such a passionate way. Big wins seem momentous and tough losses come off as devastating with this squad and for a great reason. They are not merely football players. They are big brothers and cousins — gridiron relatives. These guys have become community and family, and we like to believe we experience things just as they do. With that in mind, the personal successes of players past and present tend to mean something to us. We spent years watching players learn and grow, becoming iconic figures in Cache Valley lore, and then they are off to the land of bigger, better and prone to a world of happiness. We call this land professional football. This land is a place in which we aren't used to seeing too much of those who wore our colors, so when we do, we thrive in seeing their successes like we would a brother or sister who has gone on to serve the family well. If ever we lived one of those proud moments as Aggie fans, we certainly did this last Sunday. His name is Bobby Wagner, a graduate of Colony High School in Ontario, Calif. A brief standout and all-state player, Wagner shockingly only received one offer for collegiate competition, from Utah State. The rest of Wagner's Aggie life is history to us. We remember the plays, the moments, the energy, the forced fumbles and overtime interceptions, and especially the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Wagner needed a home and the Seattle Seahawks needed a linebacker, so they took our boy. It was Steve Schwartzman ki4p 1 a moment heard around the valley. Just a day before finding out our other local favorite Robert Turbin was heading to the same team and the people of Logan, Utah, had just found their resident football team. Just like that our guy had a home, and we couldn't be more proud of one of our big brothers. Flash forward several workouts, a curious preseason and a few eventful games to this Sunday. Nobody can quite conclude exactly what Wagner had for breakfast for that morning, or what was playing in his iPod, but something about the way he started his day sent him a good sign. A very good sign. A flooring 14 tackles worth of a good sign. That wasn't an exaggeration — 14 tackles. That's more than three per quarter against an offense that was supposed to be the Ivy League of professional football, led by a quarterback in Tom Brady who was considered a godsend. Wagner helped quiet the godsend, at least enough for the Seahawks to squeak out a close victory against a team most analysts claim had no business lacing up against them. It was a glorious Sunday in the Wagner home indeed. You have to know Wagner was ecstatic, and you can be sure the Seahawks were as well. But along with them were thousands of Aggie hopefuls in Cache Valley who saw a hope and a future in what was once a waning program thanks to a believing coach, a rhinoceros of a running back and a southern California standout who made huge noise at Romney Stadium and — for hopefully not the last time — a smorgasbord of tackles against the NFL's self-proclaimed Goliath. Perhaps he won't play on the same level in the next weeks, or maybe he goes off like we know he can. Whatever the means, we know we'll be there hoping and waiting. Family just works that way. AGGIE QUARTERBACK CHUCKIE KEETON prepares to hand off a ball in Romney Stadium earlier this season. CURTIS RIPPLINGER photo FOOTBALL: Aggie Bowl OFrom page 7 ages 17.7 yards per reception. The 6-foot-2 Dallas, Texas, native has already put up 742 yards this year. "We recruited Austin Franklin and we know all about him," Andersen said. "He is a good kid, a good football player and that is definitely their go-to guy. You have got to try and equalize him. He is going to get his touches because he is the centerpiece of that offense." The ground game is another story for New Mexico State. The NMSU offense averages a meager 85 yards rushing, more than 10 yards fewer than Utah State usually allows. USU opponents have scored an average of about 12 points per game, compared to NMSU's average of 24 points scored. - Steve Schwartzman is a senior studying communication studies. He has had just about every job in sports writing, including blogs, analysis, statistics and fantasy football tips, but he especially loves making bold picks. Got any comments? Let him know: steve.schwartzman@aggiemaiLusu.edu . "On the offensive side of the football, they have some good receivers," Andersen said. "They want to throw the ball first without a question and that is their mindset. They do a nice job of getting the ball out on time and getting it out quickly." Offensively, Utah State should