Even with Nelson, is Ags' glass half full or empty?

Chuck: I see where Utah State did a remake of "The Life of Riley" Saturday night.

Just when everyone was measuring the Aggies for some burial coveralls, a freshman named Riley goes out and breathes life into an Aggie football program nearing asphyxiation.

First, there'd been back-to-back-to-back shutout losses, including embarrassments to in-state rivals Utah and BYU. Then came being violated by WAC weak-sister Idaho. Everything pointed to Utah State's season looping into an unending "Lost" weekend marathon.

Until the Saturday night stand-in: Logan's own Riley Nelson — who's too young to understand he can't do what he just did. Not only did he engineer a 13-12 upset over heavily favored Fresno State, but he also threw a gorilla wrench into what heretofore had been a wonderfully exploitable story line of Aggie futility.

Certainly, both coaches will be visiting their oral surgeons this week — Utah State's Brent Guy to have his Cheshire Cat grin relaxed and the Bulldogs' Pat Hill to rewire his dropped jaw.

Amy: Oh, ye of little faith. I've watched teams in blowouts at all levels like the Aggies have been experiencing. Do you know how much grit it takes to go back into a football game and get leveled — over and over — when the game is as out-of-reach as Eva Longoria is to you?

Riley's minor miracle may mean the team's fortunes have turned. But if nothing else, maybe this will get you fair-weather fans/frauds to give coach Guy a chance! Urban Meyer didn't win the Fiesta Bowl with players he recruited. He did it with Ron McBride's players. Building a program takes time — and once in a while, a kid like Riley.

Chuck: I'm only rewriting the obituary, not deleting it. It's great that a local kid found some blue tights and a white cape at the Logan D.I. Now everyone can believe again in truth, justice and Aggie football. But let's hold off on Nelson's comic book deal until Saturday's road game against the 3-1 San Jose State Kryptonite, who've already beaten larger conference foes, Stanford (Pac-10) and San Diego State (MWC).

Turning to the unproven Nelson was simply Guy heaving up a "Hail Riley" for ineffectual QB Leon Jackson. I checked, and Saturday's victory was still only the Ags first in 2006. Unless Riles really is the second-coming of Eric Hipple, count on the Aggies confirmed downtrend — currently at six straight losing seasons — continuing.

The 13-point offensive explosion Nelson engineered won't ease concerns about the team's ongoing scoring ineptitude, which already caused former offensive coordinator Mike Santiago to exchange his playbook for the Dr. Phil library.