AGGIES OPEN '21 SEASON IN PAC-12 COUNTRY AT WASHINGTON STATE
Game will be televised live on Pac-12 Network at 9 p.m. (MT). 
 
UTAH STATE (0-0) vs. WASHINGTON STATE (0-0)
Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021 • 9 p.m. (MT) • Pullman, Washington • Martin Stadium (32,952)
 
GAME 1 INFORMATION
TV: Pac-12 Network
• Play-by-Play: Jordan Kent
• Analyst: Bob Davie
• Xfinity (Utah): Ch. 410
• DISH: Ch. 406
 
RADIO: Aggie Sports Network
• Play-by-Play: Scott Garrard 
• Analyst: Kevin White
• National: XM 380 / SXM App 970
• Online: 1280thezone.com / Tunein.com
 
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)
• Green River: KRPX (102.7 FM)
• Moab: KRPX (100.3 FM)
• Montpelier, Idaho: KZNS (1450 AM/101.7 FM)
• Orangeville: KRPX (95.9 FM)
• Price: KRPX (95.3 FM)
 
KICKOFF COVERAGE
• Under the direction of first-year head coach Blake Anderson, who is in his eighth year as a collegiate head coach, Utah State football returns 18 starters (O-9, D-9) as part of 44 letterwinners (O-20, D-21, S-3) from last year's COVID-19-shortened season, which includes 13 Super Seniors. Along with 44 returning lettermen, USU welcomes back 24 more players (O-12, D-9, S-3) that were in the program in 2020, while adding 41 newcomers (O-20, D-20, S-1), 15 of which are four-year transfers.   
 
• Highlighting Utah State's returners in 2021 are seven players that earned honorable mention all-Mountain West honors a season ago in graduate senior OL Demytrick Ali'ifua, graduate senior S Shaq Bond, graduate senior DE Nick Heninger, graduate senior DT Marcus Moore, senior KOR Savon Scarver, junior ILB AJ Vongphachanh and sophomore P Stephen Kotsanlee. Bond has been named honorable mention all-MW each of the past two seasons, while Scarver was a consensus All-American in 2018 and is the preseason MW Special Teams Player of the Year in 2021.
 
• Utah State welcomes three transfers that earned all-Sun Belt Conference honors at Arkansas State a season ago in graduate senior WR Brandon Bowling, graduate senior ILB Justin Rice and graduate junior QB Logan Bonner. Rice earned first-team all-conference honors at ASU in 2020 and was first-team all-Mountain West at Fresno State in 2019, while Bowling and Bonner both garnered honorable mention all-Sun Belt honors last season for the Red Wolves. 
 
• Utah State has four players in its program that previously played in the Pac-12 in graduate senior RB Devonta'e Henry-Cole (Utah), graduate senior DE Nick Heninger (Utah), graduate senior DT Marcus Moore (UCLA) and graduate junior RB Calvin Tyler Jr. (Oregon State). USU has seven more Power 5 transfers on its roster in graduate senior CB Kyle Mayberry (Kansas), graduate junior DE Phillip Paea (Michigan), graduate junior S Hunter Reynolds (Michigan), junior DE Patrick Joyner Jr. (Miami), junior DE Byron Vaughns (Texas), junior OL Quazzel White (TCU) and redshirt freshman WR Jamie Nance (Nebraska).
 
BLAKE ANDERSON NAMED 29TH HEAD COACH IN SCHOOL HISTORY 
• Blake Anderson was named Utah State's 29th head football coach on Dec. 12, 2020. In all, Anderson has 27 years of collegiate coaching experience and has been part of five conference championship teams. He has coached in 11 bowl games and won a national championship at the junior college level. Overall, this is Anderson's eighth year as a collegiate head coach.
 
• Anderson comes to Utah State after spending the past seven years as the head coach at Arkansas State, leading the Red Wolves to six-consecutive winning seasons and six-straight bowl games from 2014-19, including a 31-13 win against UCF in the 2016 Cure Bowl and a 34-26 win against FIU in the 2019 Camellia Bowl.
 
• In all, Anderson posted a 51-37 (.580) record during his seven seasons at Arkansas State, including a 38-18 (.679) mark in the Sun Belt Conference and a 30-10 (.750) home record. Those 51 wins, 40 of which were by double digits, are tied for the third-most in ASU history.
 
