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1961 Utah State Aggies football team

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American college football season

1961 Utah State Aggies football
Skyline co-champion
Gotham Bowl, L 9–24 vs. Baylor
ConferenceSkyline Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 10
APNo. 10
Record9–1–1 (5–0–1 Skyline)
Head coach
Home stadiumRomney Stadium
Seasons← 19601962 →
1961 Skyline Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 10 Utah State + 5 – 0 – 1 9 – 1 – 1
Wyoming + 5 – 0 – 1 6 – 1 – 2
New Mexico 3 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Utah 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Montana 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0
BYU 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
Colorado State 0 – 6 – 0 0 – 10 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1961 Utah State Aggies football team was an American football team that represented Utah State University as a member of the Skyline Conference during the 1961 college football season. In their third year head coach John Ralston, the Aggies compiled a 9–1–1 record (5–0–1 in conference games), tied with Wyoming for the Skyline championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 387 to 78. They were ranked No. 10 in the final AP and UPI polls. The Aggies were undefeated in the regular season, having scored an average of 37.8 points per game while holding opponents to 5.0 points per game. They then lost to Baylor, 24–9, in the 1961 Gotham Bowl in New York City. Utah State did not play in another bowl game until 1993.

Tom Larscheid led the team in both rushing (773 yards) and scoring (78 points). Tackle Merlin Olsen won the Outland Trophy and was a consensus All-American.

The team played its home games at Romney Stadium in Logan, Utah.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 16Texas Western*W 21–69,231
September 23Montana
  • Romney Stadium
  • Logan, UT
W 54–68,122–8,123
September 30vs. Washington State*W 34–1413,000
October 7at WyomingT 6–618,090
October 14New Mexico
  • Romney Stadium
  • Logan, UT
W 41–78,051
October 21at Colorado StateW 49–310,700
October 28Idaho*
  • Romney Stadium
  • Logan, UT
W 69–06,934
November 4at BYUW 31–813,123
November 11at Western Michigan*W 65–2211,750–14,000
November 18at UtahW 17–632,437
December 9vs. Baylor*No. 10L 9–2415,123
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Statistics

Tom Larscheid led the team with 773 rushing yards on 121 carries (6.4-yard average). Larscheid also tallied 178 receiving yards and led the team in scoring with 78 points on 13 touchdowns. He also had an 85-yard punt return versus Utah in 1961.

The team averaged over 300 rushing yards per game. In addition to Larscheid, leading rushers included Ray Harward (390 yards on 57 carries, 6.8-yard average); Ron Prince (336 yards on 50 carries, 6.7-yard average); and Larry Bryan (277 yards, 41 carries (6.8-yard average).

The team also had a strong quarterback group consisting of:

  • Mel Montalbo led the group, completing 23 of 46 passes for 478 passing yards, seven touchdowns, one interception, and a 183.2 quarterback rating.
  • Sophomore Bill Munson completed 23 of 53 passes (43.4%) for 323 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Munson broke the school's passing record with 1,699 passing yards in 1963 Utah State and later played 16 years in the National Football League (NFL).
  • Jim Turner completed 15 of 33 passes for 292 yards. Turner later played for 16 years as a placekicker in the American Football League (AFL) and NFL.

The team's leading receivers were Bill Dahme (248 yards, seven receptions), Tom Larscheid (178 yards, 10 receptions), and Carl Hunt (120 yards, five receptions).

The scoring leaders were Larscheid (78 points), Ray Harward (30 points), and four players with 18 points each (Terry Cagaanan, Ron Prince, Bill Dahme, and Larry Bryan).

Awards

Tackle Merlin Olsen received numerous awards at the end of the 1961 season:

Five Utah State players received first-team honors on the official 1961 All-Skyline Conference football team chosen by a vote of the league's players. The Utah State players receiving first-team honors were: halfback Tom Larscheid; end L. Aldridge; tackles Merlin Olsen and Clark Miller; and guard W. Redmond. Second-team honors went to Utah State's Bill Dahme at end; Bill Dickey at guard; and Ray Harward at fullback.

References

  1. ^ "1961 Utah State Aggies Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  2. "Aggies Climb Up To Number 10 Rating In Nation". The Herald Journal. December 5, 1951. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Ferguson, George (September 25, 1961). "Aggies' rocket start dooms Montana, 54-6". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. B5.
  4. "Utah State Slams Cougars, 34-14". The Spokesman-Review. October 1, 1961. p. 1 (sports) – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Pokes-Utags Knock Heads To Deadlock, 6-6". Casper Tribune-Herald & Star. October 8, 1961. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Val Hess (October 15, 1961). "Aggies Blast Lobos For 41-7 Victory". The Herald Journal. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Dudley Cress (October 22, 1961). "Mighty Utah State Humbles CSU, 49 to 3". Fort Collins Coloradoan. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Utags crush Vandals 69-0". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. October 29, 1961. p. 10.
  9. "Utags crush Vandals, 69-0, in midst of raging blizzard". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. October 29, 1961. p. 1, sports.
  10. Ferguson, George (October 30, 1961). "Ag avalanche hits Idaho". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. B-5.
  11. Ray Schwartz (November 5, 1961). "Ags Whip Cats 21-8; Long Gallops Feature BYU Homecoming Tilt". The Sunday Herald (Provo, UT). p. 1 (sports) – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Ags Slay Broncos 65-22 In Michigan". The Herald Journal. Logan, Utah. United Press International. November 12, 1961. p. 6. Retrieved December 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  13. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics (Western Michigan)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  14. John Mooney (November 19, 1961). "32,437 Watch Mighty Aggies Cuff Utes, 17-6: Record Crowd Fills Stadium". Salt Lake Tribune. pp. D1, D2 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Ballhawking Baylor Defeats Aggies 24-9 in Bowl Game: Bears Capitalize on Fumbles; Only 15,000 Fans See Contest". Ogden Standard-Examiner. December 10, 1961. p. 2B – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Utah State 2022 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Utah State University Department Of Athletics. p. 197. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  17. ^ "1961 Utah State Aggies Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  18. "Olsen Is Given Outland Trophy". The Herald Journal. December 5, 1961. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. p. 9. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  20. "Merlin Named Member of AP All-America 11". The Herald Journal. December 8, 1961. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. "Olsen Chosen on UPI All-America". The Salt Lake Tribune. December 7, 1961. p. B3 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. >"Merlin Olsen Gains Spot On Look All-Star Squad". Daily Herald. December 5, 1961. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. "Olsen Snares Honor for Grid, Books". The Salt Lake Tribune. November 28, 1961. p. B5 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. "Official All-Skyline Team Is Reported". The Herald Journal. December 5, 1961. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.

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