End of Season Notes

2021 UTAH STATE FOOTBALL FINAL NOTES PACKAGE
11-3 Overall (6-2 Mountain West) - Ranked 24th in Final Associated Press and Coaches Polls 
 
END OF SEASON NOTES
• Utah State (11-3, 6-2 Mountain West) had its best season in school history under first-year head coach Blake Anderson, which culminated in a 24-13 win against Oregon State in the inaugural Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. USU also won its first-ever MW Championship with a 46-13 road win at No. 19 San Diego State, for its first victory against a ranked opponent in six seasons. And, USU tied the school record for wins with 11, which included a pair of Power 5 victories for the first time in school history with its season-opening 26-23 win at Washington State and its LA Bowl win against Oregon State.
 
• Utah State finished the season ranked 24th in both The Associated Press and Coaches polls. It is just the fifth time in school history that USU has finished a season nationally ranked, along with the 1961, 1972, 2012 and 2018 teams. 
 
• Utah State improved to 6-9 all-time in bowl games as it played in its ninth bowl in the last 11 years this season, after playing in six bowl games in its first 119 seasons. USU also improved to 1-1 all-time in bowl games against Power 5 opponents as its only other matchup was a 24-9 loss to Baylor in the 1961 Gotham Bowl, held in Upper Manhattan, New York.
 
• Utah State has now won a school-record 11 games three different times in school history (2012, 2018, 2021) and 10-plus games four times in the last 10 years after not reaching double digits in victories in each of its first 120 seasons. Over the last 10 years, USU has averaged 7.5 wins per season.
 
• Utah State's 10-game improvement this year is tied with Baylor (2-7 in '20 to 12-2 in '21) and Michigan (2-4 in '20 to 12-2 in '21) for the best turnaround in the nation as the Aggies were 1-5 last season and went 11-3 this year. 
 
• Utah State is the first Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team ever to go from zero or one win to 11 or more wins in one season.
 
• Utah State went 7-0 on the road and 8-0 away from home for the first time in school history and USU is the first FBS team in eight years to post a 7-0 road record.
 
• Utah State held each of its final three opponents to 13 or fewer points and five of its last six opponents to 17 or fewer points. The last time USU held three-straight opponents to 13 or fewer points was 1983.
 
• Utah State set 10 school records during the 2021 campaign with its 41 touchdown passes (32 in 2018), 4,248 passing yards (3,825 in 2018), 8.45 passing yards per attempt (6.84 in 2018), 334 first downs (310 in 2013), 180 passing first downs (164 in 2018), three receivers with 10-plus touchdown receptions, two blocked punts in one game (vs. San Diego State), eight wins away from home, seven road wins and two wins against Power 5 schools. USU also tied four more school records with its 11 wins, 14 games played, (2013, 2014, 2021), 13 100-yard receiving games (1996) and five passing touchdowns in a single game.   
 
• Senior WR Deven Thompkins set three school records this year with 102 receptions for 1,704 yards, and five games with at least 170 receiving yards. Kevin Curtis held the school record for receptions (100) and receiving yards (1,531), both of which were set in 2001, while Kevin Alexander held the school record with four games with at least 170 receiving yards in 1995. Thompkins also tied the school record with six consecutive 100-yard receiving games that was set by Curtis in 2001, and tied the school record with nine 100-yard receiving games in a season that was set by Nakia Jenkins in 1996 and tied by Curtis in 2001.
 
• Graduate junior QB Logan Bonner set five school records this year with 3,628 passing yards, 36 touchdown passes, four touchdown passes in three straight games, four touchdown passes in six games in a season and 2.57 touchdown passes per game. Jordan Love held the school records for passing yards (3,567), passing touchdowns (32) and passing touchdowns per game (2.46), all of which were set in 2018. Bonner also tied the school record for passing touchdowns in a game (5) this year, which has now been done 14 times by six different quarterbacks.
 
A FINAL LOOK AT UTAH STATE
• Utah State finished the 2021 season ranked 24th in the nation in both The Associated Press and Coaches polls. USU tied the school record for wins as it finished the season with an 11-3 record following its 24-13 victory against Oregon State in the inaugural Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. USU, which won the Mountain Division of the conference with a 6-2 league record, also won its first-ever MW title with a 46-13 victory at No. 19 San Diego State in the conference championship game. USU, which finished the season winning eight of its last nine games, was led by graduate junior QB Logan Bonner, who was 263-of-429 (.613) passing for 3,628 yards (259.1 ypg) with 36 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Graduate junior RB Calvin Tyler Jr. rushed for 884 yards on 196 carries (4.5 ypc/73.7 ypg) with seven touchdowns. And, senior WR Deven Thompkins caught 102 passes for 1,704 yards (16.7 ypr/121.7 ypg) and 10 touchdowns. Defensively, graduate senior ILB Justin Rice had 124 tackles, which included 13.5 tackles for loss, to go along with three interceptions and two forced fumbles. USU finished the season averaging 32.6 points and 446.6 yards of total offense (143.1 rushing, 303.4 passing) and allowed 24.4 points and 392.7 yards of total offense (161.8 rushing, 230.9 passing).
 
UTAH STATE FINISHES SEASON NATIONALLY RANKED FOR FIFTH TIME
• For just the fifth time in school history, Utah State finished a season nationally ranked along with the 2018, 2012, 1972 and 1961 teams. USU concluded this year 24th in The Associated Press poll with 163 votes and 24th in the Coaches poll with 142 votes. It was the first time this season that USU was ranked in either poll. 
 
• This is the first time Utah State has ended a season nationally ranked since 2018, when that team finished the year 21st in the Coaches poll and 22nd in the AP poll as it went 11-2 and tied the school record for wins. The 2012 team finished the year 16th in the AP poll, 17th in the Coaches poll and 23rd in the final BCS standings as it went 11-2 and set the school record for wins. The 1972 team finished with an 8-3 record and was 19th in the final United Press International (UPI) poll. And, the 1961 team posted a 9-1-1 record and was 10th in both the final AP and UPI polls.
 
UTAH STATE WINS 13TH CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
• With its 46-13 victory at No.19 San Diego State in the Mountain West Championship Game, Utah State claimed its 13 conference championship in school history and first since it won the Western Athletic Conference in 2012. USU also won five Big West Conference titles (1978, 1979, 1993, 1996, 1997), three Skyline Conference titles (1946, 1960, 1961), and two Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles (1921, 1936).
 
