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New Mexico Bowl

Utah State To Play North Texas In New Mexico Bowl

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Football 12/7/2018 9:25:00 AM
Utah State Bowl Game Notes (PDF) | North Texas Bowl Game Notes (PDF) | Mountain West Bowl Release (PDF) | Listen Live | Watch Live | Live Stats | Tickets

UTAH STATE TO PLAY NORTH TEXAS IN NEW MEXICO BOWL
Game will be televised nationally on ESPN on Saturday, Dec. 15, at noon. 
 
No. 23 UTAH STATE (10-2, 7-1 MW) vs. NORTH TEXAS (9-3, 5-3 C-USA) 
Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018 • Noon (MT) • Albuquerque, N.M. • Dreamstyle Stadium (37,457)
 
Utah State and North Texas will be meeting for the ninth time in series history. USU is 4-3 all-time against UNT, but the Mean Green have won the last two games in the series. Both programs were members of the Big West Conference from 1996-2000 and later members of the Sun Belt Conference from 2003-04.  
 
GAME 13 INFORMATION
TV: ESPN
• Play-by-Play: Mark Neely 
• Analyst: John Congemi
• Reporter: Quint Kessenich
 
RADIO: Aggie Sports Network
• Play-by-Play: Scott Garrard 
• Analyst: Kevin White
• Online: 1280thezone.com / Tunein.com
 
NATIONAL RADIO: ESPN
• Play-by-Play: Bill Roth 
• Analyst: Barrett Jones
• Reporter: Taylor Jones
 
SOCIAL MEDIA: #AggiesAllTheWay
• Twitter/Instagram: @USUFootball
• Facebook: USUFootball
• YouTube: UtahStateFootball
• Live Stats: UtahState.Statbroadcast.com
 
AGGIE RADIO NETWORK
• Every Utah State football game can be heard live on the Aggie Radio Network. Scott Garrard serves as the play-by-play announcer, while former USU quarterback Kevin White (1988-89) will provide color analysis. Games can also be heard on the Internet (www.UtahStateAggies.com) by clicking on the 'Listen Live' link, as well as on the TuneIn App.
• Salt Lake City: KZNS (1280 AM/97.5 FM)
• Logan: KBLU-LP (92.3 FM)
• Cache Valley: KACH (1340 AM/105.5 FM)
• Montpelier, ID: KVSI (1450 AM/101.7 FM)
• Price: KRPX (95.3 FM)
• Green River: KRPX (102.7 FM)
• Moab: KRPX (100.3 FM)
• Orangeville: KRPX (95.9 FM)
 
KICKOFF COVERAGE
• Utah State is playing in a bowl game for the seventh time in the last eight seasons and for the 13th time in school history as it faces North Texas in the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 15, at noon. USU is 4-8 in its previous 12 bowl games, which includes a 21-6 win against UTEP in the 2014 New Mexico Bowl.
 
• Utah State is ranked 23rd in the Amway Coaches poll and 27th in The Associated Press poll. USU has been ranked in the coaches poll in each of the past six weeks, climbing as high as No. 14, and was ranked in the AP poll for four straight weeks, climbing as high as No. 13. The only Aggie team to be ranked higher was the 1961 squad that finished 10th in the final AP poll. In fact, this was just the fourth USU team to ever be ranked in the AP poll (1960, 1961, 2012, 2018). USU was also in the College Football Playoff rankings twice this year, coming in at No. 23 and No. 21 on Nov. 13th and 20th, respectively.
 
• Utah State's 10-1 start to this season was its best in school history, topping Merlin Olsen's 1961 team that finished with a 9-1-1 record. USU also won 10 straight games for the first time in school history this year, topping Olsen's 1960 team that won its first nine games. Overall, USU's 10 wins this season are tied with the 2014 team for the second-most in school history and this is just the third time ever that USU has won 10 or more games, along with the 2012 team that finished with a school-best 11-2 record.
 
• Utah State has already set school records this season with its 72 touchdowns and 566 points scored, bettering the previous marks of 60 touchdowns in 2011 and 454 points scored in 2012. The Mountain West record for points scored in a season is 608 by BYU in 2001.  
 
• Utah State ranks among the top 20 teams in the nation in 19 statistical categories and leads the nation in four of those, including scoring drives under one minute (24), kickoff returns (29.68 yards per return), passes intercepted (18) and three-and-outs forced (5.58 per game). USU is also second in the nation in non-offensive touchdowns (10) and defensive touchdowns (6), third in scoring (47.2 points per game), turnovers forced (28), sacks allowed (0.75 per game) and average margin of victory (24.2 points per game), eighth in turnover margin (+0.92), ninth in winning percentage (.833), 10th in passes had intercepted (5), 11th in total offense (492.5 yards per game), 13th in team passing efficiency (155.34) and fourth down conversion percentage (.667), 17th in tackles for loss allowed (4.58 per game), 18th in passing offense (288.8 yards per game) and 19th in third down conversion percentage (.457).
 
UTAH STATE TO FACE NORTH TEXAS IN NEW MEXICO BOWL
• No. 23 Utah State (10-2, 7-1 MW) will play North Texas (9-3, 5-3 C-USA) in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday, Dec. 15, at noon. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN with Mark Neeley (play-by-play), John Congemi (analyst) and Quint Kessenich (reporter) on the call. The game can also be heard nationally on ESPN radio with Bill Roth (play-by-play), Barrett Jones (analyst) and Taylor Davis (reporter).
 
A LOOK AT UTAH STATE 
• Utah State, which is ranked No. 23 in this week's Amway Coaches poll, is 10-2 on the season and tied for first place in the Mountain Division of the Mountain West with a 7-1 record following its 33-24 conference road loss at No. 21 Boise State to end the regular season. Offensively, USU is led by sophomore QB Jordan Love, who is 246-of-374 (.658) passing for 3,208 yards (267.3 ypg) with 28 touchdowns and five interceptions. Junior RB Darwin Thompson leads the team in rushing with 951 yards on 132 carries (7.2 ypc/79.2 ypg) with 14 touchdowns, and senior WR Ron'quavion Tarver has a team-best 62 receptions for 676 yards (10.9 ypr/56.3 ypg) with seven touchdowns. Defensively, sophomore LB David Woodward leads the team with 124 tackles, which includes 5.0 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss, while senior LB Chase Christiansen has 92 tackles, which includes 0.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. As a team, Utah State is averaging 47.2 points and 492.5 yards of total offense (288.8 passing, 203.7 rushing), and allowing 23.0 points and 385.0 yards of total offense (240.1 passing, 144.9 rushing).
 
UTAH STATE'S NUMBERS DURING ITS 10-GAME WINNING STREAK
• Utah State, who had its school record 10-game winning streak snapped in its 33-24 loss at No. 21 Boise State to end the regular season, was averaging 51.1 points and 514.1 yards per game (278.4 passing, 235.7 rushing), while converting 45.9 percent of its third downs (62-135) and committing just 13 turnovers (11 fumbles, 2 interceptions) during its winning streak. Defensively, USU was allowing 20.5 points and 365.9 yards (228.4 passing, 137.5 rushing), while limiting its opponents to just 50-of-165 (.303) on third downs and forced 26 turnovers (17 interceptions, 9 fumbles).
 
UTAH STATE AMONG THE NATION'S ELITE
• Utah State's average margin of victory this year is 24.2 points (566-276), which is the third-highest in the nation behind Alabama at 35.2 points (588-165) and Clemson at 31.7 points (548-168).
 
• Utah State is one of just 14 teams in the nation with at least 10 wins this season.
 
UTAH STATE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
• Utah State is ranked 23rd in the Coaches poll with 125 votes and 27th in The Associated Press poll with 86 votes. USU has been ranked in the coaches poll in each of the past six weeks, climbing as high as No. 14, and was ranked in the AP poll for four-straight weeks, climbing as high as No. 13. The only Aggie team to be ranked higher was the 1961 squad that finished 10th in the final AP poll. In fact, this is just the fourth USU team in school history to be ranked in the AP poll (1960, 1961, 2012, 2018). USU was also in the College Football Playoff rankings twice this year, coming in at No. 23 and No. 21 on Nov. 13 and 20, respectively. 
 
• This is the first time Utah State has been nationally ranked since 2012, when that team finished the year ranked 16th in the AP poll, 17th in the Coaches poll and 23rd in the final BCS standings as it went 11-2 and set the school record for wins.
 
UTAH STATE MILESTONES THAT EQUAL SUCCESS
• Utah State has won 29 of its last 34 games when it has a 100-yard rusher, including a 7-0 record this year, and 32 of its last 35 contests when rushing at least 40 times in a game, including a 6-0 record this year. USU has also won 48 of its last 51 games when scoring at least 30 points, including an 8-1 record this season.
 
• Utah State has had a 100-yard rusher in seven of its last 11 games and in 12 of its last 18 games dating back to last season. Between the 2014 and 2016 seasons, USU had a total of nine 100-yard rushers over a 39-game span.
 
UTAH STATE BOWL HISTORY
• Utah State has a 4-8 bowl record all-time as it lost to San José State, 20-0, in the 1946 Raisin Bowl (Fresno, Calif.); lost to Pacific, 35-21, in the 1947 Grape Bowl (Lodi, Calif.); lost to New Mexico State, 20-13, in the 1960 Sun Bowl (El Paso, Texas); lost to Baylor, 24-9, in the 1961 Gotham Bowl (New York City); defeated Ball State, 42-33, in the 1993 Las Vegas Bowl II; lost to Cincinnati, 35-19, in the 1997 Humanitarian Bowl; lost to Ohio, 24-23, in the 2011 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl; defeated Toledo, 41-15, in the 2012 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl; defeated No. 24 Northern Illinois, 21-14, in the 2013 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl; defeated UTEP, 21-6, in the 2014 Gildan New Mexico Bowl; lost to Akron, 23-21, in the 2015 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl; and lost to New Mexico State, 26-20 in overtime, in the 2017 NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl.
 
LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT SEASON
• Heading into the 2019 season, Utah State will return 12 starters (O-4, D-8) and 39 letterwinners (O-15, D-21, S-3) from this year's team, including two All-Americans and nine players that earned various all-Mountain West honors. USU will lose 10 starters (O-7, D-3) and 20 letterwinners (O-11, D-8, S-1).
 
DID YOU KNOW? 
• Utah State has won or shared 12 league titles in school history (1921, 1935, 1936, 1946, 1960, 1961, 1978, 1979, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2012).
 
SCARVER AND WOODWARD BOTH NAMED FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICANS 
• Utah State sophomore KR Savon Scarver and sophomore LB David Woodward were both named first-team All-Americans by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and Pro Football Focus (PFF), respectively. Overall, USU has now had 11 first-team All-Americans in school history. 
 
• Other Aggies who have been named first-team All-Americans include C Elmer "Bear" Ward in 1934 (Newspaper Enterprise of America), HB Kent Ryan in 1936 (All-America Board), T Merlin Olsen in 1960 and 1961 (Associated Press, United Press International, Football Writers Association, Helms Athletic Foundation, Movietone News, Newspaper Enterprise of America), DB Henry King in 1966  (The Sporting News), DL Bill Staley in 1967 (Central Press, Time Magazine, The Sporting News), DE Phil Olsen in 1969 (Associated Press, United Press International, Central Press, Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise of America, The Sporting News, Walter Camp Football Foundation), DL Rulon Jones in 1979 (The Sporting News), KR Kevin Robinson in 2007 (CBSSportsline) and CB Jalen Davis in 2017 (Walter Camp).
 
 
WELLS NAMED MOUNTAIN WEST COACH OF THE YEAR
• Utah State's Matt Wells was named the 2018 Mountain West Coach of the Year after leading the Aggies to a 10-2 record and a 7-1 mark in the Mountain West to tie for first place in the Mountain Division. USU won a school-record 10 straight games and its 10 wins are tied for the second-most in school history. Furthermore, USU has been nationally ranked for the last six weeks.
 
• Wells, who was also named the Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2013, is the first coach in school history to earn multiple coach of the year honors. Overall, he is one of five coaches in school history to be so honored as Bruce Snyder (1978), Chuck Shelton (1991) and John L. Smith (1997) were all recognized by the Big West Conference, while Gary Andersen earned Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year accolades in 2012.
 
• Wells is also just the fifth coach in conference history to be named the Mountain West Coach of the Year multiple times, joining Colorado State's Sonny Lubick (1999, 2000), New Mexico and San Diego State's Rocky Long (2002, 2012, 2015), Utah's Urban Meyer (2003, 2004) and TCU's Gary Patterson (2005, 2009).
 
• Wells was one of 18 coaches named a semifinalist for the George Munger Coach of the Year Award.
 
FICKLIN AND SCARVER EARN FIRST-TEAM ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST HONORS
• Utah State senior OC Quin Ficklin and sophomore KR Savon Scarver both earned first-team all-Mountain West honors. Ficklin is the first USU center to be named first-team all-conference since Tyler Larsen in 2013, while Scarver is the first kickoff returner to earn the honor since Kevin Robinson in 2007.
 
UTAH STATE FIRST IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST IN ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
• Utah State ranked first in the Mountain West in all-conference honorees in 2018 as it had eight offensive players, eight defensive players and two specialists recognized for a total of 18 all-conference awards. Fresno State had the second-most all-MW honorees with 14, followed by Boise State (11), San Diego State (10), Nevada (9), Hawai'i (7), San José State (7), Wyoming (6), New Mexico (5), UNLV (4), Air Force (3) and Colorado State (3). 
 
• Utah State players to earn first-team all-Mountain West honors included senior OC Quin Ficklin and sophomore KR Savon Scarver, while senior OL Roman Andrus, redshirt junior LB Tipa Galeai, sophomore QB Jordan Love, senior S Jontrell Rocquemore, junior RB Darwin Thompson and sophomore LB David Woodward were all named to the second team. Aggies who earned honorable mention all-league honors included senior DE Adewale Adeoye, senior OL Rob Castaneda, junior PK Dominik Eberle, senior S Gaje Ferguson, redshirt junior DE Fua Leilua, junior TE Dax Raymond, senior WR Ron'quavion Tarver, senior OL Sean Taylor, junior NG Christopher 'Unga and junior CB DJ Williams.
 
FOUR AGGIES EARN ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS FOR THE SECOND TIME
• Utah State had four players earn all-Mountain West honors for the second time as junior PK Dominik Eberle was named to the first team last season, while senior OL Roman Andrus, senior OC Quin Ficklin and junior TE Dax Raymond were all named the honorable mention team last year.
 
EBERLE NAMED SEMIFINALIST FOR LOU GROZA AWARD
• Utah State junior PK Dominik Eberle was a semifinalist for the 2018 Lou Groza Place-Kicker Award. Eberle was one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award in 2017.
 
FICKLIN NAMED SEMIFINALIST FOR BURLSWORTH TROPHY
• Utah State senior offensive center Quin Ficklin was a semifinalist for the 2018 Burlsworth Trophy, which is given to the most outstanding football player who began his career as a walk-on. Ficklin was one of 69 players nominated. 
 
YOST NAMED SEMIFINALIST FOR BROYLES AWARD
• Utah State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach David Yost was one of 15 semifinalists for the 2018 Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant. Yost was one of 53 coaches nominated.
 
UTAH STATE THIRD IN THE NATION IN SCORING OFFENSE
• Utah State is averaging 47.2 points per game to rank third in the nation behind Oklahoma (49.5 ppg) and Alabama (47.9 ppg). USU also ranks first in the MW and 11th in the nation in total offense (492.5 ypg), second in the MW and third in the nation in sacks allowed with nine (0.75 ppg), third in the MW and 13th in the nation in completion percentage (.668), third in the MW and 13th in the nation in passing efficiency (155.3), third in the MW and 34th in the nation in rushing offense (203.7 ypg), and fourth in the MW and 18th in the nation in passing offense (288.8 ypg). USU also ranks second in the MW and 19th in the nation with a third down conversion percentage of 45.3 (73-161), and is second in the MW and 13th in the nation with a fourth down conversion percentage of 66.7 (6-9). 
 
AGGIE DEFENSE RANKS 21ST NATIONALLY IN TACKLES FOR LOSS
• Utah State ranks second in the Mountain West and 21st in the nation with an average of 7.4 tackles for loss per game. USU also ranks second in the MW and 26th in the nation in passing efficiency defense (116.2), third in the MW and 40th in the nation in sacks with 30 (2.50 pg), fifth in the MW and 38th in the nation in scoring defense (23.0 ppg), seventh in the MW and 44th in the nation in rushing defense (144.9 ypg), seventh in the MW and 57th in the nation in total defense (385.0 ypg), and seventh in the MW and 83rd in the nation in passing defense (240.1 ypg). USU's defense is also averaging 5.6 three-and-outs per game to rank first in the nation, and it ranks fourth in the MW and 29th in the nation in third down conversion percentage allowed at 34.5 (69-200).  
 
AGGIES THIRD IN THE NATION WITH 28 FORCED TURNOVERS
• Utah State has forced 28 turnovers (18 interceptions, 10 fumbles) this year to rank third in the nation behind Ohio (30) and Syracuse (30). USU is also tied for first in the nation with its 18 interceptions, is fourth in the MW and 28th in the nation with its 10 fumble recoveries, and second in the MW and eighth in the nation in turnover margin (+0.92).
 
• With its 28 turnovers this season, USU has now forced 169 turnovers in its last 87 games, including at least one turnover in 69 of its last 87 games. USU has also recorded 84 interceptions in its last 74 games, including at least one pick in 43 of its last 74 games and multiple interceptions in 25 of its last 74 games. Overall, USU has forced three or more turnovers four times this year and in 21 of its last 62 games. 
 
UTAH STATE SECOND IN THE NATION WITH ITS SIX DEFENSIVE TOUCHDOWNS
• Utah State is second in the nation, behind Temple (7), with its six defensive touchdowns. Senior S Gaje Ferguson returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown at No. 11 Michigan State. Senior CB Deante Fortenberry returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown against New Mexico State. Junior LB Tipa Galeai returned an interception 56 yards for a touchdown at BYU. Sophomore S Shaq Bond returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown against New Mexico. Senior S Aaron Wade returned an interception 95 yards for a touchdown at Colorado State. And, senior S Jontrell Rocquemore returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown at Colorado State. Overall, USU has scored 22 defensive touchdowns in its last 71 games, including five last season to rank fourth in the nation. 
 
UTAH STATE FIRST IN THE NATION IN KICKOFF RETURNS
• Utah State leads the nation in kickoff returns at 29.7 yards per return. USU also ranks fourth in the MW and 59th in the nation in punt returns (9.5 ypr), ninth in the MW and 84th in the nation in kickoff return defense (21.5 ypr), and 10th in the MW in net punting (34.6 ypp). 
 