UTAH STATE BEGINNING 124TH SEASON OF AGGIE FOOTBALL
• Utah State begins its 124th season of football this weekend with a road game at Washington State on Saturday, Sept. 4, at 9 p.m. (MT), in a game that will be televised on the Pac-12 Network (Comcast (Utah) Ch. 410, DISH Network Ch. 406, YouTube TV) with Jordan Kent (play-by-play) and Bob Davie (analyst) on the call. Live audio of the game is available on www.UtahStateAggies.com. USU is 559-553-31 (.503) in its previous 123 seasons.
 
• Utah State has won eight-straight September games dating back to 2017 and is 9-1 in its last 10 games played during the month. USU is also 1-4 all-time in games played on Sept. 4.
 
• Utah State is 3-6 in its last nine season openers with five of those six losses coming on the road to Power 5 opponents.
 
AGGIES ON THE ROAD
• Utah State is 10-8 (.556) in its last 18 road games and has scored at least 30 points nine times. USU has also had at least 500 yards of total offense six times during those 18 games. 
 
• Utah State will open the 2021 season with a road game for the 10th time in the last 13 seasons and 64th time ever. 
 
• Utah State will start its season on the road at a Power 5 opponent for the fourth time in the last five years.
 
• Utah State is facing a Pac-12 opponent for the first time since 2016, when it lost at USC. The last time USU defeated a Pac-12 team was in 2012 at home against Utah (27-20 OT).  
 
• Utah State is looking for its first road win against a Power 5 opponent since it posted a 10-7 win at Kansas State on Sept. 11, 1971. USU has never won a road game against a Pac-8, Pac-10 or Pac-12 opponent. In fact, its last road win against a current member of the Pac-12 was in 1997, when it posted a 21-14 victory at then-WAC member Utah.
 
UTAH STATE HAS MOST DIVERSE COACHING STAFF IN THE NATION
• Utah State is the only staff in the nation that has minority coaches serving in the roles of offensive coordinator (Anthony Tucker), defensive coordinator (Ephraim Banda) and head strength and conditioning coach (Paul Jackson).
 
UTAH STATE HAS THE SECOND-YOUNGEST COACHING STAFF IN THE NATION
• Of Utah State's 10 full-time assistant coaches, four are in their 20s, four are in their 30s and two are in their 40s. The average age of those 10 assistants is 33.7 years, which ranks as the second-youngest staff in the nation behind Old Dominion (32.2).
 
FIVE FORMER AGGIE PLAYERS ON STAFF
• Utah State head coach Blake Anderson has five former Aggies on his staff in running backs coach Chuckie Keeton (2011-15), tight ends coach DJ Tialavea (2010-13), defensive line coach Al Lapuaho (2011-12), and analysts Austin Albrecht (2014-16) and Jumanne Robertson (2011-12). 
 
AGGIES WILL HAVE NEW COORDINATORS FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT YEAR IN 2021
• Utah State will have new offensive, defensive and special teams coordinators for the fourth straight season heading into the 2021 campaign. In fact, USU has had a different defensive coordinator in each of its last five seasons and a different special teams coordinator in each of its last seven seasons. The last time USU had the same defensive coordinator for multiple years was Todd Orlando (2013-14), while its last special teams coordinator to coach multiple seasons was Dave Ungerer (2013-15). Ironically, USU has had the same offensive coordinator for multiple seasons twice during the past nine seasons with David Yost (2017-18) and Kevin McGiven (2013-14).
 
• Overall, Utah State is the only FBS school to have new coordinators on offense, defense and special teams in each of the past four seasons.
 
DID YOU KNOW? 
• Utah State defensive coordinator and safeties coach Ephraim Banda was named one of the top 25 recruiters in the nation in January of 2021, by Rivals.com.
 
• Banda is the only hispanic-latino defensive coordinator in the nation at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. Overall, Banda is one of 32 hispanic-latino coaches at the FBS level, with six of those serving other coordinator positions. 
 