UTAH STATE FIRST TEAM EVER TO GO FROM ONE WIN TO 11 WINS
• Utah State is the first team in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) history to go from zero or one win to 11 wins the following season. In fact, USU is just the fourth team in FBS history to go from zero or one win to 10 wins the following season, joining Stanford, Miami (Ohio) and Fresno State. Stanford was 1-7-1 in 1939 and went 10-0 in 1940. Miami (Ohio) was 1-11 in 2009 and posted a 10-4 record in 2010. And, Fresno State was 1-11 in 2016 and went 10-4 in 2017.
 
• Utah State is also just the third FBS team to win at least 10 games, a conference championship and a bowl game following zero or one wins the previous season, joining Stanford (1940) and Miami, Ohio (2010).
 
• Furthermore, Utah State is one of just 11 FBS teams to win a conference championship the year after winning one or zero games, joining Colorado State in 1919, Arkansas in 1933, Stanford in 1940, Purdue in 1943, California in 1958, Indiana in 1967, North Texas in 1973, Hawai'i in 1999, Miami (Ohio) in 2010, Central Michigan in 2019 and Northern Illinois in 2021. 
 
UTAH STATE'S 11 WINS AMONG THE BEST IN THE NATION
• Utah State was one of 18 teams in the nation that won at least 11 games this season, including one of two Mountain West teams, and the only team from the state of Utah. In fact, Utah and Texas are the only states that had three football teams with at least 10 wins as BYU (10), Utah (10) and Utah State (11) all represent the Beehive State, while Baylor (12), Houston (12) and UTSA (12) represent the Lone Star State.
 
AGGIES HAVE LONGEST ACTIVE ROAD/NEUTRAL SITE WIN STREAK IN THE NATION
• Utah State has won each of its last eight games away from home (7 road, 1 neutral site), which is the longest active streak in the nation. Additionally, USU's seven-game road winning streak is tied with Georgia (7) and trails Notre Dame (10) and Cincinnati (8) for the third-longest active road winning streak in the nation. 
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS IN UTAH STATE'S ROAD GAMES
• Utah State went 7-0 on the road and 8-0 away from home for the first time ever and rallied from double-digit deficits in each of its first five road wins. In its eight games away from home, USU averaged 36.4 points and 447.8 yards of total offense (135.0 rushing, 312.8 passing), while converting 58-of-118 (.492) third downs, and had a 78-27 scoring advantage in the final 15 minutes. 
 
AGGIES RALLY FROM DOUBLE-DIGIT DEFICITS FOR SIX WINS
• Utah State rallied from double-digit deficits to win six of its 11 games this season, marking the first time in school history that has happened. In fact, USU overcame a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit in each of its first two road wins this season, and won each of its first five road games after trailing by double digits.
 
• In its 48-17 road win at San José State (11/13), Utah State overcame a 14-point (14-0) second-quarter deficit and outscored SJSU 48-3 the remainder of the game.
 
• In its 35-13 road win at New Mexico State (11/6), Utah State overcame a 10-point (10-0) first-quarter deficit and outscored NMSU 35-3 the remainder of the game. 
 
• In its 28-24 road win at UNLV (10/16), Utah State overcame a 10-point (17-7) first-quarter deficit and scored the winning touchdown with 35 seconds remaining in the game. 
 
• In its 49-45 road win at Air Force (9/18), Utah State overcame four double-digit deficits. First, USU trailed 10-0 before taking a 13-10 lead. USU then trailed 24-13 and later 31-20 before taking a 34-31 lead. USU then trailed 45-34 before scoring 15 unanswered points in the final 9:51 for the win.
 
• In its 48-24 home win against North Dakota (9/10), Utah State outscored the Fighting Hawks 41-3 over the final three quarters after trailing 21-7 in the first 15 minutes of play.
 
• In its 26-23 season-opening road win at Washington State (9/4), Utah State overcame a 12-point (23-11) fourth-quarter deficit by scoring 15 unanswered points in the final 5:25 of the game.  
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS DURING UTAH STATE'S 11 WINS
• Utah State trailed after the first quarter in nine of its 14 games and at the half in eight of its 14 games this year. USU also trailed after the third quarter in six of its 14 games. USU went 6-3 on the season when trailing after one quarter, 5-3 when trailing at halftime, and 3-3 when trailing after three quarters.
 
• Utah State was outscored 106-62 in the first quarter, but outscored its opponents 122-66 in the fourth quarter, which included a 112-43 advantage in its 11 wins. 
 
UTAH STATE WINNING THE CLOSE GAMES
• Utah State went 4-0 on the season in one-score games and won those four contests by a total of 13 points. The school record for one-score wins in a season is five set in 2011, as that team posted a 5-5 record in one-score games.
 
UTAH STATE MILESTONES THAT EQUAL SUCCESS
• Utah State has won 38 of its last 47 games when it has a 100-yard rusher, including a 3-2 record this year, 44 of its last 50 games when rushing at least 40 times, including a 6-1 record this year, and 62 of its last 67 games when scoring at least 30 points, including a 7-0 record this season.
 
UTAH STATE HAD SUCCESS ON FOURTH DOWN
• Utah State converted 16-of-30 (.533) fourth downs this season and scored points on all but one of those 16 drives it converted a fourth down with 12 touchdowns and three field goals. The only drive USU did not score on this season after converting a fourth down was against New Mexico (11/26), as it was on the last drive of the game and USU ran out the clock. Overall, USU tied for 19th in the nation in both fourth-down conversions and attempts. 
 
ANDERSON ONLY FIRST-YEAR HEAD COACH IN THE NATION WITH 11 WINS
• Utah State's Blake Anderson was one of 19 first-year head coaches at the FBS level in 2021 and was the only head coach to win nine or more games. Anderson and USU finished the season with 11 wins. 
 
• Anderson is the only first-year head coach in school history to win 11 games. The previous record was nine wins set by Matt Wells in 2013.  
 