AGGIES IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST AND NCAA RANKINGS
• Sophomore WR Savon Scarver leads the nation in kickoff returns (34.2 ypr) and is tied for second in the nation with his two kickoff returns for touchdowns (0.17 pg). Junior PK Dominik Eberle leads the Mountain West and ranks fourth in the nation in scoring (10.9 ppg), is first in the MW and eighth in the nation in field goals made (1.75 pg), and third in the MW and 41st in the nation in field goal percentage (.778), as he is 21-of-27 on the season. Senior DE Adewale Adeoye is tied for third in the MW and tied for fifth in the nation with three fumbles recovered (0.25 pg). Sophomore WR Jordan Nathan is tied for first in the MW and tied for fifth in the nation with one punt return for touchdown (0.08 pg), and is second in the MW and 30th in the nation in punt returns (8.7 ypr). Sophomore S Baron Gajkowski is tied for first in the MW and tied for fifth in the nation with one punt return for touchdown (0.08 pg). Junior RB Darwin Thompson is first in the MW and eighth in the nation in yards per carry (7.2), second in the MW and 14th in the nation with 14 rushing touchdowns (1.2 pg), second in the MW and 29th in the nation in scoring (8.0 ppg), third in the MW and 10th in the nation in total touchdowns with 16 (1.3 pg), fourth in the MW and 61st in the nation in all-purpose yards (107.3 ypg), and fifth in the MW and 59th in the nation in rushing (79.2 ypg). Sophomore LB David Woodward ranks first in the MW and ninth in the nation with 124 tackles (11.3 pg), fifth in the MW in tackles for loss with 12.5 (1.1 pg), sixth in the MW in forced fumbles with two (0.18 pg), and eighth in the MW in sacks with five (0.5 pg). Sophomore QB Jordan Love is second in the MW and 12th in the nation in points responsible for with 204 (17.0 pg), second in the MW and 12th in the nation in passing efficiency (159.9), third in the MW and 10th in the nation in passing touchdowns with 28 (2.3 pg), third in the MW and 20th in the nation in completion percentage (.658), fourth in the MW and 17th in the nation in passing (267.3 ypg), fifth in the MW and 26th in the nation in completions (20.5 pg), and fifth in the MW and 29th in the nation in total offense (272.3 ypg). Redshirt junior LB Tipa Galeai is tied for second in the MW and tied for 31st in the nation in sacks with 8.5 (0.71pg), tied for seventh in the MW in forced fumbles with two (0.17 pg), tied for eighth in the MW in tackles for loss with 11.0 (0.92 pg), and 47th in the MW in tackles with 58 (4.8 pg). Junior RB Gerold Bright ranks third in the MW and 28th in the nation in yards per carry (6.3), sixth in the MW and 63rd in the nation in total touchdowns with 11 (0.9 pg), sixth in the MW and 86th in the nation in rushing touchdowns with eight (0.7 pg), seventh in the MW in rushing (65.4 ypg), and ninth in the MW in all-purpose yards (87.8 ypg). Junior CB DJ Williams is third in the MW in passes defended with 13 (1.1 pg). Senior S Jontrell Rocquemore is tied for third in the MW and tied for 38th in the nation with three interceptions (0.25 pg), and 32nd in the MW with 70 tackles (5.8 pg). Senior S Aaron Wade is tied for third in the MW and tied for 38th in the nation with three interceptions (0.25 pg). Senior WR Ron'quavion Tarver is seventh in the MW and 55th in the nation with 62 receptions (5.2 pg), and eighth in the MW and 63rd in the nation with seven receiving touchdowns (0.6 pg). Senior WR Aaren Vaughns is ninth in the MW in yards per reception (15.23). Senior LB Chase Christiansen is 14th in the MW with 92 tackles (7.7 pg). And, senior S Gaje Ferguson is 35th in the MW with 68 tackles (5.7 pg).       
 
SCOUTING NORTH TEXAS
• North Texas is 9-3 on the season and finished tied for second in the West Division of Conference USA with a 5-3 record. The Bulldogs are led by junior QB Mason Fine, who is 295-of-457 (.646) passing for 3,734 yards (311.2 ypg) with 27 touchdowns and five interceptions. Sophomore RB DeAndre Torrey leads the team in rushing with 942 yards on 161 carries (5.9 ypc/78.5 ypg) with 14 touchdowns, and junior WR Rico Bussey has caught 68 passes for 1,017 yards (15.0 ypr/84.8 ypg) with 12 touchdowns. Defensively, senior LB E.J. Ejiya has a team-best 113 tackles, which includes 9.0 sacks and 23.0 tackles for loss, while junior S Khairi Muhammad has 65 tackles and four interceptions. As a team, North Texas is averaging 36.4 points and 472.8 yards of total offense per game (316.2 passing, 156.6 rushing) and allowing 21.8 points and 359.5 yards of total offense (246.1 passing, 113.4 rushing). North Texas returns 17 starters (O-9, D-8) and 37 lettermen (O-20, D-16, S-1) from last year's team that went 9-5 and finished first in the West Division of Conference USA with a 7-1 league mark. UNT then lost the Conference USA Championship game at Florida Atlantic 41-17 and concluded its season with a 50-30 loss to Troy in the R&L Carriers Bowl in New Orleans, La. Seth Littrell is 23-16 in his third season as a collegiate head coach at North Texas.
 
AGGIES AND MEAN GREEN SERIES HISTORY
• Utah State is 4-3 all-time against North Texas, which includes a 2-1 home record and a 2-2 road record. This will be the first meeting in the series since North Texas posted a 31-23 Sun Belt Conference road win against USU in 2004. In fact, UNT has won each of the last two games played in the series. 
 
UTAH STATE AND NORTH TEXAS AS CONFERENCE FOES
• Utah State and North Texas spent seven years as league foes as both schools were members of the Big West Conference from 1996 to 2000 and members of the Sun Belt Conference from 2003 to 2004. 
 
UTAH STATE VERSUS THE STATE OF TEXAS
• Utah State is 16-14-1 (.532) all-time against teams from Texas, including a 5-0 record against West Texas A&M, a 4-3 record against North Texas, a 3-0 record against UTEP, a 1-0 record against Sam Houston State, Stephen F. Austin, Texas State and UTSA, an 0-1 record against Texas A&M, an 0-2 record against Texas Tech, an 0-2-1 record against TCU, and 0-3 records against both Baylor and Texas. The last time USU played a team from the state of Texas was during the 2012 season when it won at UTSA, 48-17, and against Texas State, 38-7.
 
AGGIES IN DECEMBER AND IN DAY GAMES
• Utah State is 6-16-0 (.273) all-time in games played during December and will be playing a game on Dec. 15 for the second time in school history, also doing so in the 2015 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise, Idaho. USU is also 5-0 in day games this season.
 
AGGIES FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS
• Utah State has seven players in its program from the state of Texas in senior OL Rob Castaneda (Round Rock/Round Rock HS/Ellsworth (Iowa) CC), senior RB Justen Hervey (Beaumont/Westbrook HS), senior S Jontrell Rocquemore (McKinney/McKinney HS), junior LB Tipa Galeai (Euless/Trinity HS/TCU), junior NG Mohelika Uasike (Euless/L.D. Bell HS), sophomore CB Ja'Marcus Ingram (Dallas/South Oak Cliff HS) and sophomore DE Keith Tambe (Cedar Park/Cedar Park HS).
 
CONNECTIONS BETWEEN UTAH STATE AND NORTH TEXAS PLAYERS
• There are 15 connections between Utah State and North Texas players. USU senior LB Suli Tamaivena, senior WR Aaren Vaughns and sophomore CB Lamar Dawson all attended Mt. San Antonio (Calif.) JC, as did UNT junior DL Tuulau Saafi. USU junior WR Devin Heckstall attended LA Valley (Calif.) CC, as did UNT junior RB Anthony Wyche. USU junior LB Tipa Galeai attended Trinity HS in Euless, Texas, as did UNT freshman DL Travis Chatman, freshman OL Manase Mose and Saafi. USU junior RB Darwin Thompson attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, as did UNT sophomore DL Caleb Colvin. USU junior NG Mohelika Uasike attended L.D. Bell HS in Euless, Texas, as did UNT freshman OL Chris Beckham. And, USU junior CB DJ Williams attended Independence (Kan.) CC, as did UNT junior LB Tim Faison.
 
FAMILY CONNECTIONS BETWEEN UTAH STATE AND NEW MEXICO FOOTBALL
• Utah State senior LB Suli Tamaivena and New Mexico senior LB Sitiveni Tamaivena are identical twins from Kirkland, Wash. (Juanita HS/Mt. San Antonio JC).
 
UTAH STATE AT DREAMSTYLE STADIUM
• Utah State is 6-9 all-time in games played in Albuquerque as it is 5-9 against New Mexico and 1-0 in the New Mexico Bowl. USU is also 5-5 all-time at Dreamstyle Stadium since it opened in 1960, including its 21-6 win against UTEP in the 2014 New Mexico Bowl.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Utah State has seven players on its roster who redshirted during the 2014 season, but traveled with the team to the New Mexico Bowl in senior DE Adewale Adeoye, senior LB Chase Christiansen, senior RB Justen Hervey, senior WR DJ Nelson, senior S Jontrell Rocquemore, senior NG Gasetoto Schuster and senior S Aaron Wade
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Utah State will play its 13th game of the 2018 season in the New Mexico Bowl. Overall, USU has played in at least 13 games seven times in the last eight seasons after not playing in more than 12 games prior to its current run. The school record for games played in a season is 14 set in 2013 and 2014.
 
AGGIES WITH BOWL GAME EXPERIENCE
• Utah State has 37 players on its roster with previous bowl experience, including six players who have appeared in multiple bowl games. Senior P Aaron Dalton, senior WR DJ Nelson, senior S Jontrell Rocquemore, senior NG Gasetoto Schuster, senior S Aaron Wade and junior TE Dax Raymond all played in two bowl games for the Aggies, including the 26-20 overtime loss to New Mexico State in the 2017 NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl and the 23-21 loss to Akron in the 2015 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Furthermore, the following players all played last year against New Mexico State in the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl: 
senior DE Adewale Adeoye, senior OL Roman Andrus, senior OL Rob Castaneda, senior LB Chase Christiansen, senior S Gaje Ferguson, senior C Quin Ficklin, senior CB Deante Fortenberry, senior RB Justen Hervey, senior LB Suli Tamaivena, senior WR Ron'quavion Tarver, senior OL Sean Taylor, senior WR Aaren Vaughns, junior DE Devon Anderson, junior DE Dalton Baker, junior RB Gerold Bright, junior PK Dominik Eberle, junior CB Cameron Haney, junior OL Moroni Iniguez, junior S Chance Parker, junior LB Justus Te'i, junior LB Mason Tobeck, junior NG Christopher 'Unga, junior DE Jacoby Wildman, sophomore OL Demytrick Ali'ifua, sophomore S Baron Gajkowski, sophomore CB Ja'Marcus Ingram, sophomore DE Logan Lee, sophomore QB Jordan Love, sophomore LB Maika Magalei, sophomore LB Kevin Meitzenheimer, sophomore RB Tre Miller, sophomore WR/KR Savon Scarver, sophomore TE Carson Terrell and sophomore LB David Woodward.
 
