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FRISCO, Texas – Utah State closed out the 2019 season with a 51-41 loss to Kent State in the 2019 Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl on Friday night at Toyota Stadium.
 
After announcing he was forgoing his final season with the Aggies and entering the 2020 NFL Draft, junior quarterback Jordan Love was 30-of-39 passing for 317 yards and three touchdowns, including two to graduate transfer wide receiver Siaosi Mariner.
 
In his final game at Utah State, Mariner had seven catches for 113 yards. His 11-yard touchdown reception with 3:06 to go in the game pulled the Aggies (7-6) to within 44-41.
 
However, Kent State's Jamal Parker recovered a squib kick on the ensuing kickoff and returned it 44 yards, setting up the final touchdown for the Golden Flashes (7-6) – 4-yard run by quarterback Dustin Crum on fourth-and-1.
 
Crum, tabbed the Offensive MVP of the game, accounted for 436 yards of total offense and three touchdowns. He was 21-of-26 for 289 yards and two touchdowns through the air, to go along with a game-best 147 yards and the one fourth-quarter score on 23 carries.
 
In his final game as an Aggie, Love set the school record for total offense in a career. He had 333 yards against Kent State, including 16 on the ground, to give him 9,003 total career yards. The old mark of 8,808 yards was previously held by fellow quarterback Chuckie Keeton (2011-15), who was on the sideline cheering his alma mater on Friday night.
 
Senior running back Gerold Bright led the Aggies on the ground with 94 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Sophomore wide receiver Deven Thompkins scored on a 57-yard run early in the fourth quarter to pull Utah State to tie the game at 34-all.
 
Thompkins also caught four passes for 51 yards and a touchdown, while junior wide receiver Jordan Nathan led Utah State with nine receptions for 71 yards.
 
Senior placekicker Dominik Eberle ended his stellar Utah State career by kicking a pair of field goals from 41 and 45 yards, respectively, and making all five of his extra points.
 
The Aggies finished with 506 yards of total offense, while the Golden Flashes produced 550 total yards.
 
Two players finished with double-digit tackles for Utah State, led by 14 stops from junior safety Troy Lefeged Jr., while redshirt freshman defensive end Elijah Shelton had a career-high 10 tackles. Lefeged also forced a fumble, which was recovered by junior defensive end Nick Heninger.
 
Utah State got the ball to start the game and scored on its opening possession. Bright capped the 10-play, 75-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run to give the Aggies a 7-0 lead less than three minutes in.
 
Kent State answered the ball on its opening possession when Isaiah McKoy hauled in a 78-yard touchdown pass from Krum on a third-down play, tying the game at 7-apiece.
 
The Golden Flashes made it 17-7 late in the first quarter when Xavier Williams scored on a 2-yard run and Matthew Trickett kicked a 40-yard field goal.
 
Utah State pulled within 17-10 when Eberle made a 41-yard field goal with three seconds left in the opening quarter. A 25-yard touchdown pass from Love to Mariner tied it at 17-all with 8:24 left in the second quarter.
 
Kent State went into the halftime break with a 23-17 lead after Trickett kicked field goals of 22 and 36 yards, respectively.
 
After falling behind 26-17 early in the third, Utah State rallied to take its final lead of the game when Thompkins scored on a 17-yard pass from Love and Eberle booted his 45-yard field game to make it 27-26 with 2:27 left in the quarter.
 
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