UTAH STATE PLAYS AT AIR FORCE IN MOUNTAIN WEST OPENER
Game will be televised live on Fox Sports 2 on Saturday, Sept. 18, at 5:30 p.m. 
 
UTAH STATE (2-0, 0-0 MW) vs. AIR FORCE (2-0, 0-0 MW)
Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021 • 5:30 p.m. • USAFA, Colorado • Falcon Stadium (46,692)
 
GAME 3 INFORMATION
TV: Fox Sports 2 
• Play-by-Play: Cory Provus
• Analyst: Devin Gardner
• Xfinity (Utah): Ch. 264/722HD
• DISH: Ch. 149
• DirecTV: Ch. 618
 
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
• Utah State is 2-0 to start a season for just the second time since 1997 and the first time since the 2012 campaign. The last time USU won its first three games was when the 1978 team started the year with a 5-0 record.    
 
• Utah State has won seven of its last nine league openers and is 6-2 all-time in Mountain West openers, which includes a 3-1 road record. This will be USU's fifth league opener on the road in its nine years in the MW. Overall, USU is 34-27-3 (.555) all-time in conference openers and has a 14-14-3 (.500) record in league openers on the road. 
 
• Utah State will be starting Mountain West play against Air Force for the fifth time in its nine years in the league. USU is 3-1 in its previous four conference openers against the Falcons, which includes a 52-20 road win in 2013.
 
• Utah State is 37-26 (.587) all-time in the Mountain West, including a 16-14 (.533) road record, and has won 48 of its last 73 (.658) league games dating back to 2011. In fact, USU is 16-9 (.640) in its last 25 MW games and 20-13 (.606) in its last 33 games against all opponents.
 
• Utah State (37-26) has the third-best record against Mountain West opponents (including championship games) since USU joined the league in 2013. Boise State (54-12) has the best record in the league during that time, while San Diego State (46-18) has the second-best record. Air Force is tied with Colorado State for the fifth-best record overall (32-29).
 
• Utah State ranks among the top 50 teams in the nation in 14 different statistical categories, including ranking 15th in total offense (531.0 ypg), 21st in passing offense (311.5 ypg), 33rd in rushing offense (219.5 ypg), 36th in scoring offense (37.0 ppg) and 40th in tackles for loss (7.0 pg). Individually, senior WR Deven Thompkins ranks fourth in the nation in receptions (8.0 pg), fifth in the nation in receiving yards (133.0 ypg) and 20th in all-purpose yards (144.0 ypg). 
 
UTAH STATE PLAYS AT AIR FORCE IN MOUNTAIN WEST OPENER
• Utah State (2-0, 0-0 MW) plays at Air Force (2-0, 0-0 MW) in both teams' Mountain West opener on Saturday, Sept. 18, at 5:30 p.m. The game will be televised live on Fox Sports 2 (Xfinity Ch. 264/722HD, DISH Ch. 149, DirecTV Ch. 618) with Cory Provus (play-by-play) and Devin Gardner (analyst) on the call. Live audio of the game is available on www.UtahStateAggies.com.
 
• Utah State is 11-8 (.579) in its last 19 road games, including a 9-5 (.643) Mountain West road record. In its last 19 road games, USU has scored at least 30 points nine times and has had at least 500 yards of total offense six times.
 
AGGIES IN SEPTEMBER
• Utah State has won 10 straight games during the month of September and is 11-1 in its last 12 games during the month. USU is also 1-6 all-time in games played on Sept. 18.
 
LOOKING AT UTAH STATE IN 2021
• Utah State is 2-0 on the season following its 48-24 home win against North Dakota last weekend. USU is led by graduate junior QB Logan Bonner, who is 38-of-57 (.667) passing for 533 yards (266.5 ypg) with five touchdowns and two interceptions. Graduate junior RB Calvin Tyler Jr. has rushed for 156 yards on 28 carries (5.6 ypc/78.0 ypg) with two touchdowns. And, senior WR Deven Thompkins has caught 16 passes for 266 yards (16.6 ypr/133.0 ypg) and two touchdowns. Defensively, graduate senior ILB Justin Rice has 16 tackles, which includes 2.0 tackles for loss, to go along with two interceptions, and junior S Dominic Tatum has 13 tackles, which includes 0.5 tackles for loss, and two pass breakups. As a team, USU is averaging 37.0 points and 531.0 yards of total offense (219.5 rushing, 311.5 passing), and allowing 23.5 points and 399.5 yards of total offense (107.0 rushing, 292.5 passing).
 
AGGIES RALLY FROM CONSECUTIVE DOUBLE-DIGIT DEFICITS
• Utah State has rallied from double-digit deficits in each of its first two games this season as it overcame a 12-point (23-11) fourth-quarter deficit against Washington State and a 14-point (21-7) first-quarter deficit against North Dakota. Against WSU, the Aggies scored the final 15 points of the game in the last 5:25 to post the 26-23 win. And against UND, USU outscored the Fighting Hawks 41-3 over the final three quarters. The last time USU won back-to-back games where it trailed by double digits was in 2011. That year, it rallied from 17 points down (31-14) in the third quarter for a 35-31 win at Hawai'i, and then rallied from 12 points down (33-21) in the fourth quarter by scoring 13 points in the final 5:19 for a 34-33 win against San José State. 
 
UTAH STATE OFFENSIVE NOTABLES FROM NORTH DAKOTA GAME
• Utah State produced 621 yards of total offense in its 48-24 home win against North Dakota last weekend, which is tied for the 12th-most in school history and most since 2019 against Stony Brook (717 yards). USU also had 404 passing yards in the game, which is the 14th-most in school history, and most since 2019 at Wake Forest (416 yards).
 
