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(RV) UTAH STATE (1-0, 0-0 MW) vs. NO. 1 ALABAMA (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022 • 5:30 p.m. (MT) • Tuscaloosa, Alabama • Bryant-Denny Stadium (101,821)
 
GAME 2 INFORMATION
TV: SEC Network
• Play-by-Play: Tom Hart
• Analyst: Jordan Rodgers
• Sidelines: Cole Cubelic
• Xfinity (Utah): Ch. 285
• DirecTV: Ch. 611
• DISH: Ch. 404
 
RADIO: Aggie Sports Network
• Play-by-Play: Scott Garrard 
• Analyst: Kevin White
• National: Sirius XM 381 / SXM App 971
• Online: kslsports.com/kslsportszone
 
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: KSL (1280 AM/97.5 FM)
• Logan: KBLU-LP (92.3 FM)
• Green River: KRPX (102.7 FM)
• Moab: KRPX (100.3 FM)
• Montpelier, Idaho: KVSI (1450 AM/104.5 FM)
• Orangeville: KRPX (95.9 FM)
• Price: KRPX (95.3 FM)
 
KICKOFF COVERAGE
• Utah State (1-0) plays at No. 1 Alabama (0-0) on Saturday, Sept. 3, at 5:30 p.m. (MT), in a game that will be televised on the SEC Network (Xfinity Ch. 268, DirecTV Ch. 611, DISH Ch. 404) with Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst) and Cole Cubelic (sidelines) on the call.
 
• Utah State has won each of its last two games against Power 5 opponents with a 26-23 win at Washington State and a 24-13 win against Oregon State in the 2021 Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. Furthermore, USU head coach Blake Anderson has won each of his last three games against Power 5 opponents, which includes a 35-31 win at Kansas State in 2020 while at Arkansas State.  
 
• Utah State is 0-2 all-time against the top-ranked team in the nation as it lost at No. 1 BYU, 38-13, on Nov. 24, 1984, and lost at No. 1 Nebraska, 42-6, on Oct. 2, 1971.
 
• Utah State is 6-63 all-time against Associated Press-ranked teams, but has won five of its last 14 meetings, including its 46-13 win at No. 19 San Diego State last year in the Mountain West Championship game. USU's other wins against nationally ranked opponents includes a 52-26 home win against No. 21 Boise State in 2015; a 35-20 win at No. 18 BYU in 2014, as the Cougars are the highest-ranked AP team the Aggies have ever defeated; a 21-14 win against No. 24 Northern Illinois in the 2013 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl; a 48-41 overtime win at No. 19 Louisiana Tech in 2012; and, a 20-19 home win against No. 25 Fresno State in 1991.
 
• Utah State head coach Blake Anderson is 2-5 all-time versus AP-ranked teams, which includes a 1-1 record at USU. His two victories are a 35-3 road win at No. 25 Troy during the 2016 season and USU's win against No. 19 San Diego State last year.
 
• Utah State has won its last eight away games (7 road, 1 neutral site), which is the longest active streak in the nation. USU's seven-game road winning streak is also tied with Georgia (7), and trails Notre Dame (10) and Cincinnati (8), for the third-longest active streak in the nation. 
 
• Utah State will play a Heisman Trophy Winner for the second time in program history this weekend in Alabama sophomore QB Bryce Young. During the 1991 season, USU played at BYU, which returned senior QB Ty Detmer, the Heisman Trophy winner from the previous season. In 2019, USU played at LSU, as senior QB Joe Burrow won the Heisman Trophy that season.
 
• Utah State's last game in Alabama was on Sept. 3, 2011, when it played at No. 19 Auburn, the defending national champions. USU led 38-28 with 3:38 remaining before losing 42-38.   
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• Utah State is 12-2 (.857) in its last 14 games played in September.
 
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama, which is ranked No. 1 in the nation heading into the 2022 season, returns 12 starters (O-5, D-7) and 51 letterwinners (O-23, D-24, S-4) from last year's team that went 13-2 overall, including a 7-1 record in the SEC, and lost to Georgia, 33-18, in the CFP National Championship. Two of those returning starters are sophomore QB Bryce Young, the reigning Heisman Trophy Winner, and junior LB Will Anderson Jr., the reigning Bronko Nagurski Winner, given annually to the nation's top defensive player. Alabama also returns senior DB Jordan Battle, who was named a first-team All-American, and senior LB Henry To'oto'o, who was named second-team all-SEC last year. In 2021, Alabama averaged 39.9 points and 488.2 yards of total offense per game (338.2 passing, 150.0 rushing) and allowed 20.1 points and 304.1 yards of total offense (218.0 passing, 86.1 rushing). Nick Saban is 183-25 in 15 years as Alabama's head coach and 274-67-1 in 26 years as a collegiate head coach.
 
AGGIES AND CRIMSON TIDE SERIES HISTORY
• Utah State and Alabama will play one another for the third time this weekend as the Crimson Tide won the first meeting, 48-17, on Sept. 4, 2004, and the second meeting, 35-3, on Oct. 29, 2005, with both games being played in Tuscaloosa. 
 