• Anderson was just the third coach in school history, and first since E. Lowell Romney in 1919, to win his first three games at USU. The other was Fred M. Walker, who went 7-0 in 1907.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Utah State head coach Blake Anderson has now won three conference championships with two Sun Belt titles at Arkansas State (2015, 2016), along with one Mountain West title at Utah State (2021). Anderson coached in his seventh bowl game in eight seasons as a head coach this season and now has a 3-4 bowl record.
 
ANDERSON NAMED AFCA REGION 5 COACH OF THE YEAR
• Utah State first-year head coach Blake Anderson was named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Region 5 Coach of the Year. The AFCA recognizes five regional Coach of the Year winners and Region 5 covers the Mountain West and Pac-12 Conferences, along with two independents in BYU and New Mexico State. Cincinnati's Luke Fickell was the AFCA Region 1 Coach of the Year, while Arkansas' Sam Pittman was the Region 2 winner, Michigan State's Mel Tucker was the Region 3 winner and UTSA's Jeff  Traylor was named the Region 4 Coach of the Year. 
 
ANDERSON FINALIST FOR EDDIE ROBINSON COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD
• Utah State first-year head coach Blake Anderson was one of 13 finalists for the 2021 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, it was announced by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). Other finalists for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award include: Dave Aranda (Baylor), Luke Fickell (Cincinnati), Thomas Hammock (Northern Illinois), Jim Harbaugh (Michigan), Billy Napier (Louisiana), Pat Narduzzi (Pittsburgh), Nick Saban (Alabama), Kalani Sitake (BYU), Kirby Smart (Georgia), Jeff Traylor (UTSA), Mel Tucker (Michigan State) and Kyle Whittingham (Utah). 
 
THOMPKINS NAMED ASSOCIATED PRESS THIRD-TEAM ALL-AMERICAN
• Utah State senior WR Deven Thompkins was selected a third-team All-American as an all-purpose player by The Associated Press (AP). Thompkins is the first Aggie to be named an All-American since PK Dominik Eberle earned honorable mention honors from Pro Football Focus in 2019. He is also the first Aggie to garner recognition from the AP since 2018, when LB David Woodward was also tabbed to the third team. And, Thompkins is the first Aggie wide receiver to be named an All-American since Kevin Curtis was named a third-team All-American by the AP in 2001.
 
THOMPKINS ONE OF 10 SEMIFINALISTS FOR BILETNIKOFF AWARD 
• Senior WR Deven Thompkins was one of 10 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award, which is awarded annually to the outstanding receiver in the nation. Thompkins is just the second player in school history named a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, joining Kevin Curtis (2001). The 10 semifinalists were: Jordan Addison (Pittsburgh), David Bell (Purdue), Jahan Dotson (Penn State), Josh Downs (North Carolina), Drake London (USC), Chris Olave (Ohio State), A.T. Perry (Wake Forest), Jerreth Sterns (Western Kentucky), Jameson Williams (Alabama) and Thompkins.
 
UTAH STATE HAS NINE PLAYERS NAMED ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST
• Utah State had nine football players earn various all-Mountain West accolades, including senior WR Deven Thompkins, who earned first-team honors. USU also had two players earn second-team all-MW accolades in senior ILB Justin Rice and senior KOR Savon Scarver, while six Aggies garnered honorable mention honors in graduate senior S Shaq Bond, senior OL Alfred Edwards, graduate senior DE Nick Heninger, graduate senior PR Jordan Nathan, junior OL Quazzel White  and senior WR Derek Wright. 
 
UTAH STATE SIXTH IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST IN ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
• Utah State had four offensive, three defensive and two specialist recognized for a total of nine all-conference awards, to rank as the sixth-most in the league. Nevada had a league-best 16 all-conference players and San Diego State was second with 15. Boise State was third with 13 players recognized, followed by San José State (11), Fresno State (10), Utah State (9), Hawai'i (9), Colorado State (8), Wyoming (8), Air Force (7), New Mexico (5) and UNLV (4).
 
SIX AGGIES HAVE NOW EARNED MULTIPLE ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST ACCOLADES
• Four of the nine Utah State players honored by the Mountain West are multiple recipients of postseason recognition from the conference, highlighted by senior KOR Savon Scarver, who earned all-conference honors for the fourth time in his career as he was named first-team all-MW in both 2018 and 2019, and garnered honorable mention accolades in 2020. Scarver was also a consensus All-American in 2018. Graduate senior S Shaq Bond earned all-conference honors for the third time in his career as he was also named honorable mention all-MW in both 2019 and 2020. Graduate senior DE Nick Heninger earned all-conference honors for the second time as he was also named honorable mention all-MW last season. And, graduate senior ILB Justin Rice earned all-league honors for the third time in his career, as he was named first-team all-Sun Belt Conference in 2020 at Arkansas State and first-team all-MW in 2019 at Fresno State.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Senior WR Deven Thompkins is the first Aggie receiver to earn first-team all-conference honors since Aaron Jones was named first-team all-Big West Conference in 2000. USU was an independent in 2001 and 2002 as Kevin Curtis was named to the all-independent team both seasons. Overall, Thompkins is just the 10th receiver in school history to earn first-team all-conference honors.
 
UTAH STATE FINISHES 22ND IN THE NATION IN TOTAL OFFENSE
• Utah State finished the 2021 season averaging 445.6 yards per game to rank second in the Mountain West and 22nd in the nation. USU was also third in the MW and 15th in the nation in passing offense (303.4 ypg), third in the MW and 33rd in the nation in scoring offense (32.6 ppg), fourth in the MW and 26th in the nation in passing efficiency (151.8), fourth in the MW and 74th in the nation in completion percentage (.601), sixth in the MW and 85th in the nation in rushing offense (142.1 ypg), and seventh in the MW and 68th in the nation in sacks allowed with 32 (2.29 pg).    
 
• Utah State's offense was also first in the MW and 11th in the nation in first downs with 334 (23.9 pg), second in the MW and 17th in the nation in passing yards per completion (14.02), and second in the MW and 21st in the nation in third down conversions at 44.8 percent (100-of-223).
 
