LOGAN, Utah – Deven Thompkins became Utah State's first 1,000-yard receiver since 2002, Logan Bonner threw four touchdown passes and the Aggies became bowl eligible with a 51-31 win over Hawai'i on Saturday afternoon at Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium.
 
Thompkins led all receivers in the game as he caught seven passes for 176 yards. On the season, the senior wide receiver has 63 receptions for 1,009 yards, becoming just the 12th player in school history to reach the 1,000-yard receiving plateau, including the first since Kevin Curtis in 2002.
 
Bonner was 21-of-30 for 361 yards and four touchdowns of 45, 46, 21 and 14 yards, respectively. The grad junior quarterback also had 25 yards rushing to help the Aggies (6-2, 4-1 Mountain West) remain all alone atop the Mountain Division standings and become bowl eligible for the ninth time in the last 11 years.
 
Hawai'i quarterback Chevan Cordeiro was 23-of-39 for 296 yards and three touchdowns, to go along with one interception. Calvin Turner Jr. caught seven passes for 110 yards and one touchdown for the Rainbow Warriors (4-5, 1-3 MW). Dedrick Parson gave the visitors two 100-yard receivers on the day as he hauled in seven passes for 115 yards and one touchdown.
 
Thompkins also returned one kickoff for 45 yards to finish the game with 221 all-purpose yards. As a team, Utah State finished with 564 yards of total offense.
 
The Aggies limited the Rainbow Warriors to just 12 yards rushing, which is tied for the 19th-fewest in a single game in school history, and the fewest allowed since Wake Forest had minus 25 yards rushing in 2014. Overall, UH had just 360 yards of total offense, which is tied for the second-fewest allowed by USU this season.
 
Grad senior inside linebacker led the Aggies with eight tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks. Junior defensive end Byron Vaughns had four stops, including 3.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks, to go along with a forced fumble. Utah State racked up 12.0 tackles for loss, including 5.0 sacks.
 
USU grad senior outside linebacker Cash Gilliam thwarted a Hawai'i scoring drive in the first quarter when he intercepted his first-career pass in the end zone. Grad junior safety Monte McGary also recorded his first-career interception in the fourth quarter, while sophomore defensive tackle Poukesi Vakauta recovered his second fumble of the season. 
 
Utah State, which never trailed on the day, scored the first 17 points of the game on a 3-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Elelyon Noa, a 45-yard touchdown pass from Bonner to junior wide receiver McGriff and a 40-yard field goal by grad senior placekicker Connor Coles.
 
McGriff finished with five receptions for 90 yards and the lone score, while Noa notched his first 100-yard rushing day of his career with 111 yards on 23 carries.
 
Hawai'i cut the deficit to 17-10 before Coles kicked a 22-yard field goal to give USU a 20-10 lead at the break. Coles also kicked a 22-yarder in the fourth quarter to make it 44-25 for the Aggies.
 
Utah State came out firing on all cylinders after the break as the Aggies scored touchdowns the first three times they touched the ball. Bonner threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Derek Wright, a 21-yarder to senior tight end Carson Terrell and a 14-yarder to grad senior wide receiver Brandon Bowling to make it 41-10.
 
Bowling also returned an onside kick attempt 45 yards for a touchdown to give USU its final margin of victory.
 
Utah State has now won six-straight games against the Rainbow Warriors and lead the overall series 11-6.
 
UP NEXT  
 
Utah State heads to the Land of Enchantment for its final non-conference game of the season against New Mexico State (1-7) on Saturday, Nov. 6, at 2 p.m., at Aggie Memorial Stadium.
 
GET YOUR TICKETS
 
For Aggie football ticket information, fans can contact the USU Athletics Ticket Office over the phone by calling 1-888-USTATE-1 or 435-797-0305 during regular hours of operation. Fans can also buy their tickets in person at the USU Ticket Office inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum or online by clicking on the "Buy Tickets" tab at www.UtahStateAggies.com.
 
For more information on the Utah State football program, follow the Aggies on Twitter at @USUFootball, on Facebook at USUFootball and on Instagram at USUFootball.
 
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