• Utah State has two other players that have played in the postseason at other schools in senior WR Jalen Greene and junior LB Tipa Galeai. Greene had one carry for six yards against Wisconsin in the 2015 Holiday Bowl and one reception for 28 yards in the Trojans' 52-49 win over Penn State in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2, 2017. Galeai appeared in two bowl games during his freshman and sophomore campaigns at TCU. Against Georgia in the 2016 AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Galeai recorded two tackles, including 1.0 sacks, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery. In the 2015 Alamo Bowl against Oregon, Galeai had one tackle in the Horned Frogs' 47-41 triple-overtime victory.
 
• Of the 39 total players with bowl game experience on Utah State's roster, 17 have started in a bowl game as Anderson, Andrus, Castaneda, Christiansen, Ferguson, Ficklin, Haney, Ingram, Iniguez, Love, Raymond, Tamaivena, Tarver, Taylor, Te'i, 'Unga and Vaughns all started in the 2017 Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl.
 
STATS FOR CURRENT AGGIES IN BOWL GAMES 
• The following is a look at what current Utah State players have done in multiple bowl games played. Senior P Aaron Dalton has punted 15 times for 668 yards (44.5 ypp), including a career-long 69-yarder against Akron in the 2015 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, and has had eight punts downed inside the 20-yard line. Senior WR Jalen Greene has one reception for 28 yards and one rush for six yards in two games. Senior WR DJ Nelson has one catch for nine yards and one rush for minus-seven yards in two games. Senior S Jontrell Rocquemore has recorded one tackle and forced one fumble in two games. Senior S Aaron Wade has notched a pair of tackles in two games. Junior LB Tipa Galeai has three tackles, including 1.0 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in two games. And, junior TE Dax Raymond has six receptions for 64 yards (10.7 ypc), including a long of 22 yards, in two games.
 
STATISTICAL COMPARISON BETWEEN UTAH STATE AND NORTH TEXAS
Here are a few things to watch when Utah State and North Texas play this weekend.
• Utah State ranks 19th in the nation in third-down conversions at 45.7 (73-161) percent and North Texas ranks 17th in the nation in third-down conversion defense at 32.2 (57-177) percent. USU also ranks 28th in the nation in third-down conversion defense at 34.5 (69-200) percent.
 
• Both teams rank in the top 26 in the country in completion percentage as Utah State is 13th (.668) and North Texas is 26th (.647).
 
• Utah State ranks first in the nation in kickoff returns (29.68 ypr) and North Texas ranks 28th in the nation in kickoff return defense (18.77 ypr).
 
• Both teams have thrown just five interceptions on the season to rank tied for the 10th-fewest in the nation. Defensively, USU is tied for first in the nation with 18 passes intercepted and UNT is tied for fifth with 17 passes intercepted.
 
• Both offenses rank among the best in the nation as Utah State is third in scoring at 47.2 points per game and North Texas is 21st at 36.4 points per game. USU also ranks 11th in the nation in total offense (492.5 ypg) and UNT ranks 15th (472.8 ypg). Defensively, UNT ranks 31st in the nation allowing 21.8 points per game and USU ranks 38th allowing 23.0 points per game. Both teams are also top 20 in the nation in passing as UNT averages 316.3 yards per game to rank 11th and USU averages 288.8 yards per game to rank 20th.
 
• Both teams rank among the top 16 in the nation in taking care of the ball as Utah State is eighth in turnover margin (+0.92), while North Texas is 16th (+0.67). USU also ranks third in the nation with 28 forced turnovers, while UNT ranks 32nd nationally with 21 forced turnovers.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Utah State has 36 players in its program from the state of Utah, while North Texas has 84 players on its roster from the state of Texas.
 
SERIES NOTABLES BETWEEN UTAH STATE AND NORTH TEXAS
The following are series notables between Utah State and North Texas. 
 
• Utah State has scored 20 more points in the seven-game series (198-178) and five of the seven games in the series have been decided by one score. In fact, the average margin of victory in the series is 8.9 points. 
 
• North Texas has scored at least 30 points in each of the last two meetings, both wins for the Mean Green, and the winning team in the series has scored at least 28 points in five of the last six games.
 
• The team that has more rushing yards has won each of the last four games in the series and the team with the most yards of total offense is 6-1 in the series. Also, the team that controls the time of possession has won six of the seven games played in the series.  
 
• Utah State has held North Texas to less than 350 yards of total offense in six of the seven meetings, while the Aggies have had at least 400 yards in three of the seven meetings.
 
• Both teams have committed the same number of turnovers in five of the seven meetings. Also, in five of the seven meetings neither team has committed more than two turnovers, and there have been four games in the series where each team committed just one turnover.
 
• The team that has more penalties has actually won five of the seven games in the series, which included one game were both teams committed the same number of penalties. 
 
• The team that scores first is just 4-3 in the series as Utah State has a 3-2 record and North Texas has a 1-1 record. Furthermore, the team that leads at the half is just 3-4 in the series as USU has a 1-1 record and UNT has a 2-3 record.
 
• Utah State had a 100-yard rusher in each of the first five games in the series, but has not had one in each of the last two games. North Texas has had four 100-yard rushers in the series, including three 200-yard rushers in the last five games. UNT is 2-1 in the series when it has a 200-yard rusher, while USU is 4-1 when it has a 100-yard rusher. 
 
• Both teams have had one 300-yard passer and two 100-yard receivers in series history.
 
FROM THE RECORD BOOKS
Here is a look at some of the top Utah State team and individual statistical performances against North Texas over the years.
 
• Jeff Crosbie's 79-yard touchdown pass to Adrion Pierson against North Texas in 1998 is tied for the 24th-longest pass play in school history. 
 
• Kevin Robinson's 71-yard punt return against North Texas in 2004 is the 16th-longest in school history. 
 
• Brad Bohn's 52-yard field goal against North Texas in 1999 is tied for the 10th-longest in school history.
 
• Demario Brown's 165 rushing yards against North Texas in 1996 are the second-most by an Aggie freshman in school history.
 
UTAH STATE vs. CONFERENCE USA
• Utah State is 14-15 (.468) all-time against current members of Conference USA with a 4-3 record against North Texas, a 4-6 record against Louisiana Tech, a 3-0 record against UTEP, a 1-0 record versus UTSA, a 1-2 record against Middle Tennessee and a 1-4 record against Southern Mississippi. The last time USU played a team from Conference USA was during the 2014 season when it defeated UTEP 21-6 in the New Mexico Bowl.
 
MOUNTAIN WEST vs. CONFERENCE USA IN BOWL GAMES
• The Mountain West is 9-9 against teams from Conference USA in bowl games, which includes a 3-1 record in the New Mexico Bowl. In 2017, Marshall defeated Colorado State, 31-28. In 2016, New Mexico defeated UTSA, 23-20. In 2014, Utah State defeated UTEP, 21-6. And in 2010, BYU defeated UTEP, 52-24.
 
UTAH STATE IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST
• Utah State is 157-180-8 (.469) all-time against current members of the Mountain West with a 39-26-4 record vs. Wyoming, a 34-39-2 record vs. Colorado State, a 17-7 record vs. UNLV, an 18-20-1 record vs. San José State, a 12-17-1 record vs. Fresno State, a 12-13 record vs. New Mexico, a 10-6 record vs. Hawai`i, a 6-18 record vs. Nevada, a 5-18 record vs. Boise State, a 3-4 record vs. Air Force, and a 1-12 record vs. San Diego State.
 
• Utah State is in its sixth year as a member of the Mountain West in 2018 and has been a Division I-A/Bowl Championship Series football playing school in each of its 119 seasons of competition. USU joined the Mountain States/Skyline Conference in 1938 until 1961. USU then played as a football independent from 1962-77 when the Aggies became members of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association in 1978. The PCAA changed its name to the Big West Conference in 1988. Following the 2000 season, when the Big West no longer sponsored football, USU spent two years as an independent (2001-02) and two years in the Sun Belt Conference (2003-04), before joining the Western Athletic Conference for eight seasons from 2005-12.
 
AGGIES IN OVERTIME
• Utah State is 6-6 all-time in overtime, winning three of its last five. All-time, USU is 4-3 in single-overtime games, 2-2 in double-overtime games, and 0-1 in triple-overtime games. USU's last overtime game was a 26-20 loss against New Mexico State in the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl on Dec. 29, 2017.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Utah State and North Texas are just two of 13 teams at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level that have not trailed by more than 17 points this season. In fact, USU has not trailed by more than 13 points this season (at No. 11 Michigan State), while North Texas has not trailed by more than two scores at any point this season. 
 
LAST MEETING vs. NORTH TEXAS
LOGAN, Utah - T.J. Covington recovered a fumble in the back of the end zone and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown and Jamario Thomas rushed for a then-school record 256 yards and two touchdowns as North Texas extended its Sun Belt Conference winning streak to 20 games by beating Utah State 31-23 on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2004.
               
Covington's touchdown came at a key moment of the game. The Aggies (2-4, 1-2 Sun Belt) appeared to be headed for the go-ahead score, but senior quarterback Travis Cox was hit by Markeith Knowlton at the Mean Green 1-yard line and fumbled the ball into the end zone. Covington picked it up about 9 yards deep, broke one tackle and sprinted to the other goal line to give North Texas (2-4, 2-0 Sun Belt) a 31-20 lead with 3:57 remaining in the third quarter.
               
Following a 34-yard field goal for Utah State from sophomore placekicker Jarrod Jakubiak to cut the lead to 31-23 with 1:56 left in the third, the Aggies had a chance to possibly tie the game midway through the fourth. However, senior fullback Trent Nate dropped a pass from Cox in the end zone on a fourth-and-two play from the Mean Green 3.
               
Utah State had one more chance with the ball after forcing North Texas to punt with under three minutes to go. The Aggies moved the ball into Mean Green territory, but turned it over on downs with 1:19 left.
               