AGGIES FROM ALABAMA
• Utah State graduate junior WR Xavier Williams spent four seasons at Alabama (2018-21) and appeared in 12 games, catching three passes for 24 yards. USU has one player on its roster from the state of Alabama in redshirt freshman WR NyNy Davis (Attalla/Etowah HS). 
 
CONNECTIONS BETWEEN UTAH STATE AND ALABAMA
• Utah State head coach Blake Anderson and Alabama cornerbacks coach Travaris Robinson were both on staff together at Southern Miss in 2009. USU director of athletic development for football Paul Jackson and Robinson were on staff together at South Carolina in 2020, along with Alabama tight ends coach Joe Cox and offensive line coach Eric Wolford.  
 
• Utah State graduate senior WR Brian Cobbs and Alabama freshman DB Prince Butler both prepped at Hayfield HS in Alexandria, Virginia. USU senior CB Ajani Carter and junior RB John Gentry both prepped at North Shore HS in Houston, Texas, as did Alabama redshirt freshman OL Jaeden Roberts.
 
AGGIES THAT HAVE PLAYED AGAINST ALABAMA
• Utah State has three players on its current roster that have played against Alabama in graduate senior QB Logan Bonner, graduate senior S Gurvan Hall Jr. and graduate senior S Hunter Reynolds. While at Arkansas State in 2018, Bonner was 6-of-14 passing for 53 yards, including a long of 26 yards, and rushed for 28 yards on three carries, including a long of 11 yards. While at Miami, Fla., in 2021, Hall started against UA and recorded eight tackles. And, in the 2020 Citrus Bowl, Reynolds played against the Crimson Tide as a member of the Michigan football team, but did not record any stats. USU graduate senior DT Phillip Paea was on that Michigan football team, as well, but did not play in the Citrus Bowl.
 
UTAH STATE vs. THE SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
• Utah State is 1-17 all-time against teams from the SEC as it posted a 35-6 road win against Kentucky in 1970. Overall, USU is 1-2 vs. the Wildcats, 0-4 vs. Missouri, 0-3 vs. Arkansas and LSU, 0-2 vs. Alabama, and 0-1 vs. Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas A&M. The last time USU played a team from the SEC was on Oct. 5, 2019, when it lost at No. 5 LSU, 42-6.
 
BLAKE ANDERSON vs. THE SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
• Utah State's Blake Anderson will be facing a team from the SEC for the sixth time as a collegiate head coach. As the head coach at Arkansas State, his teams played at Tennessee in 2014 (L, 19-34), hosted Missouri in 2015 (L, 20-27), played at Auburn in 2016 (L, 14-51), played at Alabama in 2018 (L, 7-57) and played at Georgia in 2019 (L, 0-55). 
 
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
• Utah State has 34 players on its roster from the Beehive State, while Alabama has 44 players on its roster from the Yellowhammer State.
 
LAST MEETING vs. ALABAMA
• Freshman RB Ryan Bohm rushed for a career-high 94 yards, while sophomore QB Leon Jackson III passed for 147 yards, but the Alabama defense was too much for Utah State (2-5) as the fifth-ranked Crimson Tide (8-0) defeated USU 35-3 inside Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2005. Alabama scored on each of its first two possessions and appeared to be on a roll. However the Aggie defense kept the Tide out of the end zone again until the 4:41 mark of the second quarter. Alabama took a 21-0 lead into halftime. USU responded by scoring on the first possession of the second half, marching 65 yards before junior PK Justin Hamblin kicked a 24-yard field goal. The points were the first of the season scored in the third quarter against Alabama. On the Aggies' next possession, USU drove from its own 20-yard line to the Alabama 24. A Hamblin 41-yard field goal attempt was wide right. Alabama responded by scoring its fourth touchdown of the game to go up 28-3. The Tide than added a fourth-quarter touchdown to complete the scoring. Bohm gained 94 yards on 17 carries, while Jackson hit 11 of 28 passes for 147 yards with one late interception. Defensively, freshman LB Jake Hutton posted a game-high-tying eight tackles. Sophomore S Antonio Taylor recorded seven stops, while senior S Andre Bala added six tackles. Senior DE John Chick recorded a sack to give him 6.5 on the year.
 
