Mark's Thoughts - Poor Aggies

After the loss the Aggies were handed, while making Louisiana Tech look like the greatest football team this generation has seen, I noticed something that made every part of my sports soul drop in horror. It is something that I have never seen, and in comparison I have seen many things that should equal this level of disaster in my fan lifetime. What shocked me to the very core? The way that the Aggies walked off the field.
Yes, that simple act of walking of the field sent shivers up and down my spine. Why?
They were defeated. They looked the part. Every member of that squad from the coaches to the quarterbacks, the line backers to the water boys were done. Dead stares, no talking, no smiles, helmets that being dragged on the ground by mens feet, and the slow march that a funeral procession would have lapped.
Where were the leaders? Where were the Captains telling the players to pick up the step, and hold there head up high? I grant that they are on a now fifteen game losing streak, and they have little hope of winning this year. (Circle the big Idaho game on the calender because that is the one you have to go and win if you're Utah St) Yet, that look the players have walking off the field is dangerous, not only for the rest of the season, but for next year when they actually have a chance to become a decent football team. Although they don't have the same number of wins (1) from last year they are a much better team this year then last year, and have a chance to really improve with the solid recruits that have been coming into the system. For Utah St the future is everything, and they need someone to step up and become the man.
Asking one of the players about this issue he pointed out that the team gets along well and there are many vocal leaders in the locker room; however, the vocal aspects are more humor oriented and not leading the team to better themselves. So what does is boil down to? Leadership!
For all the problems that have plagued the Aggies this season I think that the majority of them could be fixed with strong player leadership on the field. Two recent examples of this point are BYU and the Utah Jazz. Both teams had the talent to play, but they just had a missing element that prevented them from getting over the top, leadership. Both teams used methods of bring that leadership back to the court/field, and that investment is now playing off.
Brent Guy, you need to install leaders on your team, it is that simple. I am confident in saying if leadership was in place this year Utah St would be at least 5-4 and on the verge of becoming bowl eligible. This Utah St team is not as bad as the 0-9 record that they own. I am not saying that the team hasn't been giving it their all each week, or that they have terrible character people on the team. They are just good pieces of a football team with out a player that is the heart of it through leadership. If Brent Guy doesn't make changes to somehow create an environment of leadership, look for the continuance of this performance on field performance next year.