Thomas, a freshman who had 159 yards in the first half, broke the old school record of 247 yards he shared with Malcolm Jones. Jones first set the mark against Northeast Louisiana in 1980 and Thomas matched it earlier this season on Sept. 18 at Colorado. Thomas scored on runs of 48 and 27 yards against the Aggies.
               
Cox was 22-of-40 passing for 290 yards and one touchdown. He also ran for a touchdown, but threw four interceptions for Utah State, which turned the ball over six times. North Texas converted four of those turnovers into 24 points.
               
The Mean Green trailed the entire first half, including 20-17 at halftime. North Texas took the lead for good when Andy Blount caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Scott Hall to make it 24-20 with 8:03 left in the third.
               
Freshman wide receiver Kevin Robinson returned a punt 71 yards for a touchdown to give the Aggies a 13-3 lead with 11:49 remaining in the first half. After scoring the touchdown, Robinson was ejected from the game after receiving his second unsportsmanlike penalty of the game.
               
Statistically, Utah State controlled the game as it had 369 yards of total offense (290 passing, 79 rushing) and held the ball for 31:51. USU also had seven more first downs (21-14) and converted four more third downs (8-of-17 to 4-of-14) in the game, but was done in by its six turnovers as compared to just one for the Mean Green.
               
Sophomore wide receiver Tony Pennyman caught eight passes for 117 yards for Utah State, while senior wide receiver Raymond Hicks had five catches for 61 yards. 
               
Senior linebacker Robert Watts lead the Aggies' defense with eight tackles in the game, while junior cornerback Andre Bala and redshirt freshman cornerback Antonio Taylor each posted seven stops. 
 
2014 GILDAN NEW MEXICO BOWL
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Freshman QB Kent Myers rushed a career-high 15 times for 70 yards with one touchdown and Utah State gained 279 yards on the ground en route to its 21-6 Gildan New Mexico Bowl win against UTEP at University Stadium on Dec. 20, 2014.
               
With the win, Utah State has now won a school-record three-straight bowl games, and finished the season with a 10-4 record for the second-most wins in a single-season in school history. USU was playing in its fourth-straight bowl game, which is also a school-record.
               
Myers was named the Offensive Most Valuable Player of the game as he was 5-of-12 passing for 68 yards to go along with his 70 rushing yards and one touchdown. 
               
Senior LB Zach Vigil was named the Defensive Most Valuable Player as he finished with 11 tackles, which included 1.0 tackle for loss, while adding one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry. With his 11 tackles, Vigil ends his career with 389 tackles to rank fifth all-time in school history. Vigil also ends his career as the school leader in tackles for loss with 43.5, while his 20.5 tackles for loss this season tie the Mountain West single-season record. Overall, it was Vigil's ninth double-digit tackle outing of the season and the 20th of his career.
               
Utah State finished the game with 347 yards of total offense, as its 279 rushing yards are its third-most in a game this season, while its 68 passing yards are a season-low.
               
Senior WR Ronald Butler rushed for a career-high 69 yards on just two carries, which including a career-long rush of 61 yards. Senior RB Joe Hill added 50 yards on six carries and one touchdown, while junior WR JoJo Natson had 40 rushing yards on five carries, and sophomore LB Nick Vigil gained 34 yards on eight carries with one touchdown.
               
Utah State had just two players make receptions in the game as junior WR Hunter Sharp caught three passes for 21 yards, while Natson had two catches for 47 yards. With his three receptions, Sharp finished the season tied for ninth all-time in school history with 66 catches, while Natson becomes the 32nd player in USU history with 1,000 career receiving yards. 
               
UTEP was limited to just 275 yards of total offense, the third-fewest allowed by USU this season. The Miners finished with just 126 passing yards, which is the second-fewest allowed by Utah State this year. Aaron Jones led the Miners with 88 rushing yards on 25 carries.
               
UTEP scored the first points of the game on a 32-yard field goal by Jay Mattox late in the first quarter after it completed a 53-yard pass on a third-and-10 from its own 26-yard line.
               
Utah State answered UTEP's scoring drive on its next possession as Myers scored on a 48-yard run to cap a three-play, 75-yard drive that took just 1:18 off the clock.
               
Both teams had a chance to put points on the board late in the second quarter, but UTEP fumbled the snap on a 25-yard field goal attempt and USU missed a 28-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the half.
               
Utah State scored its second touchdown of the game on its opening drive of the third quarter as Nick Vigil scored on a 3-yard run to cap a seven-play, 75-yard drive.
               
UTEP's final points of the game came late in the fourth quarter on a Mattox 34-yard field goal following a 16-play, 54-yard drive that took 6:56 off the clock.
               
Utah State put the game away on the next series as it drove 65 yards in just four plays as Hill scored on an 11-yard run to seal the win.
               
Senior FS Brian Suite had 10 tackles for his fourth-career double-digit tackle outing, while junior CB Deshane Hines added a career-high six tackles, and fellow junior CB Tyler Floyd had a career-high four tackles and recorded his first career interception.
 
LOVE NAMED MOUNTAIN WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK FIVE TIMES THIS YEAR 
• Sophomore QB Jordan Love has been named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week five times this year and six times in his career. Those five MW Player of the Week honors are tied with two other players for the third most in a single-season in the 20-year history of the conference.  
 
• Love's most recent conference honor came following his performance in Utah State's 62-24 league home win against San José State. Love was 32-of-42 (.762) passing for a career-high 491 yards and a school-record-tying five touchdowns (42, 24, 7, 37, 88). His 32 completions are a career high and tied for the second-most in a single game in school history, while his 491 passing yards are the third-most in school history. Love, who also scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, did not play in the fourth quarter.
 
• One of Love's school-record-tying five touchdown passes in the game was to junior RB Darwin Thompson, as the duo connected on an 88-yard completion, which is the sixth-longest pass play in school history and the longest since 1990.
 
• Love is now the fourth quarterback in school history to throw five touchdown passes in multiple games along with Chuckie Keeton, who did it three times, and Anthony Calvillo and Tony Adams, who both did it twice. Overall, it is the 10th time in school history that an Aggie quarterback has thrown five touchdown passes in a game. 
 
• Love's five player of the week honors this year are the most by an Aggie in a single season in school history and bettering Chuckie Keeton, who was named the Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week four times during the 2012 campaign. Love's six player of the week honors overall are tied with Keeton for the third-most in school history, trailing Demario Brown, who was named the Big West Offensive Player of the Week eight times and Brad Bohn, who was named the Big West Special Teams Player of the Week seven times. In fact, Brown and Bohn rank first and second, respectively, in Big West history for player of the week honors. San Diego State's Rashaad Penny was named the MW Offensive Player of the Week five times in 2017.
 
• Overall, Utah State has now won Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week honors six times this season, including six times in the past eight weeks, as sophomore QB Jordan Love has won the award five times and junior RB Darwin Thompson won the award once. In all, USU has now won MW Player of the Week accolades 24 times in its six years in the league.
 
LOVE SETS SINGLE-SEASON SCHOOL RECORD WITH 28 TOUCHDOWN PASSES 
• Sophomore QB Jordan Love has thrown 28 touchdown passes this year, which is the most in a single-season in school history, breaking Chuckie Keeton's record of 27 touchdown passes set in 2012. Furthermore, Love has thrown just five interceptions this year.
 
• On the season, Love is 246-of-374 (.658) passing and that completion percentage ranks as the third-highest in a single-season in school history. Love currently has 3,208 passing yards to rank fourth all-time at USU for a single season and is just 165 yards shy of tying Keeton's single-season record of 3,373 passing yards set in 2012. Love also ranks tied for fourth all-time at USU for a single season with 246 completions and is 29 completions shy of tying the school record of 275 set by Keeton in 2012. And finally, Love ranks third all-time at USU in total offense for a season with 3,268 yards.
 
• Love is 375-of-609 (.616) passing for 4,839 yards and 36 touchdowns with just 11 interceptions during his career.  For his career, Love ranks third all-time in completion percentage, tied for sixth all-time in touchdown passes, and 10th all-time in both passing yards and total offense (5,064).
 
• Love also has six rushing touchdowns this season to rank third on the team and has eight rushing touchdowns in his career.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS WITH LOVE 
• Sophomore QB Jordan Love has thrown for at least 400 yards in a game twice this season and has seven career 300-yard passing games, including six this season. He has also thrown five touchdown passes in a game twice, four or more touchdown passes in a game four times, three or more touchdown passes in a game five times, and multiple touchdown passes in a game seven times this year and nine times in his career. 
 
LOVE HASN'T FINISHED MANY GAMES THIS SEASON 
• Sophomore QB Jordan Love has put up some impressive numbers this season and has done it without playing entire games. Of his 12 games played, Love has not played in the fourth quarter in six of those contests (New Mexico State, Tennessee Tech, UNLV, New Mexico, Hawai'i, San José State), and has not played in the entire second half twice (Tennessee Tech and Hawai'i). Furthermore, Love played just one series in the third quarter against New Mexico, meaning he has sat on the sidelines for over 11 quarters, which translates to nearly three games this season.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Utah State has only thrown five interceptions this season, which ranks third in the Mountain West and 10th in the nation.  
 
EBERLE NAMED MOUNTAIN WEST SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK TWICE 
• Junior PK Dominik Eberle was named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week twice this season, earning the award after tying the NCAA record for points scored by a kicker with 24 against New Mexico State and against Colorado State as he was 3-of-3 on field goals (23, 26, 37) and made both of his extra points.  
 
EBERLE TIES TWO NCAA RECORDS
• Junior PK Dominik Eberle tied two NCAA records in Utah State's 60-13 home win against New Mexico State (9/8). First, Eberle tied the NCAA record for points scored in game by a kicker with 24, a record that was set by Western Michigan's Mike Prindle in 1984. Eberle also tied an NCAA record with his three 51-yard field goals, becoming just the sixth player ever to kick three 50-plus yard field goals in a game. Eberle was named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week and the College Football Performance Awards Honorable Mention National Performer of the Week for his performance against NMSU. For Eberle, it is the first time in his career he has garnered MW Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Eberle was also recognized as a Lou Groza Award Star of the Week.
 