• Utah State also rushed for 217 yards against North Dakota and has rushed for at least 200 yards in each of its first two games this season. The last time USU rushed for 200-plus yards in back-to-back games was the 2018 season when it accomplished the feat three times.  
 
• Utah State's 48 points against North Dakota are its most since it defeated Stony Brook 62-7 in 2019.
 
• Utah State had a pair of 100-yard receivers (Deven Thompkins  - 172, Brandon Bowling - 118) in the same game for the first time since the 2018 New Mexico Bowl.
 
ANDERSON NOTABLES
• Blake Anderson is the first Utah State head coach to win his first two games since E. Lowell Romney went 3-0 to start his career in 1919. Overall, Anderson is just the fourth head coach in school history to win his first two games along with Dick Richards (1901), Fred M. Walker (1907) and Romney.
 
• Anderson improved to 53-37 (.589) in his eighth season as a collegiate head coach, which includes a 20-23 (.465) road record. Furthermore, 41 of his 53 wins have been by double digits. 
 
FIVE AGGIES MADE THEIR UTAH STATE DEBUT AGAINST NORTH DAKOTA
• Utah State had five players make their Aggie debut last weekend against North Dakota in sophomore DE Darius McFarland, sophomore DE Addison Trupp, sophomore ILB Jaymason Willingham, freshman DT Johnson Hansen and freshman DT Seni Tuiaki. Furthermore, graduate junior S Hunter Reynolds started his first-career game.
 
AGGIES HAD 16 PLAYERS MAKE THEIR AGGIE DEBUT AT WASHINGTON STATE
• Utah State had 16 players make their Aggie debut in the season opener at Washington State in graduate senior WR Brandon Bowling, graduate senior CB Kyle Mayberry, graduate senior ILB Justin Rice, graduate junior QB Logan Bonner, graduate junior S Monte McGary, graduate junior DT Phillip Paea, graduate junior S Hunter Reynolds, graduate junior RB Calvin Tyler Jr., junior DE Patrick Joyner Jr., junior OL Quazzel White, junior DE Byron Vaughns, sophomore PK Elliott Nimrod, redshirt freshman LS Jacob Garcia, redshirt freshman WR Jamie Nance, redshirt freshman S Crew Wakley and freshman WR Otto Tia.  
 
• Utah State had three players make their first-career start at Washington State in senior OL Chandler Dolphin, junior DE Patrick Joyner Jr. and graduate junior RB Calvin Tyler Jr.
 
SCOUTING AIR FORCE
• Air Force is 2-0 on the season following its 23-3 road win at Navy last weekend. The Falcons are led by junior QB Haazig Daniels, who is 6-of-15 (.400) passing for 99 yards (49.5 ypg) with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Junior RB Brad Roberts leads the team in rushing with 208 yards on 54 carries (3.9 ypc/104.0 ypg) with two touchdowns, and sophomore WR Micah Davis has caught three passes for 54 yards (18.0 ypr/27.0 ypg) with no touchdowns. Defensively, junior LB TD Blackmon has 13 tackles, which includes 3.0 tackles for loss, while senior LB Demonte Meeks has 13 tackles, which includes 2.5 sacks. As a team, Air Force is averaging 29.0 points and 322.5 yards of total offense per game (273.0 rushing, 49.5 passing), and allowing 8.5 points and 177.5 yards of total offense (138.5 passing, 39.0 rushing). Air Force posted a 3-3 record last season, including a 2-2 Mountain West mark to finish tied for fifth in the league. The Falcons are coached by Troy Calhoun, who is 103-72 in his 15th season as a collegiate head coach.
 
AGGIES AND FALCONS SERIES HISTORY
• Utah State and Air Force will be meeting for the 10th time in series history this week with the Falcons holding a 6-3 advantage, which includes a 4-1 home record. The Falcons won the first meeting, 38-13, on Nov. 8, 1969, at the USAF Academy. USU then won the next two games with a 52-20 win at the USAF Academy on Sept. 7, 2013, and a 34-16 home win in Logan on Oct. 11, 2014. The Falcons then won three straight meetings with a 35-28 home win on Nov. 14, 2015, a 27-20 road win on Sept. 24, 2016, and a 38-35 home win on Nov. 25, 2017. USU then posted a 42-32 win on Sept. 22, 2018. And, AFA has won the last two meetings with a 31-7 home win on Oct. 26, 2019 and a 35-7 win in Logan on Dec. 3, 2020.
 
UTAH STATE VERSUS THE STATE OF COLORADO
• Utah State is a combined 73-79-6 (.483) against teams from the state of Colorado, with a 35-39-2 mark versus Colorado State, a 13-19-3 ledger against Denver, a 6-11-1 record against Colorado, a 7-0 mark versus Western State, a 5-4 record against Colorado Mines, a 3-0 record versus Colorado College, a 1-0 mark versus Regis, and a 3-6 record against Air Force.
 
UTAH STATE AND AIR FORCE CONNECTIONS
• U.S. Air Force Academy Colonel and former Falcon football player (1973-76) and Athletics Director (1996-2003) Randy Spetman spent four years as the Director of Athletics at Utah State (2004-07). 
 
PLAYER CONNECTIONS BETWEEN UTAH STATE AND AIR FORCE
• The following are connections between Utah State and Air Force players. USU graduate senior DE Nick Heninger and AFA senior FS Ethan Erickson both attended Bingham HS in South Jordan, Utah. USU senior S Jarrod Green and AFA sophomore RB Jacob Trach both attended Cosumnes Oaks HS in Elk Grove, California. And, USU sophomore TE Broc Lane and AFA junior TE Kyle Patterson both attended Perry HS in Gilbert, Arizona.
 