GAME 1 RECAP vs. UCONN
LOGAN, Utah - Utah State graduate senior QB Logan Bonner was 20-of-29 passing for 281 yards and three touchdowns, while graduate senior RB Calvin Tyler Jr. gained a career-high 161 yards on a career-best 33 carries to lead Utah State to a season-opening 31-20 home win against UConn on Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022. Utah State, who scored 24 unanswered points to rally back from a 14-point first quarter deficit, made it a habit of rallying from double-digit deficits during the 2021 campaign, as it has now won seven games when trailing by 10 or more points under head coach Blake Anderson. Utah State had seven players start their first-career game, while 20 players made their Aggie debut on Saturday. Graduate senior WR Brian Cobbs made his Aggie debut by leading all receivers in the game with a career-high seven catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. Bonner also threw touchdown passes to junior WR Kyle Van Leeuwen and senior WR Justin McGriff as that duo caught three passes each for 54 and 53 yards, respectively. For Van Leeuwen, his receiving yards are a career-best and his three receptions tied his career high. Junior college transfer Terrell Vaughn added two receptions for 41 yards in his first game for USU. In all, Utah State amassed 542 yards of total offense, including 261 on the ground. The Huskies led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter following a 1-yard touchdown run by Ta'Quan Roberson and a 13-yard touchdown pass from Zion Turner to Keelan Marion. Turner was 12-of-31 passing for 109 yards and one touchdown to go along with two interceptions. UConn's Nate Carter led all rushers in the game with 190 yards on 20 carries. Utah State began its comeback in the second quarter when Bonner found Van Leeuwen from 11 yards to cut the deficit to 14-7 with 12:28 left until the half. The Aggies then scored 17 more points in the final 3:42 of the quarter on a 23-yard touchdown run by freshman RB Robert Briggs, a 14-yard touchdown pass from Bonner to McGriff and a 45-yard field goal by graduate senior PK Connor Coles. Briggs finished the game by rushing for 85 yards on 10 carries. The Huskies pulled within 24-20 with 10:09 left in the fourth quarter following a pair of 47- and 54-yard field goals from Noe Ruelas, but Cobbs' 11-yard touchdown reception with six minutes to go cemented the win. UConn's final series of the game ended with 4:46 left after redshirt freshman S Ike Larsen intercepted a pass by Turner. Graduate senior S Hunter Reynolds also had an interception for the Aggies. Junior ILB MJ Tafisi led Utah State in tackles with a career-high 10, including a career-best 2.0 tackles for loss in his Aggie debut, while senior CB Ajani Cater tied his career-high with seven stops and a forced fumble that was recovered by graduate junior DE Daniel Grzesiak in his first game for USU. Junior OLB Kaleo Neves also had a career-high in tackles with seven. UConn's Jackson Mitchell had a game-high 16 tackles, including 1.0 sacks, to go along with a forced fumble and fumble recovery. Utah State racked up 11.0 tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hurries and four pass breakups. 
 
UTAH STATE IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
• Utah State is receiving votes in both national polls to start the 2022 season as the Aggies garnered 12 votes in the Coaches' poll to rank tied for 38th and two votes in The Associated Press poll to rank tied for 43rd. This is the first time USU has garnered preseason recognition since the 2019 campaign, when it received 32 votes in the coaches' poll and eight votes in the AP poll.
 
UTAH STATE WINS SEASON-OPENER FOR SECOND-STRAIGHT YEAR
• Utah State is 1-0 for the second-consecutive year following its 31-20 home win against UConn last weekend. Overall, it is just the fourth time in the last 47 years, dating back to 1976, that USU has won its season opener in back-to-back seasons (2021-22, 2015-16, 1996-97, 1977-78).
 
UTAH STATE RALLIES FROM DOUBLE-DIGIT DEFICITS AGAIN
• For the seventh time under head coach Blake Anderson, Utah State rallied from a double-digit deficit to win as it trailed UConn 14-0 after the first quarter, but outscored the Huskies 31-6 from that point on, including a 24-0 spurt in the second quarter as the Aggies scored 17 points in the final 3:42 of the period. Those 24 second-quarter points by USU were its most since scoring 24 second-quarter points at San José State last season, after trailing 14-0 early on in that game.
 
• UConn had 180 yards of offense and eight first downs in the first quarter on its way to 14 points, but amassed just 184 yards, 13 first downs and six points on a pair of field goals over the final three quarters as the Aggies improved to 7-3 under Anderson when trailing after the first quarter.
 
UTAH STATE PRODUCES 542 YARDS OF TOTAL OFFENSE
• Utah State produced 542 yards in its season-opening win against UConn, as it had 261 yards rushing on 54 attempts and 281 yards passing. It was the fourth time under head coach Blake Anderson that USU has gained 500-plus yards in a game.
 
• Utah State has now won 45 of its last 51 games when rushing at least 40 times and 63 of its last 68 games when scoring at least 30 points. USU also improved to 39-9 over its last 48 games when it has a player rush for at least 100 yards as graduate senior RB Calvin Tyler Jr. had a career-high 161 yards on a career-best 33 attempts.
 
UTAH STATE FORCES THREE TURNOVERS IN SEASON OPENER
• For the third time under head coach Blake Anderson, Utah State forced three turnovers in a game as it had two interceptions and a fumble recovery against UConn. USU also forced three turnovers against Hawai'i and against San José State in 2021. Dating back to last season, USU has now forced multiple turnovers in four-straight games and in eight of its last 10 games overall.
 
UTAH STATE'S DEFENSE HAS 11 TACKLES FOR LOSS IN SEASON OPENER 
• After finishing the 2021 season with 114.0 tackles for loss, which tied for the second-most in the nation, Utah State's defense began the 2022 campaign with 11.0 tackles for loss against UConn. Overall, it is the fifth time under head coach Blake Anderson that USU has posted double-digit tackles for loss. Those 114.0 tackles for loss tied the 2014 team for the second-most in school history and was one shy of the school record of 115.0 set in 1999. 
 
• During its last eight games dating back to the 2021 season, Utah State has recorded 23.0 sacks and 78.0 tackles for loss. During the first seven games of the 2021 season, USU notched 9.0 sacks and 47.0 tackles for loss.  
 