SCOUTING WASHINGTON STATE
• Washington State went 1-3 in Pac-12 play during an abbreviated 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlighting its returners are eight players that garnered preseason Pac-12 honors heading into the 2021 campaign as senior running back Max Borghi and senior offensive lineman Abraham Lucas were both named to the first team, while graduate senior wide receiver Rendard Bell, senior wide receiver Travell Harris, graduate senior offensive lineman Liam Ryan, junior defensive end Brennan Jackson, senior defensive back Jaylen Watson and graduate senior linebacker Jahad Woods were all named to the honorable mention team. Lucas also garnered second-team all-Pac-12 honors following the 2020 season, while Bell, Harris, Jackson, senior offensive lineman Brian Greene and graduate senior defensive back Daniel Isom were all named to the honorable mention team. Borghi rushed for 95 yards on 10 carries with one touchdown in one game played last season and has rushed for 1,278 yards and 20 touchdowns in his career. Bell led WSU with 337 receiving yards on 33 receptions with two touchdowns last season and has 147 receptions for 1,656 yards and 16 touchdowns in his career, while Harris had 29 receptions for 340 yards and two touchdowns last year and has 103 catches for 1,185 yards and eight touchdowns in his career. Isom had a team-best 32 tackles last season, while Woods had 31 tackles, which included 1.0 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss, to go along with one forced fumble and one interception. In 2020, WSU averaged 27.0 points and 384.0 yards of total offense (254.8 passing, 129.2 rushing), and allowed 38.5 points and 461.8 yards per game (307.0 passing, 154.8 rushing). Nick Rolovich is 1-3 in one season as the Cougars' head coach and has a 29-30 record in six seasons as a collegiate head coach. Rolovich will be facing Utah State for the third time as a head coach and is 0-2 against the Aggies as USU posted a 38-0 home win against the Rainbow Warriors in 2017 and a 56-17 road win in 2018.
 
AGGIES AND COUGARS SERIES HISTORY
• Utah State and Washington State will be meeting for the fourth time in series history with the Cougars holding a 2-1 advantage. Washington State won the first two games in the series with a 33-0 home win in 1949 and a 46-6 road win in 1950. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since Sept. 30, 1961, when the Aggies posted a 34-14 road win in Spokane. 
 
UTAH STATE AGAINST THE PAC-12 CONFERENCE
• Utah State is 40-125-5 (.250) all-time against current members of the Pac-12 Conference as it is 29-79-4 against Utah, 6-11-1 against Colorado, 2-11-0 against Arizona State, 2-4 against Arizona, 1-2 against Washington State, 0-6 against USC, 0-4 against Oregon, 0-3 against Oregon State, 0-3 against Washington, and 0-1 against both Stanford and UCLA. The only current Pac-12 team that USU has not played is California.
 
AGGIES FROM WASHINGTON
• Utah State has five players on its current roster from the state of Washington in junior OL Jacob South (Anacortes/Anacortes HS), junior ILB AJ Vongphachanh (Pasco/Chiawana HS), junior OL Quazzel White (Tacoma/Lincoln HS), sophomore ILB Jaymason Willingham (Steilacoom/Steilacoom HS) and freshman OL Jonah Hayes (Vancouver/Evergreen HS).
 
COACHING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN UTAH STATE AND WASHINGTON STATE
• Utah State cornerbacks coach Ray Brown was a graduate assistant at Washington State in 2013. WSU offensive line coach Mark Weber spent three seasons (2013-15) at USU as the associate head coach and offensive line coach. USU strength and conditioning coach Paul Jackson was on staff at South Carolina with WSU special teams coordinator Kyle Krantz in 2020. WSU assistant strength coach Junior Salt was a graduate assistant at USU in 2019.
 
PLAYER CONNECTIONS BETWEEN UTAH STATE AND WASHINGTON STATE
• The following are connections between Utah State and Washington State players. USU senior OL Chandler Dolphin, redshirt freshman DE Mata Hola and freshman WR D'Andre Randolph all attended Alta HS in Sandy, Utah, along with WSU freshman DE Lawrence Falatea. USU senior TE Carson Terrell and WSU junior QB Cammon Cooper both attended Lehi (Utah) HS. USU sophomore OL Calvin Knapp and WSU graduate senior DB Daniel Isom both attended Iowa Western CC. USU sophomore S Luke Marion and WSU sophomore OL Quinn McCarthy both attended Tualatin (Oregon) HS. USU sophomore RB Elelyon Noa and WSU graduate senior LB Jahad Woods both attended Helix HS in La Mesa, California. USU sophomore ILB Jaymason Willingham and WSU freshman DB Tre Horner both attended Steilacoom (Washington) HS. 
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Utah State has three players that have played against Washington State in graduate senior RB Devonta'e Henry-Cole (Utah), graduate senior DE Nick Heninger (Utah) and graduate junior RB Calvin Tyler Jr. (Oregon State). Henry-Cole played at home against WSU in 2017 and 2019. In 2019, he rushed for 79 yards on 15 carries, both career highs, and added an 11-yard touchdown reception. Heninger played against WSU twice, including in Pullman in 2018, but did not record any stats. And, Tyler played at WSU in 2017, but did not record any stats.   
 