STATS FOR CURRENT AGGIES WITH MULTIPLE GAMES VERSUS AIR FORCE
• The following is a look at what current Utah State players have done against Air Force in multiple games. Graduate senior OL Demytrick Ali'ifua has four knockdowns in four games. Graduate senior S Shaq Bond has 26 tackles, including 2.0 tackles for loss, and one pass breakup in three games. His 12 tackles in 2019 were a career high, which he matched against San Diego State in 2020. Graduate senior CB Andre Grayson has five tackles in two games. Graduate senior DE Nick Heninger has 16 tackles, including 1.0 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in two games. His 14 tackles last year were a career high. Graduate senior WR Jordan Nathan has six receptions for 64 yards (10.7 ypc) and one touchdown, to go along with two punt returns for four yards in four games. Graduate senior ILB Justin Rice has 13 tackles and one yard rushing on one carry in two games. Senior OL Alfred Edwards has one knockdown in three games. Senior CB Zahodri Jackson has three tackles in two games. Senior ILB Kevin Meitzenheimer has 20 tackles in three games. Senior WR Savon Scarver has three catches for 67 yards (22.3 ypc) and five kickoff returns for 101 yards (20.2 ypr) in three games. Senior TE Carson Terrell has three catches for 41 yards in four games. Senior WR Deven Thompkins has seven catches for 34 yards (4.9 ypc) in two games. Junior OLB Ajani Carter has two tackles in two games. Junior DT Hale Motu'apuaka has five tackles in two games. Junior OL Jacob South has five knockdowns in two games. Junior S Dominic Tatum has six tackles in two games. And, junior ILB AJ Vongphachanh has 13 tackles in two games.
 
ON THIS DATE IN AGGIE FOOTBALL HISTORY
• Utah State posted a 34-0 home win against New Mexico State on Sept. 18, 1971, as the Aggies had 322 yards of total offense (220 rushing, 102 passing) and held NMSU to 248 yards (70 rushing, 178 passing). USU's defense forced seven turnovers on the day with five interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Junior QB Tony Adams scored on a 17-yard run in the first quarter and on a 13-yard run in the third quarter. Junior QB/PK Mickey Doyle connected with junior WR Frank Anderson for a 1-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. Doyle also converted a pair of field goals from 30 and 32 yards in the game. Junior RB Jerry Hughes scored the other USU touchdown on a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter. Senior CB Wendell Brooks led the Aggie defense with two interceptions and five pass breakups, to go along with three tackles. 
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Utah State has 34 players on its roster from the Beehive State, while Air Force has eight players on its roster from the Centennial State.
 
SERIES NOTABLES BETWEEN UTAH STATE AND AIR FORCE
• In nine games, Air Force has scored 34 more points than Utah State, 272-238.
 
• Air Force's last two wins in the series have both been by 20-plus points. Utah State's last three wins in the series have all been by double digits (60 points). AFA's previous three wins were by one score and a total of 17 points (5.7 ppg). 
 
• The winning team has scored at least 27 points in all nine meetings, while seven of the nine winners have scored at least 34 points. Conversely, the losing team has only scored less than 20 points four times. 
 
• The team that has more yards of total offense has won seven of the nine meetings in the series, with the exception being when Utah State lost back-to-back games despite having 88 more yards of total offense (414-326) in 2016 and 81 more yards (521-440) in 2017. 
 
• The team that controls the time of possession has won six of the last eight games.
 
• The team with the most rushing yards has won seven of the nine games in the series.
 
 
• The team that scores first has won seven of the nine games played in the series, while the team that leads at the half has won eight of the nine games played in the series.
 
• Air Force has had three 100-yard receivers in series history, but has never had a 300-yard passer. 
 
• Air Force has had a 100-yard rusher in three of the last four meetings, including two in 2017. In the first five games in the series, AFA did not have a 100-yard rusher against Utah State.
 
• Utah State has had four 300-yard passers and four 100-yard receivers in series history, and has had a 100-yard rusher in two of the last four games played in the series.
 
• The team with fewer turnovers has won four of the last seven games played in the series.
 
• Utah State has passed for at least 280 yards in six of the last eight games against Air Force. In 2018, Jordan Love was 26-of-38 passing for a then-career-high 356 yards and two touchdowns. In 2017, Love was 17-of-30 for 284 yards with two touchdowns. In 2016, Kent Myers was 29-of-47 for 360 yards and one touchdown. In 2015, Myers was 25-of-47 for a career-high 364 yards and four touchdowns. In 2014, Darrel Garretson was 20-of-29 for 298 yards and two touchdowns. And in 2013, Chuckie Keeton was 32-of-40 for 360 yards and five touchdowns.
 
• Utah State has traditionally put up some big offensive numbers against Air Force. In its first six meetings since joining the Mountain West in 2013, USU averaged 35.2 points and 471.4 yards of total offense per game (341.2 passing, 130.2 rushing), which includes two games of 500-plus yards (2013, 2017), two games with over 200 yards rushing (2013, 2017), and passing for over 300 yards in every game except 2017, when it passed for 284 yards. In the last two meetings, USU has passed for just 114 and 123 yards, respectively.
 
FROM THE RECORD BOOKS
Here is a look at some of the top Utah State team and individual statistical performances against Air Force over the years.
 
• Chuckie Keeton tied his own school record with five touchdown passes at Air Force in 2013. 
 
• Jess Garcia punted a school-record 14 times against Air Force in 1969.
 
• Kent Myers' 364 passing yards at Air Force in 2015 are tied for the 28th-most in a single game in Utah State history. 
 