• Eberle also set school and Mountain West records with his six made field goals, while his six field goal attempts ties his own school record that was set last season. In all, Eberle made field goals from 44, 32, 51, 21, 51 and 51 yards, as those six made field goals are tied for the third-most in a single-game in NCAA history.
 
 
EBERLE SETS SCHOOL RECORD FOR CONSECUTIVE EXTRA POINTS MADE 
• Junior PK Dominik Eberle is a perfect 115-for-115 on extra points in his career, which is a school record. The previous record for consecutive PAT's made was 64 by Willie Beecher (1981-84). Overall, Eberle is one of just three kickers in school history with a minimum of 30 PAT's made to have never missed an extra point, joining Beecher, who was 64-of-64 all-time on extra points, and Russ Moody (1988-89), who was 44-of-44 all-time on extra points. Overall, Eberle ranks second all-time in school history in extra points made and third in extra points attempted. Nick Diaz (2010-14) was 136-of-140 for his career in extra points and holds the career school record in both categories.
 
• Eberle has also set the single-season school record for extra points made and attempted as he is 68-for-68 on the season.
 
• Eberle is one of just seven kickers in school history to not miss an extra point for an entire season, joining Nick Diaz (2012), Peter Caldwell (2010, 2007), Doug Beach (1990), Willie Beecher (1982), Tom Mayes (1975) and Steve Steinke (1978).
 
EBERLE THIRD ALL-TIME IN FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE 
• Junior PK Dominik Eberle is 42-of-56 on field goals in his career and his 75.0 conversion percentage ranks third all-time in school history. Russ Moody (1988-89) holds the school record at 84.6, as he was 22-of-26 all-time on field goal attempts.
 
• Eberle has now scored 241 career points to rank sixth all-time in school history, including third all-time among kickers. The school record is 308 career point scored by Robert Turbin (2007-09, '11), while Brad Bohn (1997-2000) holds the record for most points scored by a kicker with 284. 
 
• Eberle also ranks second all-time in school history in field goals made with 42 and fourth all-time in field goals attempted with 56. Bohn was 59-of-89 on field goals in his career, to rank first all-time in school history in both categories.
 
• Eberle is 1-of-1 this year and in his career from 10-19 yards, 8-of-10 this year and 18-of-21 in his career from 20-29 yards, 4-of-5 this season and 9-of-11 in his career from 30-39 yards, 5-of-6 this year and 10-of-17 in his career from 40-49 yards, and 3-of-5 this year and 4-of-6 in his career from 50+ yards. His three 51-yard field goals against New Mexico State are season-longs and tied for the 18th-longest in school history. In fact, Eberle is the only kicker in school history to have four or more 50-yard field goals in a career as he made a career-long 52-yarder last year.
 
EBERLE IN THE SINGLE-SEASON SCHOOL RANKINGS IN 2018 
• Junior PK Dominik Eberle has scored 131 points this season with 68 extra points and 21 field goals, which is a single-season school record for a kicker. Overall, his 131 points are the second-most at USU for a single-season and the school record is 138 points set by Robert Turbin in 2011. Last year, Eberle scored 101 points with 47 extra points and 18 field goals. 
 
• Eberle is 21-of-27 (.778) on field goal attempts this season both of which are the second-most in school history for a single season, while his conversion percentage is eighth. Brad Bohn was 24-of-28 on field goal attempts in 1998 to set the single-season records in both categories, while Russ Moody made 86.7 percent of his field goals in 1988 to set the single-season record in that category. 
 
EBERLE NAMED ALL-AMERICAN AND FINALIST FOR LOU GROZA AWARD 
• Utah State junior Dominik Eberle was named a third-team All-American by Phil Steele's Magazine and an honorable mention All-American by SB Nation in 2017. Eberle was also named a finalist for the 2017 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented by the Orange Bowl. 
 
THOMPSON APPROACHING 1,000 RUSHING YARDS FOR THE SEASON
• Junior RB Darwin Thompson has carried the ball 132 times for 951 yards (7.2 ypc) and 14 touchdowns, while catching 22 passes for 336 yards (15.3 ypr) and two touchdowns. Thompson is just 49 rushing yards away from becoming the 32nd player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a career. In fact, Thompson would become just the 18th player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season. Furthermore, he would become the first Aggie running back since Joey DeMartino in 2013 to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season.
 
• Thompson has had five 100-yard rushing games this year, which is the most by an Aggie since DeMartino had seven 100-yard rushing games in 2013. Thompson also had a 100-yard receiving game this season to become the first running back with a 100-yard receiving game since Kerwynn Williams in 2012. In fact, Thompson had 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game against San José State and is the first Aggie to accomplish that feat since Williams against Louisiana Tech in 2012. Thompson also had a career-high two receiving touchdowns against SJSU.
 
• Thompson ranks fourth all-time at Utah State for a single season with his 16 total touchdowns and tied for sixth all-time with his 14 rushing touchdowns. Furthermore, he also ranks third all-time in rushing average at 7.2 yards per carry and is tied for ninth in scoring with 96 points.
 
• Thompson has at least one rushing touchdown in nine games this season and multiple rushing touchdowns in four games, which includes a career-high three rushing touchdowns at Hawai'i.     
 
• Thompson has a team-best 10 rushes of 20-plus yards this year, including four of at least 55 yards, and three receptions of at least 20 yards, including two over 55 yards. In fact, he had an 88-yard touchdown catch against San José State to rank as the sixth-longest pass play in USU history.
 
BRIGHT RANKS 27TH ALL-TIME IN SCHOOL HISTORY IN RUSHING YARDS
• Junior RB Gerold Bright has rushed for 1,121 yards during his Aggie career and ranks 27th all-time in school history in rushing yards. Overall, Bright is one of 31 players in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a career.
 
• Bright has three 100-yard rushing games this season and four in his career. He also has eight rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns on the season, giving him 11 career rushing touchdowns and five career receiving touchdowns.
 
• Bright has multiple rushing touchdowns in two games this season, including a career-high three at Hawai'i. Bright also has seven rushes of at least 20 yards this season, which are the second-most on the team, including two over 50 yards. He also has two receptions over 20 yards, including a career long of 83 yards at Boise State, which is the 13th-longest pass play in USU history. 
 
• For his career, Bright averages 6.8 yards per carry, which ranks tied for the fourth-best yards per carry average in school history.
 
TARVER FOURTH ALL-TIME IN RECEPTIONS AT UTAH STATE
• Senior WR Ron'quavion Tarver has caught 156 passes for 1,847 yards and 17 touchdowns in his career and ranks fourth all-time in school history in receptions and tied for seventh all-time in receiving touchdowns. During his career, he has four 100-yard receiving games, including two this season, and multiple touchdown receptions in three games, including twice this year. On the season, Tarver has seven receptions of at least 20 yards to tie for the team lead. For his career, Tarver has started 30 games to rank first on the team.
 
GREENE RANKS SECOND ON THE TEAM IN RECEIVING 
• Graduate transfer WR Jalen Greene has caught 38 passes for 538 yards (14.2 ypr) and five touchdowns to rank second on the team in every category. Greene also posted a pair of 100-yard receiving games this year to rank tied for the most on the team, with 132 yards on five receptions against UNLV and 108 yards on four receptions against New Mexico. Greene had a career-long 80-yard touchdown catch against UNLV, which is tied for the 18th-longest pass play in school history. In his last game, he had a career-high eight receptions for 47 yards against Boise State. On the season, Greene has seven receptions of at least 20 yards to tie for the team lead.
 
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN NOTABLES
• Senior OC Quin Ficklin has started all 12 games and has played 765 snaps this year to rank first on the team among offensive players. He also has a team-best 45 knockdowns on the season. 
 
• Senior OG/OT Roman Andrus has started all 12 games this year, with 10 starts at left guard and two starts at left tackle. He has played 750 snaps this year to rank second on the team among offensive players. He also has 20 knockdowns on the season. 
 
• Senior OT Sean Taylor has started all 12 games at right tackle and has played 656 snaps this year. He also has 38 knockdowns on the season to rank second on the team. 
 
• Senior OG Rob Castaneda has started all 12 games at right guard and has played 623 snaps this year. He also has 31 knockdowns on the season to rank third on the team.
 
• Redshirt freshman OT Alfred Edwards has started 10 games at left tackle and has played 595 snaps this year. He also has 10 knockdowns on the season.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Utah State is allowing just 0.75 sacks per game to rank second in the Mountain West and third in the nation. Overall, USU has allowed just nine sacks all season, including just four in its last 10 games.
 
RAYMOND TO PLAY IN SENIOR BOWL
• Junior TE Dax Raymond, who has announced he plans to enter the NFL Draft following this season, has been invited to play in the Reese's Senior Bowl, which will be played in Moblie, Ala., on Jan. 26, 2019. Raymond, who missed four games this year with a broken hand, has caught 25 passes for 335 yards (13.4 ypr) and two touchdowns to rank fifth on the team in all receiving categories. For his career, Raymond has caught 70 passes for 863 yards (12.3 ypr) and three touchdowns.
 
VAUGHNS POSTS FIRST-CAREER 100-YARD RECEIVING GAME IN LAST OUTING
• Senior WR Aaren Vaughns recorded his first-career 100-yard receiving game in his last outing at Boise State as he caught a career-high seven passes for a career-best 107 yards. Vaughns ranks third on the team this year in all receiving categories as he has caught 31 passes for 472 yards (15.2 ypr) and three touchdowns. Vaughns has also carried the ball 12 times for 100 yards this season and has one career touchdown run from 71 yards last season. As a junior, he also threw his first touchdown pass. This year, Vaughns has six receptions of at least 20 yards to tie for the third-most on the team lead.
 
