1946 Utah State Aggies football team

The 1946 Utah State Aggies football team was an American football team that represented Utah State Agricultural College in the Mountain States Conference (MSC) during the 1946 college football season. In their 27th season under head coach Dick Romney, the Aggies compiled a 7–2–1 record (4–1–1 against MSC opponents), tied for the MSC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 220 to 75.^[1][2] The 1946 squad continues to hold the school records for: most rushing yards per attempt (5.9); lowest pass completion percentage allowed (.330); fewest touchdown passes allowed (zero); and fewest total offense attempts allowed per game (50.6).^[3]

1946 Utah State Aggies football
MSC co-champion
Raisin Bowl, L 0–20 vs. San Jose State
Conference	Mountain States Conference
Record	7–2–1 (4–1–1 MSC)
Head coach	Dick Romney (27th season)
Home stadium	Aggie Stadium
Seasons ← 1945 1947 →

1946 Mountain States Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Utah State $	4	–	1	–	1			7	–	2	–	1
Denver $	4	–	1	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Utah	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Colorado	3	–	2	–	1			5	–	4	–	1
BYU	3	–	2	–	1			5	–	4	–	1
Colorado A&M	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
Wyoming	0	–	6	–	0			1	–	8	–	1
$ – Conference champion

After losing only one game during the regular season, the team played in the school's first bowl game – the 1947 Raisin Bowl on January 1, 1947, in Fresno, California. The Aggies were defeated by San Jose State, 20-0.^[4]

Four Utah State players were named to the all-conference team selected by the Associated Press: center Ralph Maughan (first team), tackle George Nelson (first team), halfback Jay Van Noy (second team), and end Norvel Hansen (second team).^[5][6] Van Noy went on to play six games in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals.^[7]

Utah State was ranked at No. 91 in the final Litkenhous Difference by Score System rankings for 1946.^[8]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 28	Idaho Southern Branch*	Aggie Stadium Logan, UT	W 47–0		^[9]
October 5	at Colorado	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	L 0–6	9,200	^[10]
October 12	Montana State*	Aggie Stadium Logan, UT	W 28–14	5,000	^[11]
October 19	Colorado A&M	Aggie Stadium Logan, UT	W 48–0	8,000	^[12]
October 26	at Montana	Dornblaser Field Missoula, MT	W 26–0	12,000	^[13]
November 9	BYU	Aggie Stadium Logan, UT (rivalry)	T 0–0	8,000	^[14]
November 16	Wyoming	Aggie Stadium Logan, UT (rivalry)	W 21–7		^[15]
November 28	at Utah	Ute Stadium Salt Lake City, UT (rivalry)	W 22–14	23,166	^[16]
December 7	at Denver	DU Stadium Denver, CO	W 28–14	20,000	^[17]
January 1, 1947	vs. San Jose State*	Ratcliffe Stadium Fresno, CA (Raisin Bowl)	L 0–20	13,000	^[18]
*Non-conference game Homecoming

1947 NFL draft

The 1947 NFL draft was held on December 16, 1946. The following Aggie was selected.^[19]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL club
18	156	Ralph Maugham	End	Detroit Lions

References

1. "1946 Utah State Aggies Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
2. "2018 Utah State Football Media Guide" (PDF). Utah State University. 2018. pp. 189, 195.
3. 2018 Media Guide, p. 140.
4. 2018 Media Guide, p. 172.
5. 2018 Media Guide, p. 161.
6. "Associated Press Announces Its All-Big Seven Football Squad". The Casper Tribune-Herald. December 2, 1946. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Jay Van Noy". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
8. Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 15, 1946). "Rice Rated Fifth Best, Tennessee 12th by Lit". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. B4 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Aggies Down Idaho Branch By 47-0 Score". Standard-Examiner. Ogden, Utah. AP. September 29, 1946. p. 12. Retrieved May 2, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
10. "Colorado Downs Utah State, 6-0". The Billings Gazette. Associated Press. October 6, 1946. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Bill Clegg (October 13, 1946). "Utags Subdue Bobcats, 28-14: Drives in Second Half End Bozeman Hopes". The Salt Lake Tribune. pp. B3 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Bob Holden (October 20, 1946). "Utags Win, 48-0: Logan Crew Shows Drive In Conference Victory". The Salt Lake Tribune. pp. B3, B4 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Bob Holden (October 27, 1946). "Redskins, Utah State Win By Identical Score, 27-7: Aggies Continue Surprising Victory March". The Salt Lake Tribune. p. B3 – via Newspapers.com.
14. Jimmy Hodgson (November 10, 1946). "Y, Ags Tie: Provo Team Threatens Four Times". The Salt Lake Tribune. pp. B3, B5 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Aggies, Cougars Triumph". The Salt Lake Tribune. November 17, 1946. p. B3 – via Newspapers.com.
16. Dee Chipman (November 29, 1946). "Inspired Aggie Eleven Blasts Utes In Classic Battle". The Deseret News. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
17. Al Warden (December 8, 1946). "Utags Blast Denver, 28-14: Dick Romney Boys Tied Co-Champs; First Score Made In Only Eight Minutes of Play". The Ogden Standard Examiner. pp. 1B – via Newspapers.com.
18. "San Jose Tramples Utags 20-0 in Raisin Contest". Salinas Californian. Salinas, Californian. United Press. January 2, 1947. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
19. "1947 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.