• Hunter Sharp's 193 receiving yards at Air Force in 2015 are tied for the 19th-most in school history.
 
• Zach Vigil had a career-high 22 tackles against Air Force in 2014, which is tied for the fifth-most in a single game in school history.
 
• Utah State punted 14 times against Air Force in 1969, which is tied for the most in a single game in school history.
 
• Utah State held Air Force to 24 passing yards in its 2019 meeting and 33 passing yards in 2017, which are the 12th-and 16th-fewest in school history.
 
UTAH STATE IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST
• Utah State is 164-187-8 (.466) all-time against current members of the Mountain West with a 40-26-4 record vs. Wyoming, a 35-39-2 record vs. Colorado State, a 17-7 record vs. UNLV, an 18-20-1 record vs. San José State, a 14-13 record vs. New Mexico, a 13-18-1 record vs. Fresno State, a 10-6 record vs. Hawai`i, a 7-19 record vs. Nevada, a 5-20 record vs. Boise State, a 3-6 record vs. Air Force, and a 2-13 record vs. San Diego State.
 
• Utah State is in its ninth year as a member of the Mountain West in 2020 and has been a Division I-A/Bowl Championship Series football playing school in each of its 123 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.
 
LAST MEETING vs. AIR FORCE
LOGAN, Utah - In its final home game of the 2020 season, Utah State scored a touchdown on its opening drive, but could not score again in a 35-7 Mountain West loss to Air Force at Maverik Stadium on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020. 
 
Utah State (1-5, 1-5 MW) took the opening kickoff and marched 65 yards in 15 plays, capped by a 4-yard touchdown pass from sophomore QB Andrew Peasley to senior WR Jordan Nathan. It was the Aggies' longest drive of the year as they took more than eight minutes off of the clock. 
 
Peasley, the defending MW Offensive Player of the Week, was 17-of-32 passing for 123 yards and the one touchdown, to go along with a pair of interceptions. He also led the Aggies in rushing with 53 yards on eight carries. 
 
Senior WR Derek Wright and sophomore WR Tim Patrick Jr. led Utah State's receiving corps as each caught three passes for 21 yards. Senior WR Taylor Compton and freshman RB Elelyon Noa added three catches apiece for 18 and 15 yards, respectively. Senior TE Carson Terrell added two receptions for a team-best 27 yards and Nathan finished the game with two catches for 15 yards. Noa also carried the ball 10 times for 30 yards. 
 
Freshman RB John Gentry led Utah State with 129 all-purpose yards as he returned five kickoffs for 118 yards and added 11 rushing yards on four carries. 
 
Utah State finished with 232 yards of total offense (123 passing, 109 rushing). Conversely, Air Force recorded 461 total yards, including 351 on the ground. The Falcons came into the game with a nation-leading rushing average of 336.5 yards per game. USU started the game by converting its first five third downs and finished the game 9-of-14 on third down, as compared to 5-of-10 for Air Force. The Falcons also went 3-of-4 on fourth down and possessed the ball for 34:54. 
 
Air Force QB Haazig Daniels completed 7-of-9 passes for 127 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown pass to Ben Peterson that gave the Falcons (3-2, 2-2 Mountain West) the lead for good, 14-7, with 9:32 remaining in the second quarter. Right before intermission, Daniels scored on a 37-yard touchdown run to cap an eight-play, 99-yard drive, giving the Falcons a 21-7 lead at the break. 
 
Kadin Remsberg led the Falcons' ground attack with 107 yards and one touchdown on just 11 carries. Brad Roberts added 98 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. 
Defensively, Utah State was led by senior OLB Nick Heninger. The reigning MW Defensive Player of the Week recorded a career-high 14 stops to lead the Aggies, while senior lLB Kevin Meitzenheimer added 10 tackles. For Heninger, it was his first-career double-digit tackle outing, while Meitzenheimer record the third of his career. 
 
Senior S Shaq Bond had seven tackles, including 1.0 tackles for loss, while senior DL Justus Te'i had USU's only sack of the game. 
 
Freshman P Stephen Kotsanlee had all three of his punts downed inside the 20-yard line. 
 
Utah State had four players make their first-career starts in the game in redshirt freshman OLB Kaleo Neves, freshman S Luke Marion, freshman TE Josh Sterzer and Noa, to give USU 23 first-time starters on the season. Sophomore RB Cooper Jones and redshirt freshman DL Aaron Bredsguard also made their Aggie debut. 
 
LAST ROAD MEETING vs. AIR FORCE
USAFA, Colo. - Three different Air Force players rushed for at least 88 yards and combined for four touchdowns as the Falcons posted a 31-7 Mountain West home win against Utah State on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. 
 
The Aggies (4-3, 3-1 Mountain West) had trouble moving the ball all night against Air Force, which limited Utah State to just 128 total yards and seven first downs. In fact, USU did not record its initial first down until the second quarter, which proved to be the only time they moved the sticks during the first 30 minutes of play. 
 
The Falcons (6-2, 4-1 MW), who improved to 4-0 at home this season, led 17-0 at halftime following a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs by Timothy Jackson and Kadin Remsburg, and a 57-yard field goal from Jake Koehnke. 
 
Jackson finished with 148 yards rushing and the one touchdown on 25 carries, Remsburg added 92 yards and two scores on 16 carries, and Taven Birdow finished the night with 88 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries. 
 
Air Force racked up 472 yards of total offense, including 448 yards on the ground. The Falcons had 30 first downs – holding USU to just seven in the process – and held the ball for nearly 46 minutes on the cold and windy night. 
 
