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Utah State wide receiver Jalen Royals (1) runs past the Boise State defense on a 75-yard touchdown reception in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Boise, Idaho. . (AP Photo/Steve Conner) | Steve Conner
Nate Dreiling said it first. Then Ike Larsen followed, maybe not exactly word for word mirroring his coach but the sentiment was the same.
In the immediate aftermath of Utah State’s 32-point loss to Boise State over the weekend, neither Dreiling nor Larsen could be sure of exactly what Utah State football’s record is at the moment.
Or they didn’t want to be.
“What are we, 1-4 or 1-5?” Dreiling said.
“We are 1-4 or whatever,” Larsen said moments later “I don’t care.”
Why the outright dismissal of the Aggies’ record?
After all, wins and losses are ultimately what college football — really, sports at practically every level — is ultimately about.
Like Herm Edwards said when he was the coach of the New York Jets, “You play to win the game. Hello! You play to win the game.”
So again, why ignore the Aggies’ current standing, which is not good right now, all things considered?
Well, for one, USU is almost singularly focused on Mountain West Conference play at this point in the year. And as Larsen later said, the Aggies are 0-1 in conference play with six more league games to go. Sure, USU lost to Boise State, but that loss doesn’t mean the Aggies can’t win out and contend for the conference crown.
It is more than just that, though.
The Aggies are also aware that the schedule they’ve played thus far this season might be the most difficult in program history.
With USC, Utah and Boise State, Utah State played three teams that have been ranked in the top 25 this season.
Winning the majority — or any of those games — wasn’t a realistic possibility. And from…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/call-defiance-optimism-naivet-utah-012534724.html
Author : Deseret News
Publish date : 2024-10-08 01:25:34
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