SEVEN AGGIES MAKE FIRST-CAREER START IN UCONN GAME
• Utah State had seven players make their first-career start this past weekend against UConn in graduate senior OL Wade Meacham (79), graduate senior DT Phillip Paea (90), senior CB Ajani Carter (12), graduate junior DE Daniel Grzesiak (9), junior ILB MJ Tafisi (2), junior WR Kyle Van Leeuwen (9) and freshman OL Weylin Lapuaho (61).
 
• Lapuaho is the first true freshman to start for Utah State since CB Jalen Davis in 2014, and the first true freshman to start on the offensive line since Derek Hoke in 2005. 
 
TWENTY-ONE PLAYERS MAKE AGGIE DEBUT IN UCONN GAME
• Utah State had 21 players make their Aggie debut this past weekend against UConn in graduate senior WR Brian Cobbs (8), graduate senior S Gurvan Hall Jr. (6), graduate junior DE Daniel Grzesiak (9), graduate junior TE Ron Tiavaasue (11),graduate junior WR Xavier Williams (3), junior OLB Omari Okeke (5), junior ILB MJ Tafisi (2), junior WR Terrell Vaughn (0), junior RB Jordan Wilmore (23), sophomore DT Tavian Coleman (94), sophomore WR Jalen Royals (17), sophomore DE John Ward (42), sophomore QB Levi Williams (16), redshirt freshman WR NyNy Davis (6), redshirt freshman ILB Cole Joyce (20), redshirt freshman OL Elia Migao (73), redshirt freshman DE Enoka Migao (45), redshirt freshman ILB Sione Moa (40), freshman ILB Max Alford (33), freshman RB Robert Briggs (22) and freshman OL Weylin Lapuaho (61). 

OTHER NOTABLES FROM THE UCONN GAME
• Utah State improved to 13-1 in its last 14 home openers and has now won nine of its last 11 non-conference home games. USU  is now 21-5 in its last 26 non-conference home games and improved to 44-17 in its last 61 home games overall. 
 
BRIGGS NAMED MOUNTAIN WEST FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
• Utah State RB Robert Briggs was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Week after setting the school record for rushing yards by a true freshman in their first-ever game, as he gained 85 yards on 10 carries, including a 23-yard touchdown, against UConn. The previous record was set by QB Kent Myers, who rushed for 28 yards on three carries against UNLV in 2014, in his USU debut as a true freshman.
 
TYLER JR. HAS CAREER DAY AGAINST UCONN
• Graduate senior RB Calvin Tyler Jr. had a career day this past weekend against UConn as he rushed for a career-high 161 yards on a career-best 33 attempts for his fifth-career 100-yard rushing game. Overall, it was the most rushing yards and attempts by an Aggie since Gerold Bright rushed for 179 yards on 36 attempts against Colorado State in 2019. It was also the most rushing yards by an Aggie in a season-opener since Devante Mays gained 208 yards on 18 carries against Weber State in 2016.
 
• In his last two games dating back to 2021, Tyler has recorded back-to-back 100-yard rushing games as he carried the ball a then-career high 26 times for 120 yards and one touchdown against Oregon State. In his last two games, Tyler has rushed for 281 yards (140.5 ypg) on 59 carries (4.8 ypc) and one touchdown. Tyler also had consecutive 100-yard rushing games in 2021 as he gained 132 yards on 19 carries at Air Force and 126 yards on 20 carries the following weekend against Boise State. 
 
TYLER JR. SURPASSES 1,000 YARDS RUSHING IN AGGIE CAREER
• With his career-high 161 rushing yards against UConn, graduate senior RB Calvin Tyler Jr. has now rushed for 1,045 yards on 229 attempts (4.6 ypc) and seven touchdowns in his Utah State career, which ranks 32nd all-time in school history. Overall, Tyler is one of 33 Aggies to rush for 1,000 yards in a career.
 
• During his collegiate career, which includes four years at Oregon State, Tyler has now rushed for 1,169 yards on 259 carries (4.5 ypc) and nine touchdowns.
 
BONNER THROWS THREE TOUCHDOWNS AGAINST UCONN
• Graduate senior QB Logan Bonner was 20-of-29 passing for 281 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions against UConn. It was the seventh time in his USU career and the 12th time in his collegiate career, that he has thrown at least three touchdown passes in a game.
 
• With his three touchdown passes against UConn, Bonner has now thrown 39 touchdowns in his Utah State career and 69 in his collegiate career, which included five seasons at Arkansas State. Those 39 touchdown passes at USU are tied with Kent Myers (2014-17) and Brent Snyder (1987-88) for the fifth-most in school history. 
 
BONNER'S NUMBERS DURING HIS LAST EIGHT GAMES
• If you look at the numbers, its safe to say that graduate senior QB Logan Bonner is getting more and more comfortable with Utah State's offense. During his first seven games at Utah State, Bonner was 129-of-220 (.586) passing for 1,766 yards (252.3 ypg) with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. During his last eight games, Bonner is 154-of-239 (.644) passing for 2,137 (267.1 ypg) with 26 touchdowns and just four interceptions, and that includes the 2021 Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl, where he got hurt in the first quarter and did not return. 
 
