Utah State football: New coach looking for patience as team rebuilds

LOGAN — There are many who think the Utah State football team is beyond saving. That the wretched Aggies have been losers for so long that rather than trying to salvage the program it should instead be put out of its misery.

Gary Andersen is not one of those people.

No, Andersen is the kind of guy who believes Utah State is a place where there can, indeed, be a consistently good, winning football team.

But it's not going to happen overnight.

That belief is something Andersen has worked hard to teach to his new team. So much so, in fact, he has printed the slogan "Respect the Process" on the backs of T-shirts as a reminder that for the Aggies to climb out of the depths they've been in for the past decade-plus, the team must buy into a process that will lead, eventually, to great things.

"This is a very long, drawn-out, year-round process," Andersen said.

But in a world where patience is not often shown — just ask the coaches who have been shown the door at USU and other schools after a losing season or two — the "process" needs to be a somewhat quick one.

Still, the Aggies are buying into the "process" even if — or, perhaps, especially because — it requires changing the attitude on the field, in the locker room and across campus.

"He told us to respect the process and understand what the coaches are telling us," senior safety James Brindley said. "With the new staff and the new schemes we just have to respect what we are doing and apply it."

For Andersen, the "process" has taken him from an undefeated Sugar Bowl-winning team to Logan where there hasn't been a winning team since John L. Smith nibbled on success in 1996 and 1997.

"I have not taken one look back and could not be happier to be here," Andersen said after his new team completed its first scrimmage.

"I am very fortunate to have a great group of kids … I am completely comfortable coaching this team."

Which is good news in many ways for Aggie fans — fans who have been quite uncomfortable watching the team for several years.

Andersen takes over a team that has endured its worst four-year stretch in school history. Under previous coach Brent Guy, USU won just nine games in four years, and the mood around Romney Stadium was anything but positive.

The new guy in town, however, is making it a priority to change the attitude he sees around the locker room, and so far, it appears, he's making significant progress on that front.

Sophomore running back Robert Turbin, who figures to see more carries under the system Andersen and offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin are trying to install in Logan, said he's on the Andersen bandwagon.