Aggie football: Andersen vows to make USU a winner

New coach touts school's facilities, says 'this place will sell itself' to in-state recruits
Gary Andersen certainly didn't mince words on his first official day as Utah State's new head football coach.
In his introductory news conference at USU's new football complex, Andersen vowed to build a program that will challenge Boise State in the Western Athletic Conference.
The Utah defensive coordinator also promised to battle hard against BYU and the Utes for in-state recruits. And he vowed that the wins will come sooner rather than later at USU.
"We're going to fight for kids right from the beginning," Andersen said. "This place will sell itself. This place has as good a facility as anyplace I've seen in the country. We will compete on all three sides of the ball. Nobody will outwork us. Nobody will outprepare us. Nobody will out-tough us."
It was a bold beginning for a coach who is walking into a program so devoid of a winning tradition that one has to go back three decades to find a coach who left the program with more victories than losses.
But Andersen said he's excited about a roster stocked full of offensive talent, and a team that came within a 58-yard field goal of finishing its conference schedule with a 4-4 record.
Andersen already has one chip re-stacked in his deck. All-WAC linebacker Jake Hutton, who battled foot injuries earlier in his career, was granted an extra season of eligibility, which unexpectedly gives Andersen one of the best defensive players in the conference.
"I watched two game films," Andersen said. "The one that stood out to me was the BYU game. This is a tough group of kids. They took it to BYU in the second half, and that was impressive. There are athletes everywhere on this roster. We have a talented offensive line, and running back is a very solid position. You can bet we're going to get those guys the ball."
Andersen said he would decide by as early as today whether he would coach Utah in its upcoming BCS bowl game. That decision, Andersen said, will come after a sit-down with Ute coach Kyle Whittingham.
The new Aggie coach stands to get a significant pay bump. According to athletic director Scott Barnes, Andersen's base salary will be $350,000, including television and radio income and a car. Also included in the five-year deal are annual incentives worth at least $25,000.
Andersen made $193,000 as Utah's highest-paid assistant coach. Brent Guy, who Andersen is replacing at Utah State, made a base salary of $230,000.
According to a source close to the negotiations, Andersen's assistant coaches will be paid salaries at or near the top tier of the conference.
In other words, Utah State is making a sizable commitment to Andersen, at least in relation to what the school has paid its football coaches in the past. But Andersen's personality, coupled with his confident tone, made him the the first choice for Barnes and the administration - and the competition may not have been close.
"He won the interview," Barnes said. "He was the right person for us, at the right place, at the right time. It wasn't one thing that blew us away. It was a number of things, such as leadership and integrity. In his interview he impressed us with his vision and plan for the football program."
Addressing a standing-room crowd of boosters, fans and news media, Andersen outlined his vision for a program that he thinks can win and win consistently from the get-go.
"My job is to walk in here and win football games," Andersen said. "And we will win football games. We have a new facility that's awesome, and the administration has made a major commitment to me. This place sold me when I had my first interview. I knew then that I wanted this job badly and that I would go after it."
Aggie players, who have gone almost three weeks without a head coach, were happy to have Guy's successor named. In meetings earlier in the week, Andersen told quarterback Diondre Borel that he would stay put at quarterback, which gives Borel the potential to lead Andersen's spread offense.
"I'm excited," Borel said. "There's going to be more discipline, and everyone will be working better and harder. Everyone's heard good things about him, and he's had good things to say to us. It's an exciting time right now."