BONNER IN SEVENTH AND FINAL YEAR OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL
• Graduate senior QB Logan Bonner is one of just 23 players at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level, and the only player from the Mountain West, that is in their seventh year of collegiate football. Bonner spent five seasons (2016-20) at Arkansas State and is in his second year at Utah State. At ASU, he redshirted in 2016 and received a medical redshirt in 2019, 
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS WITH BONNER
• Graduate senior QB Logan Bonner has started 30 games in his collegiate career (15 at Utah State and 15 at Arkansas State), which is tied for the 13th-most starts by an active quarterback at the FBS level and the most by any quarterback in the Mountain West. 
 
• Bonner threw 19 touchdown passes last season when being blitzed, which ranked as the third-most in the nation behind Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett (20) and Alabama's Bryce Young (20).
 
• Bonner completed 29 passes of 30-plus yards last year to lead the Mountain West and rank fifth in the nation, and 18 passes of at least 40 yards to also lead the MW and rank fifth in the nation.
 
COBBS HAS CAREER GAME AGAINST UCONN
• Utah State graduate senior WR Brian Cobbs had a career game against UConn as he caught a career-high eight passes for a career-best 108 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown, which is the third of his career. Overall, it was his first-career 100-yard receiving game.

McGRIFF AND VAN LEEUWEN BOTH CATCH TOUCHDOWNS AGAINST UCONN
• Two other Aggie wide receivers caught touchdowns against UConn, as junior WR Kyle Van Leeuwen had a career-high 54 receiving yards on a career-high-tying three receptions, including an 11-yard touchdown, which was the first of his career. And, senior WR Justin McGriff caught three passes for 53 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown, which was the ninth of his career.    
 
TAFISI POSTS CAREER HIGHS IN AGGIE DEBUT
• Junior ILB MJ Tafisi had a career day this past weekend against UConn as he had a career-high 10 tackles for his first-career double-digit tackle outing, and a career-best 2.0 tackles for loss. His previous career high was five tackles against both California and Eastern Washington, and 1.0 tackles for loss against Arizona, while at Washington. The last Aggie to record double-digit tackles in his USU debut was junior college transfer Troy Lefeged Jr., who had 10 stops at Wake Forest to begin the 2019 season.
 
CARTER TIES CAREER HIGH IN TACKLES FOR THIRD TIME
• Senior CB Ajani Carter had a career-high-tying seven tackles, to go along with his second-career forced fumble, against UConn this past weekend. Overall, it was his third-straight game dating back to last season, where he has had seven tackles in a game.
 
NEVES HAS CAREER GAME IN SECOND-CAREER START
• Junior OLB Kaleo Neves had a career-high seven tackles, which included a career-best 1.5 tackles for loss, against UConn in his second-career start. Prior to the UConn game, he had seven career tackles, and no tackles for loss, in 23 career outings.
 
AGGIE SAFETIES INTERCEPT TWO PASSES AGAINST UCONN
• Utah State had a pair of safeties notch interceptions this past weekend against UConn in graduate senior Hunter Reynolds and redshirt freshman Ike Larsen. For Reynolds, it was his second-career interception, including his second in as many games, as he picked off his first-career pass against Oregon State in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. And, for Larsen, he added a tackle for loss and a pass breakup against the Huskies. Larsen entered the UConn game with no stats in two previous outings.  
 
OTHER DEFENSIVE NOTABLES FROM UCONN GAME
• Graduate junior DE Daniel Grzesiak recovered his second-career fumble. Redshirt freshman DT Seni Tuiaki had 1.0 tackles for loss, the first of his career, as part of his career-best two tackles. He also had his first-career pass breakup. Graduate senior S Gurvan Hall Jr. had 0.5 tackles for loss to give him 6.5 TFLs in his career. Senior ILB AJ Vongphachanh had 1.0 tackles for loss to give him 11.5 TFLs in his career. Junior DE Byron Vaughns had 1.0 tackles for loss to give him 11.5 TFLs in his career. Senior DT Hale Motu'apuaka had 0.5 tackles for loss to give him 9.0 TFLs in his career. Junior DE Patrick Joyner Jr. had 0.5 tackles for loss to give him 10.5 TFLs in his career. Graduate senior DT Phillip Paea had his first-career pass breakup. Senior CB Michael Anyanwu had one pass breakup to give him three in his career.
 
COLES IN THE UTAH STATE RECORD BOOKS  
• Graduate senior PK Connor Coles made a 45 yard field goal and was 4-for-4 on extra points against UConn, and is now 7-of-12 on field goals from 40-49 yards in his career. For his career, Coles is now 24-of-33 (.727) on field goals and ranks fifth all-time in career field goal percentage. Coles, who is 10th all-time in school history in field goals made, is 66-of-69 (.957) all-time in extra points and that percentage ranks as the ninth-best all-time in school history. He also ranks 10th all-time in school history in both extra points made and attempted.
 
• During the 2021 season, was 20-of-29 (.690) on field goals and 52-of-54 on extra points as he scored a team-best 112 points. He also 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 has been named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week twice, against New Mexico in 2020 and against Washington State in 2021.
 
KOTSANLEE RANKS SEVENTH ALL-TIME AT UTAH STATE IN PUNTING  
• Junior P Stephen Kotsanlee has punted 95 times in his career for an average of 42.1 yards per punt, which is tied with Steve Mullins (1999-02) for the fifth-best punting average in school history. Last 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.
 