The Aggies, who have lost three straight on the road to Air Force, showed some life in the third quarter. USU took the second-half kickoff and marched 75 yards in nine plays, capped by a 27-yard touchdown pass from junior QB Jordan Love to senior graduate transfer WR Siaosi Mariner, cutting the deficit to 17-7. 
 
Utah State then forced the Falcons to punt on the ensuing possession, but Air Force's Charlie Scott pinned the Aggies on their own 1-yard line. 
 
Utah State went three-and-out on its series, and punted the ball back to Air Force. The Falcons scored touchdowns on their next two drives to put the game away for good. 
 
Love finished 14-of-23 passing for 114 yards. Sophomore WR Deven Thompkins led the Aggies with six receptions for 26 yards, while Mariner caught three passes for 38 yards, including his 27-yard touchdown. 
 
Defensively, Utah State forced a pair of fumbles on Air Force's first two series. Senior CB DJ Williams recovered the first one for the Aggies that was forced by fellow senior CB Cameron Haney, while junior graduate transfer DE Nick Heninger recovered the second that was forced by senior DE Devon Anderson. Heninger also forced a fumble and had a sack in the game. 
 
Unfortunately for Utah State, the offense couldn't do anything with the takeaways. 
 
The Aggies had three defensive players with double-digit tackles, led by Williams, who had a career-high 14 stops. Junior S Shaq Bond had a career-high 12 tackles, and junior linebacker David Woodward added 11 stops for his fifth-straight double-digit tackle outing. 
 
Senior PK Dominik Eberle scored one point in the game to give him 308 in his career, which is tied with Robert Turbin for the most in school history. 
 
Junior P Christopher Bartolic punted a season-high eight times for an average of 45.5 yards, which included a career-long 71-yarder, which is the 11th-longest in school history. Bartolic also had two punts downed inside the 20-yard line. 
 
GAME 2 RECAP vs. NORTH DAKOTA
LOGAN, Utah - Junior QB Logan Bonner passed for a career-best 390 yards and a career-high-tying four touchdowns, including two to senior WR Derek Wright, as Utah State doubled up North Dakota 48-24 on Friday, Sept. 10, on Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium. 
 
For Utah State, it is its first 2-0 start to a season since 2012 and just its second since the 1997 campaign. Furthermore, the Aggies gave first-year head coach Blake Anderson his second win in as many outings to become just the fourth head coach in school history to win his first two games at the helm and the first since E. Lowell "Dick" Romney in 1919. 
 
North Dakota came out swinging by scoring touchdowns on its first three possessions to open a 21-7 lead with 1:21 remaining in the opening quarter. 
 
Just like they did a week ago in upsetting heavily-favored Washington State on the road, the Aggies didn't panic when faced with a double-digit deficit. Down by two touchdowns, Utah State pared the deficit to 21-20 at the half courtesy of a pair of field goals from senior PK Connor Coles and Wright's first touchdown reception of the night, a 4-yarder from Bonner. Coles finished the game by scoring a career-high 12 points as he made both of his field goals from 26 and 37 yards, and was a perfect 6-for-6 on extra points. 
 
The Aggies took their first lead of the night, one in which they would not relinquish, on a 75-yard touchdown pass from Bonner to senior WR Deven Thompkins, who was the beneficiary of a key block from junior WR Justin McGriff to help spring the speedster. That made it 27-24 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter. 
 
Bonner and the Aggies poured it on from there as the signal caller threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Wright, while junior RB Calvin Tyler Jr. scored on a 2-yard run on fourth down and junior QB Andrew Peasley added a 59-yard touchdown run. Wright finished the game by tying his career-high with four receptions for a career-best 73 yards, including his career-high two touchdowns. 
 
Thompkins led all receivers in the game with a career-high-tying eight catches for a career-best 172 yards, while graduate senior WR Brandon Bowling had six receptions for a career-best 118 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown pass from Bonner in the first quarter. 
 
Utah State finished with 621 yards of total offense, which is tied for the 12th-most in school history, including 404 through the air, which is the 14th-most in school history. Tyler led the USU rushing attack with 72 yards on a career-high-tying 14 carries. 
 
The Fighting Hawks, who were ranked No. 9 in the FCS Top 25, finished with 439 yards of total offense, including nearly 200 in the first quarter alone. Quarterback Tommy Schuster was 29-of-43 for 348 yards and one touchdown. 
 
Graduate senior ILB Justin Rice led Utah State's defense as he finished the game with nine tackles, which included 1.0 tackles for loss, to go along with a career-best two interceptions. Graduate junior S Hunter Reynolds also had nine tackles, including 0.5 tackles for loss, in his first-career start. 
 
Utah State is now 12-1 in its last 13 home openers, which includes a current 12-game winning streak against non-conference opponents. 
 
Utah State has now won 10 straight games during the month of September and is 11-1 in its last 12 games during the month. USU has also now won eight-straight home games in September and 16 of its last 17 overall during the month. 
 
RICE NAMED MOUNTAIN WEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK 
• Graduate senior ILB Justin Rice has been named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week following his performance in Utah State's 48-24 home win against North Dakota last weekend. Rice had a career-high two interceptions to go along with a team-best nine tackles, which included 1.0 tackles for loss. For Rice, he is the first Aggie to have multiple interceptions in a game since DJ Williams had a pair of picks at New Mexico in 2019.
 
• Overall, it is the second time in his career that Rice has been named the MW Defensive Player of the Week, as he also received the honor at Fresno State in 2019. For his career, Rice has now been named the Defensive Player of the Week in his conference three times, as he was honored by the Sun Belt in 2020. 
 