BLAKE ANDERSON NOTABLES
• Utah State head coach Blake Anderson is 0-1 all-time against Pac-12 Conference teams, losing at USC in 2015. Anderson, however, is 1-0 in games played on the Paulouse as his Arkansas State Red Wolves posted a 44-28 road win at Idaho during the 2014 season, which was his first year as a collegiate head coach.
 
• Anderson is 19-23 all-time in road games and has only had a losing road record twice in his seven seasons as a collegiate head coach.
 
• In Anderson's last game against a Power 5 opponent, he led Arkansas State to a 35-31 road win at Kansas State during the 2020 season.
 
DID YOU KNOW? 
• Utah State is 0-1 all-time in Martin Stadium as it played Idaho (L, 31-3) in a Big West Conference game on Oct. 23, 1999. Overall, it will be the second time the Aggies have played a game in Pullman as their first matchup with the Cougars in 1949 was played on campus at Rogers Field. USU's 1961 game against WSU was played in Spokane.
 
• Utah State last played a football game in the state of Washington in 2015 when it lost to the Huskies in Seattle, 31-17.
 
• Utah State has 34 players on its roster from the Beehive State, while Washington State has 40 players on its roster from the Evergreen State.
 
• Utah State inside linebackers coach Mike Zuckerman was a graduate assistant at the University of Miami in 2015 when the Hurricanes played Washington State in the Sun Bowl.
 
LAST MEETING BETWEEN UTAH STATE AND WASHINGTON STATE
• Utah State and Washington State last played one another in football on Sept. 30, 1961, at Albi Stadium in Spokane, Washington, with USU posting a 34-14 win. The Aggies, who had 12 first downs in the game, produced 321 yards of total offense (271-rushing, 50-passing) and were led by senior running back Tom Larscheid, who carried the ball 15 times for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Senior quarterback Mel Montalbo rushed for a team-best 75 yards on 11 carries and one touchdown, junior quarterback Jim Turner carried the ball four times for 14 yards and one touchdown, and junior running back Roger Leonard also scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. Montalbo was also 2-of-3 passing for 10 yards, Turner was 1-of-3 for 25 yards, and sophomore quarterback Bill Munson completed both of his passes for 25 yards. Junior end Lionel Aldridge led the Aggies with two receptions for 10 yards, while senior end Carl Hunt had one reception for 25 yards. Defensively, USU limited Washington State to 184 yards of total offense (180-passing, 4-rushing) as the Aggies were led by senior tackle Merlin Olsen, who was awarded the Outland Trophy at season's end as the best interior lineman in the nation. The Cougars were led by senior quarterback Melvin Melin, who was 14-of-29 passing for 176 yards and one touchdown, while junior end Hugh Campbell had a team-best six receptions for 83 yards and one score. Both teams lost five fumbles during the game and both were penalized for over 100 yards as USU finished the game with 10 penalties for 115 yards, while WSU committed 10 penalties for 143 yards. 
 
LOOKING BACK ON UTAH STATE'S 1961 FOOTBALL TEAM
• Utah State finished the 1961 season with a 9-1-1 record and was ranked 10th in the final Associated Press poll, which is USU's highest final ranking in school history. That was also the last team in school history to go undefeated during the regular season as it produced a 9-0-1 record before losing to Baylor, 24-9, in the Gotham Bowl played at the Polo Grounds in New York City.
 
• Utah State's 1961 football team was led by senior tackle Merlin Olsen, who was named the Outland Trophy winner as the nation's best interior lineman. Olsen, who was a consensus All-American that year, also earned Academic All-American honors and was named a National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete. Senior running back Tom Larscheid was also named an honorable mention All-American that season.
 
• Coached by John Ralston, Utah State outscored its opponents 387-78 in 1961 and held eight of its 11 opponents to less than 10 points. In fact, the 1961 team held its opponents to just 7.8 points per game, which still ranks as the second-best single-season mark in school history (6.5 points allowed per game in 1960).
 
