Bowling is more than a step forward for USU program

LOGAN – The loudspeakers at Romney Stadium were blaring "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet," the rock and roll anthem from 1974. Has it really been that long since Utah State was in a bowl game? If the last time your team played in the postseason was 1997, it surely must seem that way.

But Saturday the Team Formerly Known as Utah State became bowl-eligible at last, with a 21-17 win over Nevada.

It was as good a time as any to bust out the retro music.

"It's big," USU coach Gary Andersen said as he fumbled for adjectives. "Big's not the word. Giant, gigantic, humongous, what else is out there? It's a tremendous moment for all of us."

Forgive Andersen's hyperbole, but he's been talking with the boosters. To fully understand, you need to have been in Logan for at least 30 years. There have been a few blips on the radar, such as the 1993 Las Vegas Bowl (a win over Ball State) and the '98 Humanitarian Bowl (a loss to Cincinnati), but otherwise, that's it.

Bowling was something you did in wintertime phys-ed class, not as a football team.

You'd have to go far beyond the '70s to last recall when USU expected to play in the postseason. There was the 1961 Gotham Bowl, the 1960 Sun and the not-so-dynamic duo of 1940s bowl mutations, the Raisin and Grape.

Beyond that, USU has always ended its season in November.

It's not as though the Aggies could see this coming for months. This is a team that lost five of its first seven games.

What began with cautious optimism after a 42-38 loss to Auburn morphed into losses at almost every turn. Although it was a typical Aggie beginning, they seemed to understand something was cooking.

Amazingly, they never let anyone get out of their range. Eight of their 11 games have been decided by a touchdown or less. They lost by 10 to Louisiana Tech and Fresno State — their largest defeats — yet even in the Tech game they led with 11 minutes remaining.

Thus, the season became high drama. Last-minute losses to Auburn, Colorado State and BYU gave way to a late-night thriller in Hawaii, which the Aggies won with 14 seconds remaining. That was followed by a roaring comeback and a last-minute gripper against San Jose State. Next was the double-overtime screamer at Idaho.

"Keeps you guys on the edge of your seats," linebacker Bobby Wagner told reporters.

Asked whether those hair-raising games were "killers" to endure, Andersen said, "Kill is a good word."