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BOISE, Idaho – Utah State opened the 2020 campaign with a 42-13 loss to Boise State on Saturday night at Albertsons Stadium.
 
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the game was played on the Blue Turf in front of an empty stadium. Cardboard cutouts lined the seats behind the Broncos' bench on the east side of the stadium.
 
Senior running back Jaylen Warren accounted for both of Utah State's touchdowns as he scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter and a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter, pulling the Aggies (0-1, 0-1 Mountain West) to within 28-13 in the process.
 
Warren rushed for 89 yards on 23 carries.
 
Making the first start of his Aggie career, junior quarterback Jason Shelley completed 14-of-27 passes for 92 yards and one interception. His favorite target on the chilly night was junior wide receiver Deven Thompkins, who caught five passes for 37 yards.
 
Utah State finished with just 203 yards of total offense, while Boise State (1-0, 1-0) gained 450.
 
The Broncos were led by quarterback Hank Bachmeier, who was 20-of-28 passing for 268 yards and three touchdowns. Khalil Shakir caught seven of Bachmeier's passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Defensively, senior inside linebackers Cash Gilliam and Kevin Meitzenheimer led the Aggies with eight tackles apiece. Meitzenheimer had a team-best 1.5 tackles for loss.
 
Utah State, which had 13 players make their Aggie debut and seven players make their first-career start Saturday night, forced Boise State to go three-and-out on the game's opening possession.
 
However, the Aggies also went three-and-out the first time they touched the ball. In fact, USU punted six times in the first half and gained just 45 yards of total offense and one first down.
 
Utah State will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 31, when the Aggies welcome San Diego State to Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium. The Halloween night game, which will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network, is slated to kick off at 7:30.
 
Fans can follow the Aggie football program at twitter.com/USUFootball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.
 
-USU-