NATHAN TIED FOR SECOND ON THE TEAM WITH THREE RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS
• Sophomore WR Jordan Nathan has caught three touchdown passes this season to rank tied for third on the team. For his career, he has five receiving touchdowns. On the season, Nathan has six receptions of at least 20 yards to tie for the third-most on the team.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS WITH UTAH STATE'S OFFENSE
• Utah State has 34 rushing touchdowns to rank tied for the 11th-most in the nation this season. The school record for rushing touchdowns is 39 set in 1961 and its 34 touchdown runs this year are the third-most in school history. 
 
• Utah State has rushed for 2,444 yards this season, marking the 10th straight season it has posted 2,000 rushing yards. Prior to its current run, USU went 33 years without rushing for 2,000 yards. Overall, the 2,444 rushing yards this season are the seventh-most in school history and the school record is 3,675 yards set in 2011.
 
• Utah State has 28 touchdown passes this season, which are the second-most in school history. The school record is 30 set in 2013.
 
• Utah State has passed for 3,466 yards this season to rank as the second-most in school history. The school record for passing yards is 3,493 set in 1996. Furthermore, USU's average of 288.8 passing yards per game currently ranks as the fourth-highest in school history and the school record is 317.5 passing yards per game set in 1996. 
 
• Utah State has 5,910 yards of total offense (3,466 passing, 2,444 rushing) to rank as the third-most in school history. The school record is 6,108 yards of total offense set in 2012.
 
• Utah State is averaging 492.5 yards of offense per game. The school record is 469.8 yards per game set in 2012 and only 11 Aggie teams have averaged more than 400 yards of offense per game.  
 
• Utah State has led at the end of the first quarter in 11 of its 12 games this year and has a 158-46 scoring advantage in the first quarter. USU also has a 328-109 scoring advantage in the first half. On average, USU has held a 27.3 to 9.1 scoring advantage at halftime.
 
UTAH STATE IS THE ONLY TEAM IN THE NATION TO...
• Utah State is the only team in the nation to score 60 or more points in four games this year, and no other team has more than two 60-point games. USU also ranks second in the nation with six 50-point games, trailing only Alabama, which has eight 50-point games this year.
 
• Utah State is the only team in the nation to have 704 or more yards of total offense twice this season, and is one of just five teams - Oklahoma (5), Ole Miss (5), Memphis (4), Oklahoma State (4), USU (4) - to have 600 yards of offense in four or more games.
 
AGGIES SCORED 50 POINTS AND HAD 600 YARDS IN THREE-STRAIGHT GAMES
• Utah State scored at least 50 points and recorded at least 600 yards of total offense in three straight games against New Mexico (W 61-19), at Hawai'i (W 56-17) and against San José State (W 62-24), which is a school record. In fact, no other Aggie team has ever had 600 yards in back-to-back games. During that three-game stretch, USU averaged 59.7 points and 703.0 yards (400.3 passing, 302.7 rushing). USU entered the 2018 season having produced 600 yards of total offense just 11 times.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Utah State ranks second in the nation with 20 different players scoring a touchdown this season, including 10 players with multiple touchdowns. Clemson leads the nation with 21 players who have scored touchdowns. 
 
• Utah State's offense has produced 74 explosive plays (20-plus yards) this season in 12 games, for an average of 6.17 per game. Conversely, USU's defense has allowed a total of 45 explosive plays this season (34 pass, 11 rush), for an average of 3.75 per game.
 
• Utah State has won nine games by double digits this year, tying the school record set by the 1961, 2012 and 2014 teams. USU has also tied the school record for most 30-point wins in a season, which was set in 2012, while its seven 20-point wins this year trails the school record of eight set in 2012.
 
WOODWARD NAMED NATIONAL DEFENDER OF THE WEEK 
• Sophomore LB David Woodward was named the College Sports Madness National Defensive Player of the Week following his performance in Utah State's 29-24 Mountain West road win at Colorado State on Nov. 17. Against the Rams, Woodward recorded a career-high 20 tackles, which included 1.5 tackles for loss, while adding one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry.
 
• Woodward is one of just 17 players at the FBS level this season to record 20-plus tackles and just the fourth Aggie to do it since 2000. In fact, Woodward's 20 stops are the most by a USU player since Nick Vigil had 20 stops at Air Force in 2015, and are tied for the most by a Mountain West player in 2018.
 
• For Woodward, it was his sixth double-digit tackle outing of the season and the seventh of his career. Woodward is one of just 20 players in the nation this season to have double-digit tackles in at least six games, including one of just six players from the Mountain West.
 
• Woodward also had 12 tackles, including 3.0 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss, against UNLV this season and is the only player in the nation this year to record at least 3.0 sacks and 10 or more tackles in the same game.
 
• Overall, Woodward leads the team with 124 tackles and 12.5 tackles for loss, while ranking second on the team with his 5.0 sacks. He is also tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles and has one interception.
 
• According to Pro Footbal Focus (PFF), Woodward has graded out as the top linebacker in the nation with a grade of 91.6. According to their system, he ranks fourth among linebackers with a 92.4 grade against the run and fourth in coverage at 90.5. He's also broken up four passes, has one interception, and has only missed two tackles all season.
 
ROCQUEMORE LEADS THE TEAM WITH FIVE INTERCEPTIONS IN HIS CAREER  
• Senior S Jontrell Rocquemore has a team-best five interceptions in his career, including three this season to tie for the team lead. He returned his last interception 32 yards for a touchdown at Colorado State to give him a team-best three defensive scores in his career.
 
• Rocquemore has two career double-digit tackle games, including a career-high 13 stops against Air Force this season, which included a career-high-tying 2.0 tackles for loss. He also has four forced turnovers this year with three interceptions and one fumble forced and recovered, which is tied for the most on the team. Rocquemore also ranks second on the team with his 11.5 tackles for loss and is third with his 70 total tackles.
 
• Rocquemore had a stretch this year where he forced a turnover in three-straight games, which resulted in three touchdowns for Utah State. Against BYU, he forced and recovered a fumble on the same play, following his own sack. He then intercepted a pass the next weekend against UNLV. And against Wyoming the following weekend, he intercepted a pass and returned it 20 yards to the Cowboys' 3-yard line.  
 
WADE TIED FOR TEAM LEAD WITH THREE INTERCEPTIONS THIS SEASON  
• Senior S Aaron Wade has three interceptions this season, which is tied for the most on the team. Against Colorado State, he returned his interception 95 yards for his first-career score, which is tied for the fifth-longest interception return in school history, including the second-longest this season.
 
• Wade also had a career-high two interceptions, to go along with 10 tackles (his first career double-digit tackle outing), against New Mexico State, while adding a pass breakup and 0.5 tackles for loss, as he was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week.
 
• On the season, Wade has 43 tackles, which includes 2.0 tackles for loss, to go along with three interceptions and two pass breakups in 12 games and five starts. Prior to this season, he played in 30 games with two starts and had a total of 17 tackles for his only stats.
 
GALEAI HAS A TEAM-BEST 8.5 SACKS THIS SEASON  
• Junior LB Tipa Galeai has a team-best 8.5 sacks on the season and ranks third on the team with 11.0 tackles for loss. Overall, he ranks fifth on the team with 58 tackles. Galeai began the year by recording 2.0 tackles for loss in each of his first three games and forcing fumbles in each of his first two games. He also has two interceptions this year, which is tied for the third-most on the team, returning one 56 yards for his first-career touchdown at BYU. His best tackle game of the year was against Air Force as he posted his only double-digit tackle outing of the season with 11 stops. In all, Galeai has forced four turnovers this year to tie for the most on the team.
 
FERGUSON FOURTH ON THE TEAM IN TOTAL TACKLES   
• Senior S Gaje Ferguson ranks fourth on the team with 68 tackles, which includes 1.0 sacks and 3.0 tackles for loss. He is also tied for third on the team with two interceptions and has one fumble recovery. His first-career interception was in the season-opener at then-No. 11 Michigan State as he returned it 40 yards for his first-career touchdown. Ferguson has five career double-digit tackle games, including a career-best 15 stops against Air Force this season.
 
• For his career, he ranks first on the team with his 198 total tackles and first among defensive players with his 27 games started.
 
CHRISTIANSEN HAS POSTED DOUBLE-DIGIT TACKLES IN TWO STRAIGHT GAMES 
• Senior LB Chase Christiansen had 12 tackles, which included 1.0 tackles for loss, against Colorado State two games ago and then had a career-high 15 tackles in his last game against Boise State. Overall, he has three double-digit tackle games this year and four in his career. On the season, Christiansen ranks second on the team with 92 tackles, which includes 0.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss, while adding one fumble recovery. 
 
HANEY LEADS THE TEAM WITH 16 CAREER PASS BREAKUPS   
• Junior CB Cameron Haney has 16 career pass breakups, including seven this season, to rank first on the team. In fact, Haney has recorded six pass breakups in his last five games. Haney also had a season-high six tackles in his last game at Boise State and recorded a career-high 2.0 tackles for loss two games ago against Colorado State.
 
WILLIAMS LEADS TEAM WITH 11 PASS BREAKUPS THIS YEAR   
• Junior CB DJ Williams has a team-best 11 pass breakups this year and is tied for third on the team with two interceptions. He has had multiple pass breakups in three games this season, including a career-high three at Colorado State. Against New Mexico State this year, he posted six tackles, which included his only sack of the season and a career-best 3.0 tackles for loss.
 
TAMAIVENA HAS SEVEN CAREER DOUBLE-DIGIT TACKLE GAMES 
• Senior LB Suli Tamaivena has seven career double-digit tackle outings, including one this year, as he had a season-high 12 tackles against Air Force. Tamaivena missed the first three games of the season due to injury.
 
LEILUA LEADS UTAH STATE'S DEFENSIVE LINEMEN IN TACKLES 
• Junior DE Fua Leilua has 37 tackles this year, which includes 1.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss, and ranks first on the team among defensive linemen in both tackles and tackles for loss. Overall. Leilua has posted a season-high six tackles against both New Mexico State and UNLV, and had a career-high and team-best 3.5 tackles for loss against Tennessee Tech.
 