• Utah State's defense set three still-standing school records in 1961 as it limited its opponents to just 139.4 yards of total offense, 88.6 passing yards and 50.8 rushing yards per game. 
 
• Utah State's offense was very formidable in 1961, as well, as its 38.7 points per game average stood as the school record until the 2018 team averaged 47.5 points per outing. Furthermore, USU rushed for 280.8 yards per game in 1961, which is still the third-best single-season mark in school history.   
 
AGGIES FROM THE 1961 TEAM THAT PLAYED IN THE NFL
• Utah State had seven players from its 1961 team that went on to play in the NFL, including a pair of first-round selections in tackle Merlin Olsen and quarterback Bill Munson. Olsen was the third overall pick by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1962 NFL Draft and spent his entire 15-year career (1962-76) with the Rams. Munson was the seventh overall pick by the Rams in the 1964 NFL Draft and spent 16 years in the NFL with the Rams (1964-67), Detroit Lions (1968-76), Seattle Seahawks (1976), San Diego Chargers (1977) and Buffalo Bills (1978-79).  
 
• Utah State had three other high draft picks from its 1961 team as tackle Clyde Brock was selected in the second round (20th overall pick) of the 1962 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears and spent two years in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys (1962-63) and San Francisco 49ers (1963). End Lionel Aldridge was chosen in the fourth round (54th overall pick) of the 1963 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers and spent 11 years in the NFL with the Packers (1963-71) and San Diego Chargers (1972-73). And, tackle Clark Miller was selected in the fifth round (58th overall pick) of the 1961 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers and spent nine years in the NFL with the 49ers (1962-68), Washington Redskins (1969) and Los Angeles Rams (1970).
 
• Five more Aggies from the 1961 team were drafted into the NFL as quarterback Steve Shafer was selected in the 11th round (148th overall pick) of the 1963 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. End Jim McNaughton was selected in the 12th round (165th overall pick) of the 1964 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. Running back Tom Larscheid was selected in the 18th round (251st overall pick) of the 1962 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles and spent two seasons in the CFL with the British Columbia Lions. Quarterback/kicker Jim Turner was selected in the 19th round (259th overall pick) of the 1963 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins and spent 16 years in the NFL with the New York Jets (1964-70) and Denver Broncos (1971-79). And, running back Terry Cagaanan was selected in the 20th round (269th overall pick) of the 1962 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. Quarterback Mel Montalbo also spent the 1962 season in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent.
 
WHAT'S RETURNING IN 2021 
• Utah State returns 18 starters (O-9, D-9) as part of 44 letterwinners (O-20, D-21, S-3) from last year's shortened season. Among those 44 letterwinners are 13 'Super Seniors' that were granted an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those 13 'Super Seniors' include: OL Demytrick Ali'ifua, DE Jaylin Bannerman, S Shaq Bond, WR Sean Carter, OLB Cash Gilliam, DE Nick Heninger, RB Devonta'e Henry-Cole, ILB Kevin Meitzenheimer, DT Marcus Moore, WR Jordan Nathan, WR Savon Scarver, TE Carson Terrell and WR Derek Wright. 
 
• Highlighting Utah State's returners in 2021 is Scarver, who is just the third consensus All-American in school history. Scarver was named a first-team All-American from the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the Football Writers Association of America and Phil Steele's Magazine, and earned second-team All-American honors from the American Football Coaches Association as a kick returner following his sophomore season in 2018. Scarver was also named first-team all-Mountain West as a kick returner as both a sophomore and junior in 2018 and 2019, respectively, and earned honorable mention all-MW honors as a kick returner in 2020. 
 
• Along with Scarver, Utah State returns six more players that earned all-league honors in 2020 in Ali'ifua, Bond, Heninger, Moore, junior ILB AJ Vongphachanh and sophomore P Stephen Kotsanlee. In fact, Bond has earned honorable mention all-Mountain West honors in each of the past two seasons.
 
• Other starters returning for Utah State in 2021 include Henry-Cole, Meitzenheimer, Terrell, Wright, senior OL Alfred Edwards, senior CB Andre Grayson, senior CB Zahodri Jackson, senior WR Deven Thompkins, junior CB Cam Lampkin, junior WR Justin McGriff, junior OL Jacob South, junior CB Dominic Tatum and sophomore OL Falepule Alo. 
 
