How Utah State’s Gary Andersen felt about his first game back inside Maverik Stadium

BYU and USU prepare to play at Maverik Stadium in Logan Utah on Friday, Sept. 29, 2017. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

The 2015 stadium renovations had an impact on Andersen, who left the program in 2012.

LOGAN — Two thousand, four hundred and seventy-eight days.

That was how long it had been since Gary Andersen last coached a game within the confines of Maverik Stadium prior to Utah State’s home opener against the Stony Brook Seawolves this past Saturday.

Six years and 288 days since the Aggies had followed Andersen out onto Merlin Olsen Field.

In that time, he led teams into some of the more renowned college football stadiums in America, such as Ohio Stadium (Ohio State), aka the Horseshoe; Kinnick Stadium (Iowa); Michigan Stadium, aka the Big House; the Rose Bowl; Autzen Stadium and more.

And yet, Andersen’s official return to Maverik Stadium left him nearly speechless.

And here are the Aggies pic.twitter.com/pXzcvYv6ug

— Trent Wood (@trentdwood) September 7, 2019

“It was, I don’t know what words to say,” Andersen said.

For good reason, as Utah State pummeled Stony Brook, 62-7.

Star linebacker David Woodward admitted afterward that even he had some nerves, some anxiousness regarding the game.

“I was a little anxious tonight, being able to play in front of our fans,” Woodward said. “It is mostly exciting.”

Andersen praised the Aggies fanbase, noting that the 22,247 fans that were in attendance, and who had striped the stands in white and Aggie blue, made their presence felt.

Right out of the gate yesterday the @usuHURD displayed why our @USUAggies student section is as good as there is in the Country! We appreciate the JUICE you all & @USUBands provide to @USUFootball & all of our @USUAthletics teams. #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/3q8VcweoFM

— John Hartwell (@john_hartwell) September 9, 2019

“The crowd was awesome,” he said. “It looked to me like we had a very good crowd. They were loud, they were vocal and they were excited.”

Andersen’s speechlessness, momentary as it was, wasn’t due to the crowd, however, nor the lopsided score.

It was because of Maverik Stadium’s new look.

During Andersen’s coaching odyssey, Utah State remodeled Romney Stadium — which became Maverik Stadium — a series of modifications that included an upgraded west side of the stadium, where a four-story premium seating and press box structure was built.

The demolition has begun at Maverik Stadium. pic.twitter.com/7PwX8JWGBH

— USU Football (@USUFootball) May 18, 2015

All told, 30 some odd changes were made, among them an improved sound system and two additional inches being added to the seats in the reserved and general admission bench seat areas.

The visiting fan section was relocated to the upper east side of the stadium as well, and new video boards on both the north and south ends of the stadium were added.

For Aggie fans, those additions are an old hat by now, but seeing those upgrades on game night firsthand was more than Andersen expected.

“I’ll tell you what,” he said, “I’ve never been on that field like that. With the new press box, jumbotron, and obviously some quality speakers — it is awesome. For myself, it was awesome.”

With the win over Stony Brook, Utah State improved to 17-7 at home under Andersen, a mark that includes wins in the last nine home games.

HIGHLIGHTS | Utah State vs. Stony Brook#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/cFItrQHvhH

— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 8, 2019

The Aggies also improved to 9-1 in nonconference home games under his leadership and are 17-4 overall in his last 21 games as head coach.

Utah State has now won each of its last eight home games going back to the Matt Wells era, and is 36-9 in its last 45 games at Maverik Stadium.

Additionally, Utah State has won seven straight nonconference home games and is 19-3 in its last 22 nonconference home games.

With 62 points scored against Stony Brook, Utah State has reached the 60 point total in each of its last three home games and in five of its last seven.

The Aggies have also scored at least 50 points in each of the last four home games and in six of the last seven overall.

Finally, Utah State has won each of its last eight home games by double-digits.

The Aggies next home game isn’t until Sept. 28 when they host Colorado State. In the meantime, and with a bye week before their Mountain West conference opener against San Diego State on Sept. 21, there’s work yet to be done.

“We have to continue to grow and build on the win,” Andersen said. “It is so important to build on the win and continue to grow as a program. This obviously is going to be a very difficult league this year. There are a lot of good football teams and it looks like we play them all. It will be competitive as it can be.”

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