UTAH STATE FINISHES SIXTH IN THE NATION IN TACKLES FOR LOSS
• Utah State finished the 2021 season averaging 7.9 tackles for loss per game to lead the Mountain West and rank sixth in the nation. USU was also sixth in the MW and 48th in the nation in scoring defense (24.4 ppg), seventh in the MW and 60th in the nation in sacks with 32 (2.29 pg), eighth in the MW and 70th in the nation in passing defense (230.9 ypg), eighth in the MW and 84th in the nation in rushing defense (161.9 ypg), ninth in the MW and 62nd in the nation in pass efficiency defense (131.8), and ninth in the MW and 77th in the nation in total defense (392.7 ypg).  
 
• Utah State's defense was also first in the nation in fourth down conversions allowed at 25.0 percent (5-of-20), and third in the MW and 28th in the nation in third down conversions allowed at 34.6 percent (63-of-182).
 
UTAH STATE FINISHES 24TH IN THE NATION IN PUNT RETURN DEFENSE
• Utah State finished the 2021 season third in the Mountain West and 24th in the nation in punt return defense (4.3 ypr), fourth in the MW and 43rd in the nation in net punting (40.5 ypp), fourth in the MW and 53rd in the nation in kickoff return defense (20.5 ypr), fifth in the MW and 44th in the nation in kickoff returns (22.6 ypr), and fifth in the MW and 63rd in the nation in punt returns (8.1 ypr). USU was also third in the MW and 17th in the nation with its two blocked punts, and fourth in the MW and 21st in the nation with its three blocked kicks. 
 
UTAH STATE FORCED 23 TURNOVERS ON THE SEASON
• Utah State forced 23 turnovers this year with 12 interceptions and 11 fumbles, and was third in the MW and ninth in the nation in fumbles recovered (0.79 pg), and fifth in the MW and 40th in the nation in interceptions (0.86 pg). USU has forced three-or-more turnovers in 28 of its last 96 games and has scored 25 defensive touchdowns in its last 105 games. 
 
AGGIES IN THE FINAL 2021 MOUNTAIN WEST AND NCAA RANKINGS
• Senior WR Deven Thompkins led the Mountain West and was second in the nation with 1,704 receiving yards (121.7 ypg). Thompkins was also first in the MW and 12th in the nation with 1,961 all-purpose yards (140.7 ypg), second in the MW and 12th in the nation with 102 receptions (7.3 pg), fourth in the MW and 54th in the nation in yards per reception (16.7), and fifth in the MW and 21st in the nation in receiving touchdowns with 10 (0.71 pg). Graduate junior QB Logan Bonner was first in the MW and seventh in the nation in passing touchdowns with 36 (2.57 pg), first in the MW and 30th in the nation in yards per attempt (8.44), second in the MW and 22nd in the nation in yards per completion (13.8), third in the MW and 21st in the nation with 3,628 passing yards (259.1 ypg), third in the MW and 22nd in the nation in points responsible for with 218 (15.6 pg), third in the MW and 28th in the nation in passing efficiency (154.1), fifth in the MW and 37th in the nation with 3,694 yards of total offense (263.9 ypg), fifth in the MW and 41st in the nation with 263 completions (18.8 pg), and sixth in the MW and 67th in the nation in completion percentage (.612). Senior WR Savon Scarver was first in the MW and 13th in the nation in kickoff returns for touchdown with one (0.07 pg), and third in the MW and 34th in the nation in kickoff returns (23.6 ypr). Graduate senior WR Brandon Bowling was first in the MW and 13th in the nation in kickoff returns for touchdown with one (0.07 pg), and fifth in the MW and 21st in the nation in receiving touchdowns with 10 (0.71 pg). Senior WR Derek Wright was second in the MW and 16th in the nation in receiving touchdowns with 11 (0.79 pg), and fifth in the MW and 58th in the nation in yards per reception (16.4). Graduate senior DE Nick Heninger was third in the MW and seventh in the nation in tackles for loss with 21.5 (1.54 pg), fourth in the MW and ninth in the nation in fumbles forced with five (0.36 pg), and fifth in the MW and 45th in the nation in sacks with 9.0 (0.64 pg). Graduate senior PK Connor Coles was fifth in the MW and 31st in the nation in field goals made with 20 (1.43 pg), and fifth in the MW and 38th in the nation in scoring with 112 points (8.0 ppg). Sophomore DT Poukesi Vakauta was fourth in the MW and 22nd in the nation in fumbles recovered with two (0.14 pg). Graduate senior ILB Justin Rice was fourth in the MW and 25th in the nation in tackles with 124 (8.9 pg), and fourth in the MW and 36th in the nation in interceptions with three (0.21 pg). Graduate senior S Shaq Bond was fourth in the MW and 36th in the nation in interceptions with three (0.21 pg). Junior OLB Ajani Carter was fourth in the MW and 36th in the nation in interceptions with three (0.21 pg). Graduate junior RB Calvin Tyler Jr. was fifth in the MW and 63rd in the nation in with 884 rushing yards (73.7 ypg), and ninth in the MW and 98th in the nation with seven rushing touchdowns (0.58 pg). Graduate senior WR Jordan Nathan was sixth in the MW in punt returns (8.6 ypr). Sophomore P Stephen Kotsanlee was seventh in the MW and 50th in the nation in punting (42.5 ypp). And, junior WR Justin McGriff was 10th in the MW and 81st in the nation in receiving touchdowns with six (0.43 pg).      
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Utah State was one of 15 teams with multiple kickoff returns for touchdowns this year, along with South Florida (3), Alabama (2), Appalachian State (2), Arkansas State (2), Connecticut (2), Duke (2), Houston (2), Kansas State (2), Marshall (2), North Carolina State (2), Oklahoma State (2), Old Dominion (2), SMU (2) and Western Michigan (2). And, USU, Marshall and Oklahoma State were the only teams with two players that returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
 
THOMPKINS NAMED OFFENSIVE MVP OF JIMMY KIMMEL LA BOWL
• Senior WR Deven Thompkins was named the Offensive MVP of the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl as he caught six passes for 115 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown. It was Thompkins' ninth 100-yard receiving game of the season, which is tied with Nakia Jenkins (1996) and Kevin Curtis (2001) for the most 100-yard receiving games in a single season in school history. Thompkins finished his career with 15 touchdown catches, which is tied for the 13th-most in school history. 
 