• Against UConn, Kotsanlee had one punt downed inside the 20-yard line to give him 37 punts in his career downed inside the 20-yard line. He also had two 50-yard punts (55, 59) to give him 15 punts in his career of 50-plus yards.
 
BLAKE ANDERSON ENTERS SECOND SEASON AT UTAH STATE
• Blake Anderson is entering his second season as Utah State's head coach after leading the Aggies to their best-ever season in his first year in 2021 as USU tied the school record with 11 wins (11-3, 6-2 MW), won its first-ever Mountain West Championship with a 46-13 victory at No. 19 San Diego State, posted a 24-13 win against Oregon State in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl and finished the season ranked 24th in the nation in both polls.
 
• Anderson was one of 19 first-year head coaches at the FBS level in 2021 and was the only one to win nine or more games. Anderson is also the only first-year head coach in school history to win double-digit games. The previous record was nine wins set by Matt Wells in 2013.  
 
• Anderson was named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Region 5 Coach of the Year in 2021 and was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. 
 
• Anderson has won three conference championships as a head coach 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 last year and has a 3-4 bowl record.
 
UTAH STATE RETURNS MAJORITY OF ITS COACHING STAFF  
• Utah State is returning eight of its 10 full-time assistants, as only cornerbacks coach Ray Brown (Washington State) and defensive line coach Al Lapuaho (Nevada) did not return. Those eight returning assistants are the most since the 2010 staff returned all nine of its assistant coaches from the previous season.
 
• Utah State is returning all three of its coordinators in Anthony Tucker (offense), Ephraim Banda (defense) and Nick Paremski (special teams) for the first time since 2013, when Kevin McGiven (offense), Todd Orlando (defense) and Dave Ungerer (special teams) were each in their second seasons, respectively.
 
• Utah State head coach Blake Anderson has four former Aggies on staff in running backs coach Chuckie Keeton (2011-15), tight ends coach DJ Tialavea (2010-13), defensive graduate assistant AJ Pataiali'i (2012-13) and director of player personnel Austin Albrecht (2014-16).
 
BANDA ONE OF TWO HISPANIC DEFENSIVE COORDINATORS IN THE NATION
• Utah State defensive coordinator and safeties coach Ephraim Banda is one of only two hispanic defensive coordinators in the nation at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level along with Penn State's Manny Diaz. Overall, Banda is one of 13 hispanic coaches at the FBS level, which includes five head coaches. 
 
• Banda was also named one of the top 25 recruiters in the nation in January of 2021, by Rivals.com.
 
CEFALO HAS COACHED THREE-STRAIGHT BILETNIKOFF SEMIFINALISTS
• Utah State passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach Kyle Cefalo has coached a Biletnikoff Award Semifinalist in each of his last three seasons. In his first year at USU in 2021, Cefalo coached Deven Thompkins, who set school records with 102 receptions for 1,704 yards. At Arkansas State, Celfo coached Jonathan Adams in 2020 and Omar Bayless in 2019, as both players were named Sun Belt Conference Offensive Players of the Year.
 
UTAH STATE HAS MOST DIVERSE COACHING STAFF IN THE NATION
• For the second straight year, 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).
 
• Of Utah State's 10 full-time assistant coaches, six are minorities, which is tied for the fifth-most minorities on a staff in the nation behind Hawai'i (8), Miami, Fla. (8), Northern Illinois (7) and Virigina (7), and tied with Arizona State, Colorado, Florida, Florida State, Georgia State, Illinois, LSU, Michigan State, Missouri, Penn State, Rice and Texas A&M.
 
UTAH STATE HAS THE THIRD-YOUNGEST COACHING STAFF IN THE NATION
• Of Utah State's 10 full-time assistant coaches, two are in their 20s, five are in their 30s and three are in their 40s. The average age of those 10 assistants is 35.1 years, which ranks as the third-youngest staff in the nation behind Old Dominion (33.5) and Georgia State (35.0).
 
DID YOU KNOW? 
• For just the second time in program history, Utah State is returning its head coach, Blake Anderson, after finishing the previous season nationally ranked. John Ralston is the only other Aggie head coach to return as his 1961 team finished that season ranked 10th in the nation in both the AP and UPI polls with a 9-1-1 record. The three other times USU concluded a season nationally ranked, its head coach left for another head coaching position. Chuck Mills went to Wake Forest after the 1972 team went 8-3 record and was 19th in the final UPI poll. Gary Andersen went to Wisconsin after the 2012 team finished the year 16th in the AP poll and 17th in the Coaches poll as it went 11-2 and set the school record for wins. And, Matt Wells went to Texas Tech after the 2018 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. 
 
UTAH STATE HAS TWO QUARTERBACKS ON ITS ROSTER WITH BOWL WINS
• Utah State is one of just two Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs in the nation to have multiple quarterbacks on its roster with bowl wins, joining South Carolina. Ironically, for USU, neither of USU's quarterbacks with a bowl win is its starter as junior Cooper Legas led the Aggies to a 24-13 win against Oregon State in the 2021 Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl, while sophomore transfer Levi Williams led Wyoming to a 52-38 win against Kent State in the 2021 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and to a 38-17 win against Georgia State in the 2019 Arizona Bowl. USU starter, graduate senior Logan Bonner, started the LA Bowl, but was hurt early in the game with USU trailing 7-0.
 