WHAT UTAH STATE MUST REPLACE FROM 2020 
• Utah State must replace five starters, including one player that earned all-Mountain West honors in 2020 in OL Karter Shaw, who earned honorable mention accolades. Other starters not returning from last season include QB Jason Shelley, OL Andy Koch, and defensive linemen Ritisoni Fata and Justus Te'i.
 
UTAH STATE SPECIALS TEAMS RANKED THIRD IN THE NATION IN 2020 
• According to College Football Focus and ESPN, Utah State had the third-most efficient special teams units in the nation in 2020. USU led the Mountain West and was 11th in the nation in punt return defense (1.4 ypr), and was first in the MW and 15th in the nation in kickoff return defense (17.4 ypr). USU was also second in the MW and 15th in the nation with two blocked kicks (1 field goal, 1 punt), third in the MW and 31st in the nation in net punting (40.4 ypp), and fifth in the MW and 20th in the nation in kickoff returns (24.5 ypr).
 
SCARVER NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN AS KICK RETURNER
• Utah State senior KOR Savon Scarver was named an Athlon Sports preseason third-team All-American and a fourth-team preseason All-American by Phil Steele's Magazine.
 
• Scarver enters his final season with the Aggies known as one of the top return specialists in the nation having already been named a preseason first-team all-Mountain West selection by Phil Steele's Magazine and Athlon Sports.
 
• The native of Las Vegas, Nevada, is Utah State's all-time record-holder with six-career kickoff returns for touchdown, which is the second-most in Mountain West history, and tied for the fifth-most in NCAA history. Scarver's next kickoff return for a touchdown will tie four other players for the NCAA record.
 
• For his career, Scarver has returned 80 kickoffs for 2,294 yards and his 28.7 yards per return average ranks third all-time in school history.
 
• This past season, Scarver earned honorable mention all-Mountain West honors as he returned 10 kickoffs for 314 yards and one touchdown – a 94-yarder against Fresno State.
 
• Scarver was also named first-team all-Mountain West as both a sophomore and junior in 2018 and 2019. As a junior, he returned 22 kickoffs for 613 yards and two touchdowns.
 
• In 2018, Scarver was named a consensus All-American as a returner/all-purpose player as he received first-team All-America honors from two of the five outlets that comprise the NCAA Consensus All-America team, including the Walter Camp Football Foundation and the Football Writers Association of America. Scarver also received the Jet Award in 2019 as the nation's most outstanding return specialist as he led the nation in kickoff returns (33.7 ypr) and tied for second with a pair of kickoff returns for touchdowns.
 
THIRTEEN AGGIES GARNER PRESEASON RECOGNITION
• Utah State has 13 student-athletes that garnered preseason recognition this fall, highlighted by senior KOR Savon Scarver, who was named a preseason third-team All-American by Athlon Sports and a preseason fourth-team All-American by Phil Steele's Magazine, along with being a first-team all-Mountain West selection by both publications. Graduate transfer senior ILB Justin Rice was also named first-team all-Mountain West by Phil Steele and to the second team by Athlon Sports. Graduate senior safety Shaq Bond was named to the all-MW third team by both publications, while graduate senior OL Demytrick Ali'ifua and sophomore P Stephen Kotsanlee represented USU on Phil Steele's third team and the Athlon Sports fourth team. Fellow senior OL Alfred Edwards was named to Athlon Sports third team. Graduate senior DT Marcus Moore, graduate transfer senior CB Kyle Mayberry, senior WR Deven Thompkins and junior ILB AJ Vongphachanh were all selected as fourth-team picks by Phil Steele's Magazine, while graduate transfer senior WR Brandon Bowling, graduate senior RB Devonta'e Henry-Cole and graduate senior DE Nick Heninger represented Utah State on the Athlon Sports fourth team.
 
HENINGER NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN
• Utah State graduate senior DE Nick Heninger was named to the 2020-21 Academic All-America Division I second team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Heninger is just the eighth football player in Utah State history to be named an academic All-American, joining USU legend Merlin Olsen (1961), along with Dennis Ferguson (1970), Gary Anderson (1971), Randy Stockham (1974, 1975), Mike Perko (1981), Steve Neeleman (1991) and McKade Brady (2012). Stockham is the only football player in school history to earn the award twice. Heninger earned honorable mention all-MW honors and second-team all-conference honors from ProFootballFocus.com as he finished third on the team with 42 tackles, including 7.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks, to go along with three forced fumbles and one quarterback hurry during the 2020 season. The graduate student from South Jordan, Utah, garnered academic all-MW honors and was one of four student-athletes to receive the USU Whitesides Award as the top student-athlete. He also earned academic all-conference accolades following his first season at Utah State in 2019. Heninger earned his bachelor's degree from Utah in the business scholars' program and his master of business administration from Utah State in the spring of 2021. He is currently working on his second bachelor's degree in unmanned aerial systems, and is a licensed remote pilot under Part 107. 
 