BONNER HAS CAREER GAME AGAINST NORTH DAKOTA 
• Utah State graduate junior QB Logan Bonner had one of the best games of his career this past weekend against North Dakota as he was 21-of-33 passing for a career-best 390 yards and a career-high-tying four touchdowns (54, 4, 75, 41). Those 390 passing yards are tied for the 17th-most in school history. It is also the fourth time in his career he has had four touchdown passes. Bonner's four touchdown passes are the most by an Aggie since Jordan Love also had four touchdown passes against North Texas in the 2018 New Mexico Bowl.   
 
THOMPKINS HAS CAREER NIGHT AGAINST NORTH DAKOTA 
• Senior WR Deven Thompkins had perhaps the best game of his collegiate career this past weekend against North Dakota as he tied his career high with eight receptions for a career-best 172 yards, which included a career-long 75-yard reception for a touchdown. It was his first-career 100-yard receiving game and the most receiving yards by an Aggie since Hunter Sharp had 193 yards against Air Force in 2015. Thompkins is the first Aggie to have at least eight receptions in consecutive games since Sharp during the 2014 season.
 
BOWLING HAS BEST GAME AS AN AGGIE 
• Graduate senior WR Brandon Bowling had his best game as an Aggie this past weekend as he caught six passes for a career-high 118 yards, which included a career-long reception of 54 yards that resulted in a touchdown. Overall, it was Bowling's second-career 100-yard receiving game.
 
WRIGHT HAS CAREER-HIGH TWO TOUCHDOWNS AGAINST NORTH DAKOTA 
• Senior WR Derek Wright had his best game as an Aggie this past weekend against North Dakota as he tied his career high with four receptions for a career-best 73 yards and caught a career-high two touchdowns. His second touchdown of 41 yards was also the longest reception of his career. Wright is the first Aggie with multiple touchdown receptions in the same game since Siaosi Mariner had two touchdowns against Kent State in the 2019 Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl.
 
MORE OFFENSIVE NOTABLES FROM NORTH DAKOTA GAME 
• Graduate junior RB Calvin Tyler Jr. scored his second rushing touchdown of the season and the fourth of his career on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter. Tyler also tied his career high with 14 rushing attempts. Junior QB Andrew Peasley scored his first rushing touchdown of the season and the fifth of his career on a 59-yard run in the fourth quarter. Sophomore RB Elelyon Noa rushed for a career-high 45 yards on a career-high-tying 10 carries. Noa also had a career-long 18-yard rush in the first quarter. Sophomore RB John Gentry had a career-long 24-yard rush in the second quarter. 
 
REYNOLDS HAS NINE TACKLES IN FIRST-CAREER START 
• Graduate junior S Hunter Reynolds had a season-high nine tackles, including 0.5 tackles for loss, which was his first-career tackle for loss this past weekend against North Dakota as he made his first-career start. 
 
MORE DEFENSIVE NOTABLES FROM NORTH DAKOTA GAME 
• Junior DT Hale Motu'apuaka tied his career high with four tackles and had a career-high 1.0 tackles for loss to give him 1.5 tackles for loss on the season and 2.0 tackles for loss in his career.  Sophomore DT Poukesi Vakauta had a career-high 1.0 tackles for loss to give him 1.5 tackles for loss in his career. Graduate senior DE Jaylin Bannerman tied his career high with 1.0 sacks to give him 2.0 sacks this season and in his career. He also now has 3.5 tackles for loss this season and 4.5 tackles for loss in his career. Junior DE Byron Vaughns had a career-high 1.5 tackles for loss, the first of his career, to go along with his first-career pass breakup. Junior S Dominic Tatum had one pass breakup to give him two pass breakups this season and six in his career. Junior S Monte McGary had a career-high three tackles. Junior CB Cam Lampkin had one pass breakup to give him two pass breakups on the season and six in his career. 
 
UTAH STATE INSIDE MAVERIK STADIUM
• Utah State improved to 153-110 all-time inside Maverik Stadium and is now 41-14 in its last 55 home games. Overall, USU has won eight of its last nine non-conference home games and is now 20-4 in its last 24 non-conference home games. 
 
• Utah State has now won 12 of its last 13 home openers, which includes a 12-game winning streak against non-conference opponents.
 
COLES SCORES CAREER-HIGH 12 POINTS IN NORTH DAKOTA GAME
• Senior PK Connor Coles scored a career-high 12 points as he was 6-for-6 on extra points and 2-of-2 on field goals (26, 37) this past weekend against North Dakota. Coles is now 5-of-5 on the season and 8-of-8 in his career on field goal attempts, including 3-of-3 this season and 4-of-4 in his career from 20-29 yards, and 2-of-2 this season and 3-of-3 in his career from 30-39 yards. 
 
• Coles is a perfect 8-of-8 on field goal attempts in his career. The school record for consecutive made field goals is 10 held by Dene Garner (1985) and Doug Beach (1990). Ironically, Garner's school-record 10 made field goals in a row, were the first 10 of his career.
 
• Coles was named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time in his career following his performance against Washington State in the season opener as he was 3-of-3 on field goals (23, 39, 28) and 1-for-1 on extra points as he scored 10 points against the Cougars. Those three made field goals against WSU are a career high.
 
• Coles was also named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week in 2020 following his performance against New Mexico (11/26) on Thanksgiving, as he was 2-of-2 on field goals and 5-of-5 on extra points, as he tallied a then-career-high 11 points. Against the Lobos, he made field goals from 27 and a career-long 44 yards out.
 
SCARVER HAS SIX-CAREER KICKOFF RETURNS FOR TOUCHDOWN
• Senior WR Savon Scarver has returned six kickoffs for touchdowns during his career, which breaks the school record that was previously held by Kevin Robinson (2004-07), who returned four kickoffs for touchdowns during his career. 
 