LEGAS THROWS TOUCHDOWN ON FIRST COLLEGIATE PASS IN BOWL GAME
• Sophomore QB Cooper Legas threw a 62-yard touchdown on his first collegiate pass in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. Legas, who was playing in just his second collegiate game, is the first-ever FBS quarterback to throw a touchdown on his first-ever attempt in a bowl game.  
 
• Legas finished the bowl game completing 11-of-20 passes for 120 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Legas, who also had a 34-yard reception in the game, did not have any passing or receiving stats prior to the bowl game. In fact, his only stat was a rush for minus four yards against New Mexico (11/30) in the regular season finale as he played the final five snaps of that game.
 
TYLER NOTCHES FOURTH-CAREER 100-YARD RUSHING GAME IN LA BOWL
• Graduate junior RB Calvin Tyler Jr. recorded the fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season and in his career in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl as he carried the ball a career-high 26 times for 120 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown, which is his seventh this year and the ninth of his career.
 
OTHER OFFENSIVE NOTABLES FROM JIMMY KIMMEL LA BOWL
• Graduate senior WR Brandon Bowling had a 4-yard touchdown catch to give him 10 touchdown receptions this season and 19 in his career. Senior WR Derek Wright completed his first-career pass for 34 yards. Graduate junior QB Logan Bonner was 6-of-10 passing for 68 yards, prior to getting hurt, early in the game. 
 
BONNER SETS SINGLE-SEASON SCHOOL RECORD WITH 36 TOUCHDOWN PASSES
• Graduate junior QB Logan Bonner threw 36 touchdowns this season, breaking the previous school record of 32 set by Jordan Love in 2018. In fact, those 36 touchdowns by Bonner are also tied for the seventh most all-time at Utah State.
 
• Bonner tied Hawaii's Cole McDonald (2018) for the fourth-most touchdown passes (36) in a single season in Mountain West history. 
 
BONNER SETS SINGLE-SEASON SCHOOL RECORD IN PASSING YARDS
• Graduate junior QB Logan Bonner threw for 3,628 yards this season, breaking the previous school record of 3,567 yards set by Jordan Love in 2018. 
 
• On the season, Bonner was 263-of-429 (.613) passing to rank fourth in school history in completions, sixth in attempts and seventh in completion percentage.
 
• Overall, Bonner had 3,694 yards of total offense to rank as the second-most at Utah State for a single season. The school record is 3,992 yards of total offense set by Chuckie Keeton in 2012.
 
• Bonner's completion percentage (.613) ranks as the third-best in school history for a career.
 
BONNER TIES SCHOOL RECORD WITH FIVE TOUCHDOWN PASSES
• Graduate junior QB Logan Bonner was 16-of-23 passing for 306 yards and a career-high five touchdown passes at New Mexico (11/26) to tie the school record with five other quarterbacks. Chuckie Keeton had five touchdown passes in a game three times (2011, 2013, 2013), Jordan Love did it twice (2018, 2018), Anthony Calvillo did it twice (1992, 1993), Tony Adams did it twice (1972, 1972), and Brent Snyder did it once (1987). Overall, it is the 13th time in school history that Utah State has thrown five touchdown passes in a single game. 
 
UTAH STATE WIDE RECEIVER NOTABLES
• Utah State was the only FBS team in the nation that had three players with at least 10 touchdown receptions this year (Derek Wright - 11, Brandon Bowling - 10, Deven Thompkins - 10). It was also the first time in school history that USU had three players with at least 10 touchdown catches.
 
NATHAN AND WRIGHT BOTH FINISH CAREERS WITH 1,000 RECEIVING YARDS
• Graduate senior WR Jordan Nathan and senior WR Derek Wright both finished their careers with 1,000 receiving yards as Nathan caught 121 passes for 1,314 yards, while Wright caught 66 passes for 1,013 yards. Nathan ranks 16th all-time in school history in receptions and 23rd all-time in receiving yards, while Wright is the 36th player in school history to record 1,000 receiving yards as he ranks 36th all-time at USU. All-time, there have been 21 players with 100 career receptions and 36 players with 1,000 career receiving yards.  
 
ALI'IFUA EXTENDS OWN SCHOOL RECORD FOR GAMES PLAYED
• Graduate senior OL Demytrick Ali'ifua played in a school-record 59 career games. The previous record was 54 career games played by Jordan Nielsen (2012-15).
 
THOMPKINS SETS SCHOOL RECORDS IN RECEPTIONS AND RECEIVING YARDS 
• Senior WR Deven Thompkins caught 102 passes for 1,704 yards this season to set the Utah State single-season school record in both categories. The previous school records were held by Kevin Curtis, who caught 100 passes for 1,531 yards in 2001. 
 
• Thompkins also had nine 100-yard receiving games this season, which tied the school record set by Nakia Jenkins in 1996 and tied by Kevin Curtis in 2001.
 
•  The school record for 100-yard receiving games in a career is 16 set by Kevin Curtis (2001-02) and Thompkins' nine-career 100-yard receiving games are the fourth-most.
 
• Thompkins also had six-straight 100-yard receiving games this year, which was tied with Kevin Curtis (2001) for the longest streak in school history, and set the school record with five games with at least 170 receiving yards this season.
 
THOMPKINS RANKS THIRD ALL-TIME IN RECEPTIONS AND RECEIVING YARDS
• Senior WR Deven Thompkins caught 171 passes for 2,519 yards in his career to rank third all-time in school history in both categories. The school record for receiving yards is 2,943 set by Kendal Smith (1985-88), while the school record for receptions is 178 set by Kevin Robinson (2004-07).  
 
THREE AGGIES AMONG TOP 10 IN SINGLE-SEASON TOUCHDOWN CATCHES 
• Senior WR Derek Wright caught 11 touchdown passes this season, which is tied with four other players for the second-most in a single season in school history. Graduate senior WR Brandon Bowling and senior WR Deven Thompkins both caught 10 touchdowns this year, which is tied with four other players for the seventh-most in a single season in school history. Tracy Jenkins holds the school record with 14 touchdown receptions set in 1990. 
 
THOMPKINS SECOND IN THE NATION IN RECEIVING YARDS 
• Senior WR Deven Thompkins finished the season second in the nation with 1,704 receiving yards and fourth in the nation in receiving yards per game (121.7 ypg). Western Kentucky's Jerreth Sterns led the nation with 1,902 receiving yards and 135.9 receiving yards per game.
 
