‘A great piece to this offensive line’: Utah State’s Andy Koch nearly fully recovered from season-ending injury

Utah State right guard Andy Koch lines up pre-snap in the Aggies’ 62-7 win over Stony Brook on September 7, 2019. Koch suffered a season-ending knee injury the next week against San Diego State, and after more than nine months of rehab, he is nearly recovered. | USU Athletics

Koch was one of the Aggies’ best O-linemen last year, before a knee injury ended his season prematurely after just three weeks

LOGAN — Through the first three weeks of the 2019 college football season, Andy Koch was a standout for the Utah State Aggies.

While not nearly as recognizable as quarterback Jordan Love, wide receiver Siaosi Mariner or linebacker David Woodward, to name a few, Koch was no less valuable from his right tackle position on the Aggies’ offensive line.

“Man it is great, we are almost to 100%. It has been a long time, a long grind, but we are almost to the end. I am almost fully healthy.” — Utah State offensive lineman Andy Koch

Only a redshirt freshman at the time, Koch was a starter from day one and an anchor on the right side of the O-line. That was especially beneficial given the youth and inexperience of that particular position group. USU entered last season with only one returning starter — Alfred Edwards — and of the eight linemen who would go on to start at least one game, six were freshmen or sophomores.

Thanks to his play in a close season-opening loss at Wake Forest, as well as during wins over Stony Brook and San Diego State, praise came early and often for Koch. The Eastvale, California, native, described in USU’s media guide as “long and athletic” — he is listed at 6-foot-6, 290 pounds — appeared to be on a path to stardom.

As quick as Koch’s rise came, the fall came just as quickly. During the Aggies’ win over the Aztecs, Koch suffered a knee injury that proved to be season-ending. It was a notable setback, both for Koch and USU.

“He’s a big part of this football team,” Utah State coach Gary Andersen said afterward.

Just over nine months removed from that day, Koch is still working to get back. In a recent interview with sports radio host Scott Garrard — aka Scotty G, the Voice of the Aggies — he confirmed he is nearly there.

“Man it is great, we are almost to 100%,” Koch said. “It has been a long time, a long grind, but we are almost to the end. I am almost fully healthy.”

A healthy Koch will be a boon to the Aggies’ offensive line, a group expected to be the team’s greatest strength this season.

“We have a lot of guys coming back who can play,” Edwards said. “We were young (last year). We were banged up, but we still battled every game. We worked our tails off every game. I am excited to see what happens this year now that we are a little more experienced and have a lot of guys coming back. (Andy) is going to be a great piece to this offensive line.”

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Utah State offensive tackle lines up early in the Aggies’ 23-17 victory over San Diego State on September 21, 2019.

The rehab process wasn’t exactly easy for Koch, nearly complete progress aside. The COVID-19 pandemic proved particularly disadvantageous.

“With the rehab, going home during quarantine, it was tough not being around our physical therapist (Mike Williams) every day,” he said. “Just being able to have them be hands-on with me. There were bumps in the road with that, but that is just one of the things that you have to deal with, an obstacle to overcome.”

From the get-go, Andersen always believed Koch would do what was necessary to get back — “He’ll work his tail off,” he said. “He’ll do his part” — and the lineman himself believes the injury will prove useful in the long run.

“It was tough and any competitor will know the feeling, not being able to go out there and play, to make a difference,” he said. “But it was honestly a big blessing for me to be able to watch and learn more about the game from the sidelines.”

Koch’s time on the sideline will soon be over, though, much to his and his teammates’ excitement. And the opportunity to battle for playing time and a starting role beckons.

“That is going to make us all better,” he said, “because when the backup guys are giving the starters a run for their money, it just pushes the starting guys to work harder and vice versa. People are motivated and always competing. It’ll be a battle to see who is going to start going into this year.”

If his past performance is any indication, odds are when the Aggies’ starters take the field against Washington State on Sept. 3, Koch will be among them.

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