have no problems moving the ball. New Mexico State opponents rack up an average of 441 yards per game. The USU duo of sophomore quarterback Chuckie Keeton and senior running back Kerwynn Williams should have little trouble making big plays against a weak defense in front of a home crowd. Andersen said it will be interesting to see how the NMSU defense reacts to Keeton's abillity to extend plays under pressure with his feet. "They like to change it up and show you some different fronts, so it is a difficult defense," Andersen said. "It will be a little bit different for us to be able to prepare for and again the pressure that they bring, pressure in a lot of different ways from a lot of different spots." The receiving duo of seniors Matt Austin and Chuck Jacobs will pose a big threat for the NMSU secondary. The two have combined for eight receiving touchdowns this season and are capable of breaking a big gain on any play. "We want to get in a position to contend and play and win a WAC Championship," Andersen said. - tavin.stucki@aggiemail.usu. edu Twitter: @StuckiAggies USU (5-2) AT NMSU (1-5) Gary Andersen (4th year) DeWayne Walker (4th year) TM Oct. 20, Romney Stadium, 1 p.m. Utah State playmakers New Mexico State playmakers 7K/c rise- Cacfie Valley's aveyina/ castyme sfioi QB Chuckie Keeton RB Kerwynn Williams WR Matt Austin WR Chuck Jacobs 15 TD 8 TD 4 TD 4 TD wwwfantasylanddesignicom • 2530 North 300 East, Logan LATE NIGHT HAPPY HOUR looking forward to doing even better this season. "I'm looking forward to both the collegiate mountain bike and road bike seasons this year," she said. "I'll finally get to take full advantage of being here and racing with our team, and it's really exciting that the Collegiate Road Nationals event is being held in Ogden, Utah again this year." Collegiate cycling is different from other sports in one major aspect: Professional riders are allowed to compete alongside amateurs. Riding with this high level competition is a great opportunity for younger cyclists to test their skills with some of the best in the sport. Former cycling club president David Clyde said the team is looking very promising this year, not only in the mountain biking discipline this fall but also in the cyclocross and road bike styles later this season. "We have high hopes for this year's nationals," said Clyde, who was club president for the last three years. "We only lost one member from our team last year, and we gained a lot of new talent." Clyde is not racing with the team this year because of personal reasons, but he is handing over the reins to Myers, who hopes he can lead the team to even greater achievements in the coming season and have a little fun with it at the same time. "I bought a little bell to put on my handlebars a little while ago," Myers said. "I like to ring it sometimes while riding in the peloton and it seems to bring some humor and lighten up the mood of everyone." - j.dahl@aggiemail.usu.edu HOCKEY: ASU comes to Logan BUFFET *From page 7 2 GREAT TIMES. ONE LOW PRICE. Late Night: 8-10pm Weekdays 9-11 pm Weekends Happy Hour: 2-4pm Weekdays 25 E 1400 N Logan (435) 753.5590 Next to Harbor Freight 11 TD 7 TD 4 TD 1 TD MOUNTAIN: USU vs USA *From page 7 •Costumes • Theatrical Makeup •Hats, Wigs, Accessories *Mon-Sat 11-7 *753-2724 QB Andrew Manley WR Austin Franklin RB Tiger Powell RB Germi Morrison * PizzaPieCafe real american pizza loss last year in the regular season, and for the guys returning it's kind of left a bad taste in the mouth, so it's pretty big," Gibbons said. The games should be very physical with a lot of hitting and strong defensive play. "I think they're kind of similar to us — they're a hard working team," Gibbons said. "They have a few skill guys, and they like to throw the body around a bit. But I think that we're ready to go. I think we're going into the weekend with confidence, and we're going to play well this weekend." Aggie fans can be sure the team will be coming out Thursday night with a lot of fire. The sense of revenge mixed with the enthusiasm of the home crowd should make for an entertaining game. The Aggies will face Arizona State University Thursday and Friday night at the George S. Eccles Ice Center in North Logan. Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm. Cost of admission is $4 for Thursday and $5 for Friday. "It's going to be amazing," Hamilton said. "Home crowds here are the best in the west, probably the best in the entire league. The fans are what make our team so good. Hopefully the roof blows off tomorrow." - sean.osullivan@aggiemail.usu.edu Twitter: @Seansy89 |