Utah State’s bowl game hopes rest on a different approach

With over a month between the regular season finale and the bowl game, Utah State head coach Blake Anderson had a choice.

He could either try to jam in as many bowl practices as possible, while also juggling recruiting and the transfer portal, or he could just give his guys some time off. He chose the latter, as the Aggies had their first true bowl practice 25 days after the regular season on Tuesday.

“Yesterday was the first prep practice for Memphis,” Anderson said, noting Utah State plays its bowl on Dec. 27. “We look light on our feet, we look fresh. The time off has been helpful for guys just to feel better.”

As the Aggies roll into Dallas, the idea is that they will be a refreshed team after a 6-6 campaign that teetered on the edge of disaster in September.

Anderson didn’t give the team time off to get people healthy. He admitted the team will take pretty much the same roster it had against Boise State into the First Responder Bowl. At most, Utah State might get back Ajani Carter, Michael Anyanwu, John Ward and Ike Larsen.

But it was more about a mental restart. Most of the team took their finals online and were able to go home for four or five days. If they wanted to, they could run and lift in the facility while the coaches were out recruiting. Yet, the encouragement was to get away.

“We gave guys a week,” Anderson said. “Practice indicated they are excited to be back. I just look back to where we were early in the season struggling. The thought of playing in a bowl game seemed like a huge challenge. So to go from 1-4 to 6-6, I know that isn’t our standard, but it says a lot about this team and they are excited to go play.”

Logistically there are some downfalls to the situation. The long layover, and the lack of practice, might have some things out of sync. The last game Utah State played was on Nov. 25, a 42-25 loss.

“We were a little winded,” running back Calvin Tyler Jr. said. “But that comes with the first day. Other than that, you can see how fresh we are. ... This season, coming out over .500, it would be a blessing.”

Anderson joked as he wrapped up his remarks that bowl games this late can feel like a logistical nightmare at times. There is no perfect way to handle a monthlong gap. Either you over-practice or practice too little.

But for Utah State, it is hoping this will feel like as much of a new season as possible. And that, it believes, could be the advantage.

“Bowl games provide a ton of opportunity for teams to be distracted,” Anderson said. “I talked to the team yesterday about being able to compartmentalize the week. Being able to take advantage of the bowl opportunities but also focus when needed. ... 7-6 would sound a lot better than 6-7 for us. None of those are earth shattering, but there is some momentum we could carry into the offseason with a win.”