ADEOYE RANKS SECOND AMONG DEFENSIVE LINEMEN IN TACKLES 
• Senior DE Adewale Adeoye has 35 tackles this year, which includes 1.0 sacks and 4.0 tackles for loss, to rank second on the team among defensive linemen in tackles and tackles for loss, despite only starting three games. Adeoye had a career-high seven tackles against Air Force this year and has posted at least six tackles in four games this season. Adeoye also leads the team with three fumble recoveries this year with two against New Mexico State and one at Wyoming.
 
DID YOU KNOW? 
• Three of Utah State's four starters in its secondary are out with season-ending injuries in senior CB Deante Fortenberry, sophomore S Shaq Bond and sophomore CB Ja'Marcus Ingram. Fortenberry, who has two interceptions this season, returning one of them 76 yards for a touchdown against New Mexico State, was hurt in the second-to-the-last game of the year. Bond, who returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown against New Mexico, was hurt in that game. And, Ingram battled an injury for much of the year before missing five of the last six games.
 
 
UTAH STATE SECOND IN THE NATION WITH 10 NON-OFFENSIVE TOUCHDOWNS
• Utah State has scored 10 non-offensive touchdowns this season to rank second in the nation behind Temple (11) as the Aggies have four special teams touchdowns and six defensive touchdowns. USU's first non-offensive touchdown this year came at No. 11 Michigan State as senior S Gaje Ferguson returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown. USU then had two non-offensive touchdowns against New Mexico State as senior CB Deante Fortenberry returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown and sophomore WR Savon Scarver returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. Sophomore WR Jordan Nathan then returned a punt 59 yards for a touchdown against Tennessee Tech. Junior LB Tipa Galeai returned an interception 56 yards for a touchdown at BYU. Sophomore S Baron Gajkowski returned a blocked punt 16 yards for a touchdown against UNLV. Scarver returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown at Wyoming. Sophomore S Shaq Bond returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown against New Mexico. And, USU added two more scores against Colorado State as senior S Aaron Wade returned an interception 95 yards for a touchdown, while fellow senior S Jontrell Rocquemore returned an interception 32 yards for the score.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS WITH UTAH STATE'S DEFENSE
• Utah State's defense has only allowed 11 rushing touchdowns this season, which is tied for the 13th-fewest in the nation
 
• Utah State has forced multiple turnovers in 11 of its last 16 games and had forced a turnover in 15 straight games before not forcing a turnover against Boise State in its last game.
 
• Utah State has only allowed 11 rushes of more than 20 yards this season, and just two over 30 yards.
 
• Utah State's defense has only allowed 10 first-half touchdowns this season, including just four in its last six games.
 
NELSON FINALIST FOR MORTELL AWARD 
• Senior WR DJ Nelson is one of three finalists for the Mortell Award as the nation's Holder of the Year, along with UCF's Mac Loudermilk and Oklahoma's Connor McGinnis. Nelson does all of USU's holding for PAT's and field goals. Nelson also plays on all four of USU's special teams units.
 
• Nelson is in his first full season as a wide receiver after spending his first four years in the program as a quarterback. As a senior, he has caught 12 passes for 112 yards with a long reception of 42 yards. 
 
• For his career, Nelson has appeared in 48 games to rank first on the team.
 
SCARVER SECOND ALL-TIME IN KICKOFF RETURNS FOR TOUCHDOWNS AT UTAH STATE
• Sophomore WR Savon Scarver has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns this season (100 yards vs. New Mexico State, 99 yards vs. Wyoming), to rank as the second-most in a single-season in school history, behind Kevin Robinson, who returned three kickoffs for touchdowns during the 2007 season. In fact, Robinson and Scarver are the only Aggies in school history to have multiple kickoff returns for touchdowns in a single season. Scarver also has three career kickoff returns for touchdowns, which also ranks second all-time in school history behind Robinson, who had four from 2004-07.
 
• Scarver also has a career kickoff return average of 28.6 yards per return as he has returned 47 kickoffs for 1,344 yards, and that return average ranks as the third-best in school history. 
 
NATHAN 10TH ALL-TIME IN PUNT RETURNS AT UTAH STATE
• Sophomore WR Jordan Nathan has a career punt return average of 8.6 yards per return as he has returned 42 punts for 363 yards in his career, and that average ranks 10th all-time in school history.
 
HINTZE HAS FIVE 50-YARD PUNTS THIS SEASON 
•Junior P Taylor Hintze has punted 40 times for 1,584 yards for an average of 39.6 yards per punt. On the season, he has had 10 punts downed inside the 20-yard line to go along with five punts of 50 or more yards, including a season-long 67 yard punt against Air Force. He punted a season-high nine times at Wyoming with a career-high three being downed inside the 20-yard line, and he notched a season-high punt average of 48.3 yards on three punts against New Mexico State.
 
EBERLE TOP THREE IN THE NATION IN KICKOFFS AND TOUCHBACKS 
• Junior PK Dominik Eberle has kicked off 100 times this season with an average of 62.6 yards per kickoff. Also, 62 of his kickoffs this season have been touchbacks. On the season, he ranks second in the nation in number of kickoffs and third in touchbacks.
 
DID YOU KNOW? 
• Utah State is tied with New Mexico State for the most special teams touchdowns in the nation this year with four. Sophomore WR Savon Scarver has two of those touchdowns as he returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown against New Mexico State and another 99 yards for a touchdown at Wyoming. Sophomore WR Jordan Nathan returned a punt 59 yards for a touchdown against Tennessee Tech, and sophomore S Baron Gajkowski returned a blocked punt 16 yards for a touchdown against UNLV.
 
AGGIES WHO HAVE SERVED LDS CHURCH MISSIONS 
• Utah State has 25 players on its 2018 roster who have served two-year LDS Church Missions in senior OL Roman Andrus, senior OL Quin Ficklin, senior LB Ofa Latu, senior WR DJ Nelson, senior OL KJ Uluave, junior TE Dax Raymond, junior LB Braden Harris, junior OL Moroni Iniguez, junior S Chance Parker, junior NG Mohelika Uasike, junior DE Jacoby Wildman, sophomore DE Caden Andersen, sophomore WR Taylor Compton, sophomore DE Ritisoni Fata, sophomore S Baron Gajkowski, sophomore DE Logan Lee, sophomore OL Connor Meyers, sophomore S Chase Nelson, sophomore DE Keith Tambe, redshirt freshman WR Preston Curtis, redshirt freshman RB Sione Fehoko, redshirt sophomore S Jordan Hayes, redshirt freshman LB Daniel Langi, freshman OL Wade Meacham and freshman TE Bryce Mortenson.  
 
AGGIES WHO ARE MARRIED 
• Utah State has 12 players on its 2018 roster who are married in senior LB Chase Christiansen, senior S Gaje Ferguson, senior LB Suli Tamaivena, senior OL KJ Uluave, redshirt junior DE Fua Leilua, junior DE Dalton Baker, junior OL Moroni Iniguez, junior S Chance Parker, junior DE Jacoby Wildman, sophomore DE Keith Tambe, redshirt freshman LB Daniel Langi and freshman OL Wade Meacham.
 
 UTAH STATE AT HOME IN 2018
• Utah State went 6-0 at Maverik Stadium this season and is 35-9 (.795) in its last 44 home games. USU has won seven straight home games and is 147-105 (.583) in Maverik Stadium. USU tied the 1907, 2012 and 2014 teams for the most home wins (6) in a single season this year, and recorded just the sixth undefeated home season in the 51-year history of Maverik Stadium, along with the 1968 (4-0), 1972 (5-0), 1982 (4-0), 2012 (6-0) and 2014 (6-0) teams. Overall, USU has now had 31 teams record undefeated home seasons.
 
• Utah State was unstoppable at home in 2018 as it posted double-digit wins and scored at least 40 points in all six games, and won each game by an average margin of 38.2 points (59.5-21.3) as it out-scored its opponents 357-128. In fact, USU scored 50-plus points five times this year and 60-plus points four times. On the season, USU averaged 59.5 points and 608.0 yards of total offense (370.3 passing, 237.7 rushing) during its six home games, while allowing 21.3 points and 345.2 yards of total offense (201.3 passing, 143.8 rushing). 
 
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Players Mentioned

Ron

#1 Ron'quavion Tarver

WR
6' 3"
Senior
Jontrell Rocquemore

#3 Jontrell Rocquemore

S
6' 1"
Senior
Aaron Wade

#4 Aaron Wade

S
6' 1"
Senior
Darwin Thompson

#5 Darwin Thompson

RB
5' 8"
Junior
Cameron Haney

#6 Cameron Haney

CB
5' 11"
Junior
DJ Williams

#7 DJ Williams

CB
5' 9"
Junior
Gerold Bright

#8 Gerold Bright

RB
5' 9"
Junior
David Woodward

#9 David Woodward

LB
6' 2"
Sophomore
Jordan Love

#10 Jordan Love

QB
6' 4"
Sophomore
Jordan Hayes

#11 Jordan Hayes

S
6' 1"
Sophomore
DJ Nelson

#12 DJ Nelson

WR
5' 9"
Senior
Baron Gajkowski

#15 Baron Gajkowski

S
6' 1"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Ron

#1 Ron'quavion Tarver

6' 3"
Senior
WR
Jontrell Rocquemore

#3 Jontrell Rocquemore

6' 1"
Senior
S
Aaron Wade

#4 Aaron Wade

6' 1"
Senior
S
Darwin Thompson

#5 Darwin Thompson

5' 8"
Junior
RB
Cameron Haney

#6 Cameron Haney

5' 11"
Junior
CB
DJ Williams

#7 DJ Williams

5' 9"
Junior
CB
Gerold Bright

#8 Gerold Bright

5' 9"
Junior
RB
David Woodward

#9 David Woodward

6' 2"
Sophomore
LB
Jordan Love

#10 Jordan Love

6' 4"
Sophomore
QB
Jordan Hayes

#11 Jordan Hayes

6' 1"
Sophomore
S
DJ Nelson

#12 DJ Nelson

5' 9"
Senior
WR
Baron Gajkowski

#15 Baron Gajkowski

6' 1"
Sophomore
S
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