• Thompkins and Sterns were the only players in the nation this season to have five games with at least 170 receiving yards. Thompkins is also the first player in school history to accomplish this feat as the previous school record was four 170-yard receiving games by Kevin Alexander in 1995.
 
THOMPKINS SECOND IN THE NATION WITH NINE 100-YARD RECEIVING GAMES 
• Senior WR Deven Thompkins had nine 100-yard receiving games this season, which was the second-most in the nation behind Western Kentucky's Jerreth Sterns, who had 10. 
 
•  The Mountain West record for 100-yard receiving games in a season is 11 set by BYU's Austin Collie in 2008 and Thompkins' nine 100-yard receiving games are the third-most.  
 
THOMPKINS FOURTH IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST IN RECEIVING YARDS 
• Senior WR Deven Thompkins finished the 2021 season with the fourth-most receiving yards in Mountain West history with 1,704. San Diego State's J.R. Tolver holds the MW record with 1,785 receiving yards set in 2002, followed by Rashard Higgins (Colorado State) with 1,750 yards in 2014 and Davante Adams (Fresno State) with 1,718 yards in 2013.
 
THOMPKINS NAMED MOUNTAIN WEST OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK 
• Senior WR Deven Thompkins had a career game at New Mexico State (11/6) with nine receptions for a career-best 215 yards and a career-high-tying two touchdowns (26, 54) as he was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season and in his career. 
 
• Those 215 receiving yards for Thompkins were the most by a Mountain West player this season and the 15th-most in the nation. It is also just the 15th time in school history that an Aggie has had 200 receiving yards in a game as Thompkins' 215 yards is tied with James Murphy (215 vs. Long Beach State, 10/6/79) for the ninth-most in a single game in USU history.
 
• Thompkins' first MW Player of the Week honor came following Utah State's 28-24 come-from-behind win at UNLV (10/16) as he caught a career-high 12 passes for 180 yards, including an eye-popping 174 yards after the catch. He also hauled in a career-best two touchdown receptions, one from 37 yards and another from six.
 
HENINGER NAMED DEFENSIVE MVP OF JIMMY KIMMEL LA BOWL 
• Graduate senior DE Nick Heninger was named the Defensive MVP of the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl as he had a career-high 3.0 sacks and a career-best 5.0 tackles for loss as part of his seven total tackles in Utah State's 24-13 win against Oregon State. Those 5.0 tackles for loss are tied for the second-most in a single game in Mountain West history. Oregon State entered the game having allowed just 10.0 sacks all season.
 
• Heninger finished the season with a team-best 9.0 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss, and finished his career with 18.0 sacks and 40.0 tackles for loss.
 
HENINGER NAMED TO ALL-BOWL TEAM
• Graduate senior DE Nick Heninger was named to the BleacherReport.com All-Bowl team following his performance against Oregon State in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl as he had a career-high 3.0 sacks and a career-best 5.0 tackles for loss as part of his seven total tackles.  
 
RICE LEADS UTAH STATE WITH NINE TACKLES IN JIMMY KIMMEL LA BOWL 
• Graduate senior ILB Justin Rice finished his collegiate career by leading Utah State with nine tackles and a forced fumble in the fourth quarter in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. It was Rice's second forced fumble of the season and the sixth of his career.
 
• Prior to the LA Bowl, Rice posted his third-straight double-digit tackle outing with 10 stops, which included 1.0 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss, in the Mountain West Championship Game. Overall, Rice had six double-digit tackle outings this season and 16 in his career.
 
• On the season, Rice led Utah State with 124 tackles and is the 68th player in school history to record 100 or more tackles in a single season.
 
• Rice was also one of just four players in the nation at the FBS level to have at least 100 tackles and three interceptions this year, along with Devin Lloyd (Utah), Jaylin Thomas (Ball State) and Chad Muma (Wyoming). 
 
REYNOLDS INTERCEPTS FIRST-CAREER PASS IN JIMMY KIMMEL LA BOWL 
• Graduate junior S Hunter Reynolds intercepted his first-career pass, in the fourth quarter, in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. Reynolds also had a pass breakup on a fourth-down play, which was his third pass breakup of the season and his career.
 
OTHER DEFENSIVE NOTABLES FROM OREGON STATE GAME 
• Junior OLB Ajani Carter tied his career high with seven tackles as he posted seven stops in back-to-back games. Junior DT Hale Motu'apuaka had 1.0 sacks to give him 2.5 sacks and 8.0 tackles for loss this season, and 2.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss in his career. Junior DE Byron Vaughns had his sixth pass breakup of the season and his career. Junior CB Cam Lampkin had his sixth pass breakup of the season and the 10th of his career. Junior LB AJ Vongphachanh recovered his first-career fumble in the fourth quarter. 
 
UTAH STATE'S DEFENSE RECORDS SECOND-MOST TACKLES FOR LOSS 
• Utah State's defense finished the season with 114.0 tackles for loss, which is tied with the 2014 team for the second-most in school history and one shy of tying the school record of 115.0 tackles for loss set in 1999.
 
• During its last seven games of the season, Utah State recorded 23.0 sacks and 67.0 tackles for loss as compared to 9.0 sacks and 47.0 tackles for loss in its first seven games.  
 
UTAH STATE'S DEFENSE PLAYED ITS BEST AT THE END OF THE SEASON 
• Utah State's defense limited five of its last six opponents to 17 or fewer points and six of its last nine opponents to 360 or fewer yards of offense, including holding two of those opponents to less than 200 yards as San José State (11/13) gained just 150 yards and New Mexico (11/26) only gained 186 yards against USU.
 
• Utah State's run defense was equally impressive as it held three of its last seven opponents to under 50 yards rushing as both Hawai'i (10/30) and San José State (11/13) gained 12 yards on 22 carries (0.5 ypc), while New Mexico State (11/6) gained 49 yards on 35 carries (1.4 ypc). USU also held New Mexico (11/26) to 101 rushing yards on 48 carries (2.1 ypc).
 