• Scarver's six kickoff returns for touchdown are the second-most in Mountain West history, behind San Diego State's Rashaad Penny (2014-17), who had seven. 
 
• The NCAA record for kickoff returns for touchdowns in a career is seven set by four players (Clemson's C.J. Spiller (2006-09), Houston's Tyron Carrier (2008-11), Memphis' Tony Pollard (2015-18) and Penny), and Scarver's six kickoff returns for touchdowns is tied with four other players (Tulsa's Ashlan Davis (2004-05), UCF's Quincy McDuffie (2009-12), Oklahoma State's Justin Gilbert (2010-13) and Duke's Devon Edwards (2013-16) for the fifth-most in NCAA history. 
 
• Of his six career kickoff returns for touchdowns, three have been from 100 yards, while the others were from 99, 96 and 94 yards, respectively.
 
AGGIES CURRENTLY IN THE NFL
• Utah State currently has 11 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), LS Patrick Scales (Chicago Bears), RB Darwin Thompson (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), LB Nick Vigil (Minnesota Vikings) and LB Bobby Wagner (Seattle Seahawks). 
 
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 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.
 
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. 
 
UTAH STATE HAS ALLOWED ONE SACK IN TWO GAMES
• Utah State has only allowed one sack in its first two games of the 2021 season and ranks second in the Mountain West and fifth in the nation in sacks allowed (0.50 pg). USU also ranks second in the MW and 15th in the nation in total offense (531.0 ypg), third in the MW and 33rd in the nation in rushing offense (219.5 ypg), third in the MW and 36th in the nation in scoring offense (37.0 ppg), fifth in the MW and 21st in the nation in passing offense (311.5 ypg), fifth in the MW and 60th in the nation in completion percentage (.630), and seventh in the MW and 71st in the nation in passing efficiency (134.6).  
 
• Utah State also ranks second in the MW and 29th in the nation in fourth down conversions at 85.7 percent (6-of-8), third in the MW and 38th in the nation in first downs (24.0 pg), and third in the MW and 43rd in the nation in fumbles lost with one (0.50 pg).
 
UTAH STATE 44TH IN THE NATION IN RUSHING DEFENSE
• Utah State is allowing 107.0 rushing yards per game to rank fifth in the Mountain West and 44th in the nation. USU also ranks sixth in the MW and 40th in the nation in tackles for loss (7.0), seventh in the MW and 74th in the nation in scoring defense (23.5 ppg), eighth in the MW and 88th in the nation in passing efficiency defense (136.2), eighth in the MW and 92nd in the nation in total defense (399.5 ypg), 11th in the MW and 86th in the nation in sacks (1.5 pg), and 12th in the MW and 116th in the nation in passing defense (292.5 ypg). 
 
• Utah State also ranks fifth in the MW and 44th in the nation in red zone defense at 80.0 percent (8-of-10), fifth in the MW and 60th in the nation in third down conversions allowed at 34.8 percent (8-of-23), sixth in the MW and 41st in the nation with two passes intercepted, and sixth in the MW and 42nd in the nation with its one fumble recovery.   
 
UTAH STATE 13TH IN THE NATION IN PUNT RETURN DEFENSE
• Utah State has punted six times in its first two games of the season and has not allowed a single return yard as the Aggies are tied for second in the Mountain West and 13th in the nation in punt return defense (0.0 ypr). USU also ranks third in the MW and 11th in the nation in punt returns (19.0 ypr), sixth in the MW and 58th in the nation in net punting (40.3 ypp), seventh in the MW and 58th in the nation in kickoff return defense (18.4 ypr), and 10th in the MW and 109th in the nation in kickoff returns (14.8 ypr). 
 
UTAH STATE HAS FORCED THREE TURNOVERS ON THE SEASON
• Utah State has forced three turnovers during the first two games of the 2021 season with a fumble recovery on the last play of the game against Washington State and two interceptions against North Dakota. Overall, USU has forced three or more turnovers in 26 of its last 84 games and has scored 25 defensive touchdowns in its last 93 games. 
 
AGGIES IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST AND NCAA RANKINGS IN 2021
• The following is a look at where current Aggies rank in the Mountain West and in the NCAA in individual categories following the first two weeks of college football. Senior PK Connor Coles is tied for first nationally in field goal percentage (1.000), is second in the MW and third in the nation in field goals made per game (2.5), and is fifth in the MW and 36th in the nation in scoring (10.5 ppg). Senior WR Deven Thompkins is first in the MW and fifth in the nation in receiving (133.0 ypg), second in the MW and fourth in the nation in receptions (8.0 pg), and second in the MW and 20th in the nation in all-purpose yards (144.0 ypg). Graduate senior ILB Justin Rice is second in the MW and fourth in the nation with two interceptions (1.0 pg), fifth in the MW and 24th in the nation in passes defended (1.5 pg), and sixth in the MW and 58th in the nation in tackles (8.0 pg). Junior CB Michael Anyanwu is second in the MW and sixth in the nation in fumbles recovered with one (0.5 pg), and fourth in the MW and 19th in the nation in fumbles forced with one (0.5 pg). Graduate junior RB Calvin Tyler Jr. is second in the MW and 52nd in the nation in rushing yards per carry (5.6 ypc), and fifth in the MW and 63rd in the nation in rushing yards (78.0 ypg). Graduate senior DE Jaylin Bannerman is third in the MW and 18th in the nation in tackles for loss (1.8 pg), and third in the MW and 27th in the nation in sacks (1.0 pg). Senior WR Savon Scarver is second in the MW and 28th in the nation in kickoff returns (21.7 ypg). And, graduate junior QB Logan Bonner is fourth in the MW and 38th in the nation in completion percentage (.667), fifth in the MW and 21st in the nation in passing touchdowns with five (2.5 pg), fifth in the MW and 54th in the nation in passing efficiency (145.3), seventh in the MW and 28th in the nation in total offense (281.0 ypg), seventh in the MW and 30th in the nation in passing (266.5 ypg), and  seventh in the MW and 44th in the nation in completions (19.0 pg). 
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Utah State has already had eight drives this season of at least 10 plays, including a season-long 15-play drive at Washington State. By comparison, USU had a total of 13 drives of 10-plus plays the entire 2019 season and three such drives in 2020.
 
