Gary Andersen: Boise State Is A Tremendous Challenge To Use As Measuring Stick

LOGAN, Utah – Utah State will open the 2020 season on Saturday on the road against Boise State.

Head coach Gary Andersen knows that it will be a tremendous challenge but it will also help him get a glimpse of where his program is at. The Aggies lost some key starters including star quarterback Jordan Love and running back Gerold Bright. With a younger team in Logan, Andersen understands that the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference goes through the Broncos.

“It’s always a tremendous challenge,” Andersen told the media on Monday. “Boise has earned that they deserve that, that is exactly where they are. As I go through my career, we’ve been in those different situations. Sometimes you’re in that position to be that top team and everybody’s trying to knock you off and we’ve been there, it’s extremely challenging. Every week everybody’s nipping at you and wants to take your spot and where you sit.

“Again, that’s well deserved by Boise,” Andersen added. “On our side of our league, we’re all trying to get to that conference championship to be able to play in the championship game. But in our league, you got to go through Boise. You look at the past, whatever it may be, five, six years, those guys are right there at the end every single year.”

"It's always a tremendous challenge. They have earned that (being a top team in the conference). We are all trying to get to the Conference Championship game but in our league that goes through Boise." – Gary Andersen on facing @BroncoSportsFB. #AggiesAllTheWay

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 19, 2020

Game Used As A Measuring Stick

This game will help Gary Andersen find out quickly where his team is at. It’s a different year for everyone around college football with shortened training camps and longer off-seasons. The Mountain West was not supposed to play until the spring of 2021 but the conference decided last month to play an 8-game schedule beginning this Saturday. Utah State will begin the season with the biggest challenge of the season. Boise State was picked to win the conference this season.

“It’s a tremendous challenge. But it’s a challenge that we look forward to, as a measuring stick and to understand where we’ve gone, where we’ve been, and where we have to go,” Andersen stated. “What that three hours of change is going to bring to us as a program, we’re excited to get out there and compete. We expect to go out there and compete at a high level this is I’m sure they do. This year has been different for everybody. But at the end of the day, these kids get to line up against each other with Boise versus Utah State for three hours, a little bit of change on the on the backside of that, and we’ll, we’ll see exactly where we sit and they’ll see exactly where they sit. They’re a tremendous program. They fought at a high level for many, many years and that’s impressive to see it.”

Two QB’s Will Play

On Monday, Utah State announced that former Ute Jason Shelley will be the starting quarterback. Andersen made sure to tell the media that Shelley is the starter but sophomore QB Andrew Peasley will play.

“Jason has some experience playing in games,” Andersen said. “It was a very competitive camp, I expect them both to play. I think that should be the first part of this is that Jason has done a good job and I think that Andrew has done a good job also. There has been some back and forth, which we expect and they both want to play and they both want to compete. Jason will go out and take the next snap. But it’s not off the table at all to have Andrew come in and play. I think they both deserve an opportunity to have a chance to be able to compete, they have a great relationship with each other.

"We expect both quarterbacks to play." – Gary Andersen believes Andrew Peasley will also get reps at QB.#AggiesAllTheWay

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 19, 2020

“The quarterback room is in a good solid place as far as how they’ve handled the competition now, how they go out and react and how they play is the next step. So I’m excited to see them compete, play that position, and play the best of their abilities just like the rest of the team, which you have to compete to play every single week,” Andersen continued. “Just because somebody gets named a starter, takes the first snap one week doesn’t mean it’s going to consistently be that way throughout the throughout the year. Every young man every position on this team gets to compete every week. And I think our kids are getting a true grasp of that to understand exactly where they sit.”

The Aggies and Broncos will clash on Saturday at 5 p.m. on FS1.