UTAH STATE'S DEFENSE WAS GOOD IN THE RED ZONE 
• Utah State's opponents were in the red zone 51 times this year and scored points 41 times (.803) as USU ranked fourth in the Mountain West and 49th in the nation. Furthermore, USU allowed 22 touchdowns on those 51 possessions in the red zone (.431) and that percentage ranked second in the MW and 10th in the nation. 
 
DID YOU KNOW? 
• Utah State graduate ILB Justin Rice was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week twice this year, while graduate senior S Shaq Bond won the award once. Rice was honored in back-to-back weeks against North Dakota (9/10) and Air Force (9/18), while Bond won the award against UNLV (10/16).
 
SCARVER TIES NCAA RECORD WITH SEVEN KICKOFF RETURNS FOR TOUCHDOWN
• Senior WR Savon Scarver tied the NCAA and Mountain West record for kickoff returns for touchdown at UNLV (10/16/21) as he returned the Rebels' first kickoff of the game 100 yards for the score. Scarver is one of five FBS players all-time with seven career kickoff returns for touchdowns, joining Clemson's C.J. Spiller, 2006-09; Houston's Tyron Carrier, 2008-11; San Diego State's Rashaad Penny, 2014-17; and Memphis' Tony Pollard, 2015-18. 
 
• Of his seven career kickoff returns for touchdowns, four were from 100 yards, while the others were from 99, 96 and 94 yards, respectively.
 
• The previous USU record for kickoff returns for touchdown was held by Kevin Robinson (2004-07), who returned four during his career. 
 
SCARVER SETS MOUNTAIN WEST RECORD FOR CAREER KICKOFF RETURN YARDS
• Senior WR Savon Scarver had 2,935 kickoff return yards in his career, breaking the previous Mountain West record of 2,626 yards set by UNLV's Deante' Purvis (2008-11). Scarver is also second all-time in MW history with 107 career kickoff returns trailing Purivs, who had 112 returns.
 
• Scarver ranks second all-time in school history in kickoff return yards behind Kerwynn Williams  (2009-12). Williams currently ranks fourth in NCAA history with 3,408 kickoff return yards and Scarver ranks 16th with 2,935 yards. The NCAA record holder for career kickoff return yards is Minnesota's Troy Stoudermire (2008-12) with 3,615 yards. Scarver also ranks 28th all-time in FBS history in kickoff return average (27.4 ypr). Scarver's 27.4 career average on kickoff returns is also the third-best in school history.
 
COLES IN THE UTAH STATE RECORD BOOKS  
• Graduate senior PK Connor Coles is 20-of-29 (.690) on field goals and 52-of-54 on extra points this season as he has scored a team-best 112 points. On the season, Coles set the school record for field goals attempted (29), was third in extra points made (52) and attempted (54), and fourth in points scored (112) and field goals made (20). 
 
• For his career, Coles was 23-of-32 (.719) on field goals and ranks fifth all-time in career field goal percentage. Coles is also 10th all-time in school history in field goals made. Coles is also 62-of-65 (.954) all-time in extra points and that percentage ranks as the ninth-best all-time in school history.
 
COLES SCORES CAREER HIGH IN POINTS IN BACK-TO-BACK GAMES  
• Graduate senior PK Connor Coles finished the season by making 12 of his last 16 field goals over his last eight games. Against Colorado State (10/22), Coles was one of three players named a Lou Groza Star of the Week as he scored 14 points as he was a perfect 4-of-4 on field goals (45, 30, 42, 34) and 2-for-2 on extra points. In fact, his field goals made and attempted were both career highs. Against Hawai'i (10/30), Coles was 3-of-3 on field goals (40, 22, 22) and 6-for-6 on extra points for a career high of 15 points. Coles then made 2-of-3 field goals and was 6-for-6 on extra points against San José State as he scored 12 points.
 
• Coles was named the Mountain West Player of the Week twice in his career. His first honor came after scoring a then-career-high 11 points against New Mexico State (11/26/20). He won it again after scoring 10 points at Washington State (9/3/21) this year.
 
KOTSANLEE RANKS SEVENTH ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN PUNTING  
• Sophomore P Stephen Kotsanlee has punted 90 times in his career for an average of 41.8  yards per punt, which is tied with Russell Griffith (1983) for the seventh-best punting average in school history. This season, Kotsanlee punted 53 times for an average of 42.5 yards per punt, which is the ninth-best single-season punting average in school history.
 
UTAH STATE DOMINATES SAN DIEGO STATE IN MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONSHIP
• Utah State dominated No. 19 San Diego State in the 2021 Mountain West Championship Game, setting numerous records and breaking several streaks along the way.
 
• Utah State set the following records for a MW Championship Game: points (46), largest margin of victory (33), points in a half (33), points in a quarter (17), most blocked punts (2) and first-ever safety. 
 
• Graduate junior QB Logan Bonner set the MW Championship Game record for most passing touchdowns (4) and most touchdowns responsible for (4), while graduate senior WR Brandon Bowling set the record for most receiving touchdowns (2). 
 
• San Diego State entered the MW Championship Game having not allowed more than 35 points in 46 consecutive games, which was the longest active streak in the nation. 
 
• Utah State improved to 6-63 all-time against Associated Press top-25 teams with the win, including a 5-9 record in its last 14 games.  
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS OF UTAH STATE'S MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
• Utah State dominated No. 19 San Diego State in all three phases of the game in its 46-13 Mountain West Championship Game win, which was SDSU's most lopsided loss since 2013. 
 
• First, USU's 46 points, which were scored from the second quarter on, were the most allowed by SDSU since it lost to Colorado State 63-31 on Nov. 26, 2016. SDSU entered the game ranking ninth in the nation in points allowed per game (17.2). USU was also 8-of-16 on third down.  
 
• Second, USU's defense had 5.0 sacks and 9.0 tackles for loss, to go along with a season-high six pass breakups, a season-high seven quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery. USU also held SDSU to 1-of-14 on third down.
 
• And third, USU's special teams set a single-game school record with two blocked punts, one of which resulted in a safety, to go along with a fumble recovery on a muffed punt. Those two blocked punts were the first of the season for San Diego State.
 
