UTAH STATE AGGIES

Utah State Parts Ways With Head Coach Gary Andersen

Nov 7, 2020, 11:07 AM | Updated: 1:22 pm

Utah State Aggies head coach Gary Andersen during a college football game between the Utah State Aggies and the San Diego State University Aztecs on September 21, 2019 at SDCCU Stadium in San Diego, California. (Photo by Alan Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

(Photo by Alan Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

BY MITCH HARPER, KSL SPORTS
KSL Sports

LOGAN, Utah – Utah State athletic director John Hartwell announced that the second Gary Andersen era with the Aggies has come to an end.

On Saturday, November 7, Hartwell announced that Andersen will no longer be the Aggies’ head football coach moving forward. Assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator Frank Maile will serve as USU’s interim head coach for the rest of the season.

“After a thorough analysis on the current state of our football team, we believe a change at head coach is in the best interest of our program moving forward,” Hartwell said in a statement. “The continued success and development of Aggie football is a priority and we want to make sure we are regular contenders for the Mountain West Championship.On behalf of Utah State Athletics, I want to express my appreciation to Gary Andersen for all he has done for our football program. We wish him, Stacey and their family all the best going forward, and they will always be part of our Aggie family.”

The move takes place just three games into Andersen’s second season with the Aggies.

The man credited with reviving Utah State football in his first stint in the Cache Valley from 2009-2012, Andersen didn’t find the same success the second go around. Andersen posted a record of 7-9 in 16 games since 2019.

The former Wisconsin and Oregon State head coach inherited a nationally-ranked Utah State program that posted an 11-2 record in 2018. Andersen couldn’t maintain that level of success after Matt Wells departed for Texas Tech, even with first-round NFL Draft pick Jordan Love at quarterback.

The Aggies were 7-6 last year before stumbling out of the gates to a 3-0 start in the pandemic-riddled Conference-Only slate here in 2020.

Stats don’t always paint the whole story for a team. But the numbers for Utah State in 2020 have not been pretty thus far. Utah State is 114th in total offense this season, averaging 209.3 yards per game. The defensive side isn’t much better as they are currently 109th in the country, allowing 520.7 yards to their Mountain West peers.

Andersen’s last game reportedly was on Thursday in Reno against Nevada. The Aggies were handled by a score of 34-9 against the Wolf Pack.

“We will start an immediate national search to find the best candidate to lead Utah State football going forward,” added Hartwell.