UTAH STATE HAS ONE OF THE MOST EXPERIENCED O-LINES IN THE NATION
• Utah State returns four of its starters along the offensive line from last season in graduate senior Alfred Edwards (GP-43, GS-42), graduate senior Jacob South (GP-23, GS-14), graduate senior Chandler Dolphin (GP-19, GS-11) and sophomore Cole Motes (GP-9, GS-8). Combined, this group has appeared in 95 career games with 76 starts.
 
• Overall, Utah State is one of just 19 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs to return at least four starts along the offensive line from last season, while its 76 combined career starts are tied for the 13th-most in the nation and its 95 combined games played are the 19th-most.
 
AGGIES WHO HAVE SERVED LDS CHURCH MISSIONS 
•  Utah State has 11 players on its 2022 roster who have served missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in senior OL Wade Meacham, junior TE Josh Sterzer, junior WR Kyle Van Leeuwen, redshirt freshman CB Ty Barnett, redshirt freshman DT Johnson Hansen, redshirt freshman ILB Sione Moa, redshirt freshman DT Seni Tuiaki, redshirt freshman WR Timm Van Leeuwen, freshman P Ryan Marks, freshman ILB Bronson Olevao and freshman OL Adam Pond.
 
AGGIES WHO ARE MARRIED 
• Utah State has three players on its 2022 roster who are married in senior OL Wade Meacham, junior TE Josh Sterzer and sophomore OL Cole Motes.
 
UTAH STATE HAS ONLY RUSSIAN IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL AT FBS LEVEL
• Utah State has the only Russian on a roster at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level in junior OL Nikita Iuferov, who transferred to USU from San Mateo (California) Junior College.
 
ACADEMICALLY SPEAKING
• Utah State has 14 players on its roster that have already received their bachelor's degree in senior QB Logan Bonner, senior WR Brian Cobbs, senior PK Connor Coles, senior OL Alfred Edwards, senior OL Chandler Dolphin, senior CB Andre Grayson, senior S Gurvan Hall Jr., senior OL Wade Meacham, senior DT Phillip Paea, senior S Hunter Reynolds, senior OL Jacob South, senior RB Calvin Tyler Jr., junior DE Daniel Grzesiak and junior WR Xavier Williams.
 
UTAH STATE HAS SIX BOWL TEAMS ON ITS 2022 SCHEDULE
• Utah State has six teams on its 2022 schedule that played in a bowl game last season in Alabama (CFP Cotton Bowl, CFB National Championship), BYU (Independence Bowl), Air Force (First Responder Bowl), Wyoming (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl), Hawai'i (Hawaii Bowl) and Boise State (Arizona Bowl).
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Utah State is one of 16 teams that ended the 2021 season nationally ranked in The Associated Press poll to return both its head coach and starting quarterback in 2022. The others are Arkansas, Alabama, BYU, Clemson, Georgia, Houston, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Wake Forest and Utah.
 
WHAT'S RETURNING IN 2022
• Utah State returns 12 starters (O-7, D-5) as part of 32 letterwinners (O-15, D-13, S-4) from last year's team that had its best season in program history as it tied the school record with 11 wins (11-3, 6-2 MW), won its first-ever Mountain West Championship with a 46-13 road win at No. 19 San Diego State, posted a 24-13 win against Oregon State in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl and finished the season ranked 24th in the nation in both polls. Among those 32 returning lettermen are nine Super Seniors (QB Logan Bonner, WR Brian Cobbs, PK Connor Coles, OL Alfred Edwards, OL Chandler Dolphin, CB Andre Grayson, DT Phillip Paea, S Hunter Reynolds and RB Calvin Tyler Jr..
 
• Highlighting Utah State's returners in 2022 are four players that have earned previous all-conference honors in graduate senior QB Logan Bonner, graduate senior OL Alfred Edwards, senior ILB AJ Vongphachanh and junior P Stephen Kotsanlee. Bonner was named honorable mention all-Sun Belt Conference in 2020 at Arkansas State, Edwards earned honorable mention all-MW honors in 2021, and Vongphachanh and Kotsanlee both earned honorable mention all-MW honors following the 2020 campaign.
 
• Other starters returning for Utah State in 2022 include graduate senior OL Chandler Dolphin, graduate senior S Hunter Reynolds, graduate senior RB Calvin Tyler Jr., senior CB Michael Anyanwu, senior WR Justin McGriff, senior DT Hale Motu'apuaka, senior OL Jacob South, junior DE Byron Vaughns and sophomore OL Cole Motes. USU also returns four more players with at least five career starts in graduate senior CB Andre Grayson Jr., redshirt junior S Dominic Tatum, junior OL Falepule Alo and junior DE Patrick Joyner Jr.
 