BONNER NAMED OFFENSIVE MVP OF MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONSHIP
• Graduate junior QB Logan Bonner was named the Offensive MVP of the Mountain West Championship Game as he was 29-of-42 passing for 318 yards with four touchdowns  (5, 58, 18, 9) and one interception. Those four touchdown were a MW Championship Game record, while his 29 completions and 42 attempts were both season highs. It was the fifth time this year and sixth time in his career he has thrown for 300 yards, and the sixth time this year and seventh time in his career, he has had at least four touchdown passes in a game.
 
• Bonner is the first quarterback in school history to throw at least four touchdowns in six games in a season. He also set the school record with four touchdowns in three-straight games, doing so against Hawai'i (10/30), New Mexico State (11/6) and San José State (11/13). 
 
• In his last six games, Bonner is 128-of-200 (.640) passing for 1,788 yards (298.0 ypg) with 23 touchdowns and three interceptions. In fact, Bonner has thrown multiple touchdowns in each of his last nine games as he has totals of 29 touchdowns and six interceptions over that stretch.
 
VAUGHNS NAMED DEFENSIVE MVP OF MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONSHIP 
• Utah State junior DE Byron Vaughns was named the Defensive MVP of the Mountain West Championship Game as he had five tackles, which included 1.0 sacks and 2.0 tackles for loss, to go along with one quarterback hurry. In his last two games, Vaughns has recorded 13 tackles, which includes 1.0 sacks and 4.0 tackles for loss.
 
BOWLING HAS CAREER GAME AGAINST SAN DIEGO STATE
• Graduate senior WR Brandon Bowling caught eight passes for a career-high 154 yards at No. 19 San Diego State for his third 100-yard receiving game this season and the fourth of his career. Bowling also tied his career high with two touchdowns (58, 18) for the second time this year and third time in his career. In fact, Bowling has caught at least one touchdown in each of his last four games.  
 
REYNOLDS RECORDS DOUBLE DIGITS IN TACKLES FOR THIRD TIME 
• Graduate junior S Hunter Reynolds tied his season high with 10 tackles in the Mountain West Championship Game, marking the second time in three games, the second time this season, and the third time in his career he has recorded double digits in tackles.
 
UTAH STATE HEAD COACH BLAKE ANDERSON
• Blake Anderson (hired on Dec. 12, 2020) concluded his first year as Utah State's head coach in 2021 and is the 29th head coach in program history. He has a 62-40 overall record, including a 44-20 conference mark. He posted an 11-3 record in his first year at USU, including a 6-2 conference mark.
 
• Anderson has 29 years of coaching experience and has been part of six conference championships. He has also coached in 11 bowl games and won a national championship at the junior college level.
 
• In his first season at Utah State, Anderson led the Aggies to its first-ever Mountain West Championship with a 46-13 win at No. 19 San Diego State, its sixth bowl win in school history with a 24-13 victory against Oregon State in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl, and a school-record-tying 11 wins as USU was picked to finish fifth in the Mountain Division of the MW in the preseason polls.
 
• Under Anderson, Utah State tied for the best turnaround in the nation in 2021 as the Aggies became the first FBS program ever to go from zero or one win to 11 wins the following season. 
 
• During the 2021 season, Utah State set 10 school records, including 4,248 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes, and tied four more as it became the first FBS program in eight years to go 7-0 on the road. USU also ranked 15th in the nation in passing offense (303.4 ypg) and 23rd in total offense (445.6 ypg), and were top three in the MW in passing offense, total offense and scoring offense (32.6 ppg).
 
• Anderson, who was named the AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year in 2021 at Utah State, mentored a pair of Aggies that broke several single season school records in quarterback Logan Bonner and wide receiver Deven Thompkins. Bonner set school records in passing touchdowns (36) and passing yards (3,628), while Thompkins set school records for receptions (102) and receiving yards (1,704). 
 
• Overall, Anderson saw nine of his players earn all-Mountain West honors, including Thompkins, who was named a third-team All-American by The Associated Press.   
 
• Anderson came to Utah State after spending seven years as the head coach at Arkansas State, leading ASU 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. ASU also won back-to-back Sun Belt Conference Championships under Anderson in 2015 and 2016, and competed for another in 2017.
 
• 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.
 
• The Red Wolves won at least seven games, including at least five league games, six-straight years 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 at ASU, 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.
 
• 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 ypg), 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).
 
• 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). Anderson graduated with his bachelor's degree in kinesiology from SHSU in 1992. He also attained his master's degree in sports administration from Eastern New Mexico in 1994.
 
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.
 
UTAH STATE ADDS 16 TRANSFERS AND 44 NEWCOMERS TO THE ROSTER 
• First-year head coach Blake Anderson added 16 four-year transfers and 44 newcomers to the 2021 roster. Of those 16 transfers, six are starters and all 16 have played this season. The 16 four-year transfers include graduate senior WR Brandon Bowling (Arkansas State), graduate senior OL Maisen Knight (Liberty), graduate senior CB Kyle Mayberry (Kansas), graduate senior ILB Justin Rice (Arkansas State), graduate junior QB Logan Bonner (Arkansas State), graduate junior S Monte McGary (Troy), graduate junior DE Phillip Paea (Michigan), graduate junior S Hunter Reynolds (Michigan), graduate junior RB Calvin Tyler Jr. (Oregon State), junior DE Patrick Joyner Jr. (Miami), junior DE Byron Vaughns (Texas), junior OL Quazzel White (TCU), sophomore DE Darius McFarland (BYU), sophomore WR Reece Jarvis (Arkansas State), sophomore PK Elliott Nimrod (Arkansas State) and redshirt freshman WR Jamie Nance (Nebraska).
 
• Utah State also has 11 Power 5 transfers on its roster in graduate senior RB Devonta'e Henry-Cole (Utah), graduate senior DE Nick Heninger (Utah), graduate senior DT Marcus Moore (UCLA), Tyler, Mayberry, Nance, Paea, Reynolds, Joyner, Vaughns and White.  
 
• Utah State also has three more players on its roster that began their careers at Power 5 schools before transferring to a junior college and then Utah State in graduate senior DE Jaylin Bannerman (Kentucky), graduate senior OLB Cash Gilliam (Kentucky) and junior WR Justin McGriff (Nebraska). 
 
FOUR AGGIES PUT ON SCHOLARSHIP THIS FALL
• Utah State had four players put 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 12 players on its 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, 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.