ACADEMICALLY SPEAKING
• Utah State has 20 players on its roster that have already received their bachelor's degree in senior OL Demytrick Ali'ifua, senior DE Jaylin Bannerman, senior S Shaq Bond, junior QB Logan Bonner, senior WR Brandon Bowling, senior WR Sean Carter, senior PK Connor Coles, senior OLB Cash Gilliam, senior CB Andre Grayson, senior DE Nick Heninger, senior RB Devonta'e Henry-Cole, senior OL Maisen Knight, senior CB Kyle Mayberry, junior S Monte McGary, senior DT Marcus Moore, senior WR Jordan Nathan, junior DT Phillip Paea, junior S Hunter Reynolds, senior ILB Justin Rice and junior RB Calvin Tyler Jr.
 
• Utah State football has a 91 percent Graduation Success Rate, which ranks first in the Mountain West, and a 2.97 cumulative grade-point average.
 
• Utah State had 54 football players earn academic all-Mountain West honors in 2020, while 15 players were named MW Scholar-Athletes. 
 
FOUR AGGIES PUT ON SCHOLARSHIP THIS FALL
• Utah State head football coach Blake Anderson put four players on scholarship this fall in senior OL Chandler Dolphin, junior RB Pailate Makakona, sophomore DE Addison Trupp and redshirt freshman LS Jacob Garcia.
 
AGGIES CURRENTLY IN THE NFL
• Utah State currently has 13 players on NFL rosters and has had 13 players drafted into the NFL in the past 11 years. Former Aggies currently in the NFL include CB Jalen Davis (Cincinnati Bengals), LB Kyler Fackrell (Los Angeles Chargers), LB Tipa Galeai (Green Bay Packers), OG Tyler Larsen (Washington Football Team), CB Nevin Lawson (Las Vegas Raiders), SS Dallin Leavitt (Las Vegas Raiders), QB Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers), WR Siaosi Mariner (Baltimore Ravens),TE Dax Raymond (Pittsburgh Steelers), LS Patrick Scales (Chicago Bears), RB Darwin Thompson (Kansas City Chiefs), LB Nick Vigil (Minnesota Vikings) and LB Bobby Wagner (Seattle Seahawks). 
 
AGGIES WHO HAVE SERVED LDS CHURCH MISSIONS 
• Utah State has 13 players on its 2021 roster who have served missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in graduate senior DE Nick Heninger, junior DT James Hansen, junior OL Wade Meacham, sophomore TE Josh Sterzer, sophomore WR Kyle Van Leeuwen, redshirt freshman DE Mata Hola, freshman ILB McKay Breshears, freshman DT Johnson Hansen, freshman WR Franky Jacobsen, freshman ILB Sione Moa, freshman TE Jackson Rigby, freshman DT Seni Tuiaki and redshirt freshman S Crew Wakley.
 
AGGIES WHO ARE MARRIED 
• Utah State has seven players on its 2021 roster who are married in graduate senior OL Demytrick Ali'ifua, graduate senior DE Nick Heninger, senior WR Derek Wright, sophomore DT Aaron Bredsguard, sophomore TE Josh Sterzer, redshirt freshman OL Cole Motes and redshirt freshman S Crew Wakley.
 
UTAH STATE MILESTONES THAT EQUAL SUCCESS
• Utah State has won 35 of its last 42 games when it has a 100-yard rusher and 38 of its last 43 contests when rushing at least 40 times in a game. USU has also won 55 of its last 60 games when scoring at least 30 points.
 
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 was the seventh-youngest team in the nation in 2020 as 69.4 percent of its roster was made up of freshmen and sophomores. Overall, USU had 46 freshmen and 22 sophomores on its 2020 roster, to go along with nine juniors and 21 seniors.
 
• Utah State also had 23 players make their first-career start in 2020, which ranked as the fifth-most in the nation, to go along with 28 players who made their Aggie debut.