• Utah State also welcomes back 18 players that redshirted a year ago (O-8, D-10) and seven more squadmen (O-5, D-2) that were on the team, while adding 46 newcomers (O-23, D-21, S-2), which includes 13 four-year transfers and eight junior college players. Those 14 four-year transfers include graduate senior WR Brian Cobbs (Maryland), senior S Gurvan Hall Jr. (Miami), graduate junior DE Daniel Grzesiak (Nevada), graduate junior WR Xavier Williams (Alabama), junior OLB Anthony Switzer (Arkansas State), junior ILB MJ Tafisi (Washington),  junior TE Ron Tiavaasue (Missouri State), junior RB Jordan Wilmore (Fresno State), sophomore WR Kyrese Rowan (Utah), sophomore DE John Ward (UCLA), sophomore QB Levi Williams (Wyoming), redshirt freshman CB Ty Barnett (Weber State) and redshirt freshman LB Cole Joyce (UCF).
 
WHAT UTAH STATE MUST REPLACE FROM 2021
• Utah State must replace 11 starters from the 2021 team, including All-American WR Deven Thompkins, to go along with seven other players who earned various all-MW honors in ILB Justin Rice and KOR Savon Scarver, who were both named to the second team, and S Shaq Bond, DE Nick Heninger, PR Jordan Nathan, OL Quazzel White and WR Derek Wright, who all earned honorable mention all-MW accolades in 2021.
 
LOOKING BACK AT UTAH STATE'S 2021 SEASON
• 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 last year 24th in The Associated Press poll with 163 votes and 24th in the Coaches poll with 142 votes. It was the first time during the 2021 season that USU was ranked in either poll. 
 
• The 2021 Utah State team ended a season nationally ranked for the first time since 2018, when that team finished the year 21st in the Coaches poll and 22nd in the AP poll as it went 11-3 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 2021 Mountain West Championship Game, Utah State claimed its 13th 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 (2020) to 11 wins (2021) 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.
 
• The 2021 Utah State team was 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, the 2021 Utah State team was 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 10-game improvement last year was 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 in 2020 and went 11-3 last year. 
 
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 last season, including one of two Mountain West teams, and the only team from the state of Utah. In fact, Utah and Texas were the only states that had three football teams with at least 10 wins as BYU (10), Utah (10) and Utah State (11) all represented the Beehive State, while Baylor (12), Houston (12) and UTSA (12) represented the Lone Star State.
 
• Utah State has 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.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Utah State improved to 6-9 all-time in bowl games as it played in its ninth bowl in the last 11 years last 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.
 
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 last 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 last 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 SET 10 SCHOOL RECORDS IN 2021
• 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.
 
AGGIES RALLY FROM DOUBLE-DIGIT DEFICITS FOR SIX WINS
• Utah State rallied from double-digit deficits to win six of its 11 games last 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 last 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), USU 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), USU 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), USU 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), USU 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), USU 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), USU overcame a 12-point (23-11) fourth-quarter deficit by scoring 15 unanswered points in the final 5:25 of the game.  
 
UTAH STATE HAD SUCCESS ON FOURTH DOWN
• Utah State converted 16-of-30 (.533) fourth downs last 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 the 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. 
 
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 in 2021 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 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?
• Since the 2013 season, Utah State has had 21 wins by at least 30 points, which is tied with Boise State for the most in the Mountain West. 
 
• Utah State tied for first in the nation with 43 plays of at least 30 yards last season and tied for second in the nation with 25 plays of at least 40 yards.
 
BONNER SETS FIVE SCHOOL RECORD IN FIRST YEAR WITH PROGRAM
• Graduate senior QB Logan Bonner set five school records last 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) last year, which has now been done 14 times by six different quarterbacks. 
 
• Bonner, who tied Hawai'i's Cole McDonald (2018) for the fourth-most touchdown passes (36) in a single season in Mountain West history, ranks seventh all-time in school history in that category. 
 
• 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.
 
UTAH STATE'S DEFENSE PLAYED ITS BEST AT THE END OF THE SEASON 
• Utah State's 2021 defense held each of its final three opponents last season to 13 or fewer points and limited 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. USU also held six of its last nine opponents to 360 or fewer yards of offense, including holding two of those opponents to less than 200 yards. USU's run defense was equally impressive as it held three of its last seven opponents to under 50 yards rushing.
 
UTAH STATE'S DEFENSE WAS GOOD IN THE RED ZONE 
• Utah State's opponents were in the red zone 51 times last 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? 
• Since the 2010 season, Utah State's defense has held 34 opponents to 14 or fewer points, which is tied for the seventh-best mark in the West.
 
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, while its 114.0 total tackles for loss were tied for the second-most 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).
 
• Furthermore, USU allowed 22 touchdowns on 51 possessions in the red zone (.431) and that percentage ranked second in the MW and 10th in the nation. 
 
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 last 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
• Graduate senior 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). 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). Junior DT Poukesi Vakauta was fourth in the MW and 22nd in the nation in fumbles recovered with two (0.14 pg). Senior CB Ajani Carter was fourth in the MW and 36th in the nation in interceptions with three (0.21 pg). Graduate senior RB Calvin Tyler Jr. was fifth in the MW and 63rd in the nation with 884 rushing yards (73.7 ypg), and ninth in the MW and 98th in the nation with seven rushing touchdowns (0.58 pg). Junior P Stephen Kotsanlee was seventh in the MW and 50th in the nation in punting (42.5 ypp). And, senior 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 last 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.
 
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 63-40 overall record, including a 44-20 conference mark. He posted a 12-3 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 their first-ever Mountain West Championship with a 46-13 win at No. 19 San Diego State, their 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 was 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.