Preparing for USU / Albrecht / Ault

Stephen Tsai writes about the Warriors in Utah.

The Warriors, it seems, have tried to cover all areas in preparing for tomorrow's road game against Utah State. They arrived in Utah a day earlier than usual to get used to the 4-hour time difference and the elevation. (Utah State's Logan campus is about 4,500 feet above sea level.) The Warriors practiced yesterday at Weber State's field.

They went through accelerated defensive drills to get ready for the Aggies' no-huddle, no-pause offense.

And they packed long-sleeved undershirts because the weather forecast raises the possibility of sleet.

Adam Nettina of the USU Statesman profiles Utah State's leading tackler, and previews the game.

According to Wagner, the defense is ready to make up for its mistakes not only last year, but in this year's losses as well.

"When we went out there to play against them we didn't really have a good showing," said Wagner, who also ranks third in the nation in tackles per game. "Now that they're coming into our house, we have to make sure we're prepared. We know that they're one of the top 10 offenses in the nation, so we have to come out ready to play and ready to stop the pass."

Nettina also has some game notes and a prediction.

...and although Hawaii comes in as the hottest team in the WAC, traveling to Logan will present Bryant Moniz and the offense problems. The Aggies have had two full weeks to prepare for this game and get healthy, while the Warriors will come into the game off their biggest win in a year. The result? Your classic "trap" game for the Warriors, who will come out overconfident and find that the change of climate will stifle their winning ways. Utah State wins this one before a homecoming crowd, 38-35.

Ferd Lewis writes about Utah State president Stan Albrecht, who was a man of his word, unlike the backstabbers. Lewis recaps how Fresno State and Nevada bolted for the MWC after Utah State turned them down:

But Albrecht stood by his plan -- and his commitment -- rejecting the overture, saying at the time, "we were simply committed to uphold our agreement with fellow WAC members. We respectfully declined MWC interest and believed all WAC members would remain committed to our agreement."

So, too, initially, at least, did Nevada president Milton Glick, according to people familiar with the events. But when the MWC approached Fresno State president John Welty, he not only agreed to jump but, according to people who claim knowledge of the issue, helped persuade Nevada to flip-flop.

And on the same topic, Nevada coach Chris Ault gets all salty when he hears what Coach Mack said after UH beat them.

The anti-Pack sentiment in the WAC is a real thing. Hawaii football coach Greg McMackin let it slip after his Warriors beat the Pack last Saturday, telling the Hawaii media that beating the Pack was special because the Pack “doesn't want to play with us anymore.” He also said the way the Pack (and Fresno State) left the WAC (almost overnight in late August) was not the right way to do it. “To the winner goes the spoils,” Pack coach Chris Ault said, when told of McMackin's comments. Ault also told me he'd likely never play another game at Hawaii in his career. “That's whether we won or lost,” he said.