Goal: To thoroughly experience gameday at every FBS college football stadium. STADIUM COUNT: 113/134
A week ago, Utah State relied on a whopping 8 Boise State turnovers to upset the Broncos. This week, the Aggies were feeling generous with four turnovers gifted to San Diego State – a classic give and take relationship.
Some of the best college towns are those that venture off from well-traveled roads. Taking I-15 north from Salt Lake City, urban morphs to quaint. The snow capped mountains guide you along the east, while to the west, the Great Salt Lake lies still, reflecting the skies above. To reach Logan, Utah, skew west from I-15 and head 25 miles toward the mountain ranges where the campus of Utah State welcomes with mountainous vistas and beautiful architecture. Old Main Hill is the epicenter of USU – the Old Main Building stands at the summit, shining its brilliant Aggie “A” in all four directions. It glows blue on special campus events or for significant Aggie victories.
Friday nights make for an energetic college football atmosphere – especially in remote college towns like Logan, Utah, where team spirit is the life blood. Romney Stadium (now Maverik Stadium), although smaller in stature, can create noise that echoes throughout the Cache Valley, and with tonight being senior night, many Aggie partisans braved the frigid temperatures to celebrate the final home game of what has already been a successful season. San Jose State became the sacrificial lamb on a day that belonged to Big Blue. Our day began with a slow drive up I-15, taking in the snowy mountain vistas and stopping by Willard Bay State Park to catch a glimpse of The Great Salt Lake. Driving into campus offered a gluttony of mountain views and beautiful architecture. We took our time on Old Main Hill where the tall and proud Old Main Building looks down like a guardian upon the USU campus. The views atop this hill satisfied the craving for entertainment.
Panic is defined by Wikipedia as “a sudden sensation of fear which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation.” Coming off back to back Big Ten titles and Rose Bowl appearances, Wisconsin had little reason to panic. However, the Badgers started this season with a frightening near loss to FCS foe Northern Iowa, which Coach Bielema referred to as a lesson learned without the consequence of a loss. The lesson was not learned as the offense limped through a 10-7 upset loss to Oregon State the following week, dropping Wisconsin from the rankings. Last year’s offense could have scored on many NFL defenses, and this year, the endzone is as frequently visited as Mars. Perhaps reason and logical thinking were compromised as Bielema fired the offensive line coach in hopes to right the ship quickly. Utah State would be the first test.