• Utah State has had seven drives of at least 70 yards on the season, including a season-long 82-yard drive against North Dakota. By comparison, USU had 32 drives of 70-plus yards the entire 2019 season and four such drives in 2020.
 
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. 
 
WHAT'S RETURNING IN 2021 
• 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, 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. 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 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.
 
• 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 S Dominic Tatum and sophomore OL Falepule Alo.
 
• 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 11 Power 5 transfers on its roster in in graduate senior RB Devonta'e Henry-Cole (Utah), graduate senior DE Nick Heninger (Utah), graduate senior DT Marcus Moore (UCLA), graduate junior RB Calvin Tyler Jr. (Oregon State), 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). 
 
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 HAVE NEW COORDINATORS FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT YEAR IN 2021
• Utah State has new offensive, defensive and special teams coordinators for the fourth straight season this fall. 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.
 
DID YOU KNOW? 
• 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).
 
HEAD COACH BLAKE ANDERSON
• Blake Anderson (hired on Dec. 12, 2020) is in his first season as Utah State's head coach and is the 29th head coach in program history.
 
• Anderson has 28 years of collegiate coaching experience and has been part of five conference championship teams. He has also coached in 11 bowl games and won a national championship at the junior college level.
 
• 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.
 
• Arkansas State also won back-to-back Sun Belt Conference Championships under Anderson in 2015 and 2016, and competed for another in 2017 in A-State's regular-season finale that was a de facto championship game.
 
• During that six-year stretch, the Red Wolves broke 12 school records, including 494.8 yards of total offense per game, 4,106 passing yards and 38 touchdown passes in 2017, 520 points scored and 69 total touchdowns in 2015, and 6,174 yards of total offense and 1,024 total plays in 2014.
 
• Entering the 2020 season, the Red Wolves had won at least seven games, including at least five league games, every year under Anderson, including a nine-victory campaign in 2015 and eight-win seasons in 2016, 2018 and 2019. 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. Those 51 wins, 40 of which were by double digits, are tied for the third-most in school history.
 
• The Anderson-led Red Wolves were one of just 20 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs in the nation, including six from the Group of Five, to post a winning record six-consecutive seasons from 2014-19. A-State's 51 wins under Anderson were tied for the 41st-most in the country during his seven seasons at the helm, while his 38 league wins are the second-most in Sun Belt history.
 
• Statistically, Arkansas State annually ranked as one of the top offensive teams in the nation under Anderson. In 2020, the Red Wolves led the Sun Belt Conference and ranked 15th nationally in total offense at 489.7 yards per game. ASU also led the Sun Belt in total offense in 2018 (466.2 yards per game), 2017 (494.8 ypg) and 2014 (476.5 ypg), and ranked second in 2015 (438.5 ypg). Furthermore, the 2017 team ranked 10th in the nation in total offense, while the 2018 team was 17th and the 2014 team was 20th nationally.
 
• As for passing offense, Arkansas State led the Sun Belt Conference and ranked third in the nation in 2020 at 364.4 yards per game. In 2019, the Red Wolves finished second in the conference and 10th in the nation with 312.1 passing yards per game. ASU also led the Sun Belt in passing offense in both 2017 and 2018 with 342.2 and 281.5 passing yards per game, respectively. The 2017 team also ranked fifth nationally in that category, while the 2018 team was 21st in the nation.
 
• Arkansas State also led the Sun Belt Conference in scoring offense three times under Anderson as the 2017 team averaged 37.8 points per game to rank 13th nationally, while the 2015 team averaged 40.0 points per game to rank 12th in the nation, and the 2014 team averaged 36.7 points per game to rank 18th nationally. In fact, six of Anderson's seven Red Wolves teams averaged over 30 points per game.
 
• Overall, each of Anderson's first six squads at Arkansas State ranked among the top-45 teams in the nation in at least 23 combined offensive, defensive and special teams categories, including the 2018 team that led the nation in punt return defense (-1.9 yards per return), the 2016 team that led the nation in tackles for loss (9.6 per game) and the 2015 squad that led the nation in both defensive touchdowns (8) and passes intercepted (26).
 
• Along the way, Anderson saw 11 of his players earn all-Sun Belt recognition in 2014, followed by 16 in 2015, 2016 and 2019, and a school-record 18 in 2017. All six seasons combined, Anderson coached 65 different players to 97 all-conference selections – the most in the league over that span.
 
• Following the 2019 campaign, Anderson received the Capital One Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award and was named the Grant Teaff Coach of the Year, presented annually by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, as he guided the Red Wolves to an 8-5 record and Camellia Bowl championship after his wife, Wendy, passed away prior to the start of the season following a courageous battle with cancer. 
 
• A two-year letterwinner at wide receiver for Sam Houston State from 1990-91, Anderson was named Southland Conference all-academic as a senior. He also played for two years as a quarterback and receiver at Baylor (1988-89) before transferring. Anderson graduated with his bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Sam Houston State in 1992. He also attained his master's degree in sports administration from Eastern New Mexico in 1994.