Football Season!!!

This post will naturally be much more in depth considering the author than it would have been if my lovely spouse was still running the show.  Those of you who aren't sports fans...I'm sorry.  For the second year I am doing Marketing and Promotions for the USU Athletic Department.  It's a great internship and I've learned a lot.  This season I had quite a few friends on the football team and was really excited for the season to start!  Joni was a little bit less excited.  I think she's started enjoying sports and going to games than she used to, but naturally she would rather go with me, and since I worked at all the football home games, and most of the basketball ones, she tends to stay home which is a bummer.  She did make it to quite a few football games this year though and I got to run up and visit her at least once a game!

The stadium the day before the first game, my credentials, and the Beehive Boot (Best team in Utah!)

The big game to get the season going was The Battle of the Brothers; Utah State vs The University of Utah.  My dad went to Utah and raised us to be fans of the Utes, but I must say I have become Aggie Blue through and through.  I still cheer for Utah most of the time (really as long as they aren't playing us) but this game meant a lot for family bragging rights!  It came down to Overtime and my good friend Will Davis made the game winning play on 4th down preventing Utah from scoring a game tying TD and the party was on in Logan!  The game was on ESPN and a few highlights from the game were actually used for a commercial throughout the season everytime ESPN had a Friday Night game!  It was a great win for Utah State and really set the tone for the team to have a successful year!

Chuckie Keeton and Will Davis in their spots in the ESPN commerical

The Scoreboard before the game!

The Star of the Show after the game with fans who stormed the field

My friends DJ Tialevea and Kellen Bartlett after the game.  They, Will and a few other players played on my softball team this summer

Most importantly I was able to go up and talk to Joni in the stands before the game!

The Utah game was great and really set the tone for what would become the most successful season Utah State football ever had.  It was the teams first outright conference championship since 1936, they won a school record 11 games, won a bowl game for only the second time in school history, ended the season ranked in the top 20 in the country, and ended the season as the only team that didn't allow the opponent to score a touchdown in the first quarter of any game all year.  Through my internship I was able to meet and host two Aggie greats.  Kevin Curtis who had a good NFL career, and Bobby Wagner who should soon be announced as the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year!  They were both really nice guys and it was cool to be able to chat with each of them.

With Bobby at the New Mexico State game

 With Kevin at the UNLV game

Novembeard was in full effect for the last home game of the season.  We hosted Idaho and after having beaten Louisiana Tech the week before, just needed a win to secure that first Conference Championship since '36 and the team didn't disappoint!  Joni came to the game and was able to get a lot of good pictures.  It was another chance for fans to storm the field after the game and we were able to meet up down there to enjoy the celebration together and get a few pictures!  Another point that should be noted is that is was Will's 5th straight game with an interception and he actually took this interception this game all the way back for a touchdown.  It was the first defensive touchdown scored by Utah State in 5 years and was obviously the first of his career.  I had been telling him all season that WHEN he scored a touchdown, as I would already be on the field running promos, that we would have to celebrate together.  After he crossed the goal line I ran to find him on the sideline and we did our predetermined and choreographed handshake!  After the game he gave me the gloves he had worn for the game which is a cool piece of memorabilia that I will keep forever...and I will get signed of course!

I was doing my best to run the Promos that day!

If you look close on the right side, you can see me going after Will to make sure I get his gloves :)

Some of my friends celebrating as Champs! (From top left clockwise)  Will Davis, Tay Glover-Wright, Coach Andersen, Travis Reynolds, and Al Lapuaho

And of course we snagged a picture with our favorite player!!