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AGGIES CONTINUE MOUNTAIN WEST PLAY AT SAN JOSÉ STATE SATURDAY
Game will be televised on CBS Sports Network at 5 p.m. (MT). 
 
UTAH STATE (3-4, 1-2 MW) vs. SAN JOSÉ STATE (2-5, 1-2 MW)
Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023 • 5 p.m. (MT) • San Jose, California • CEFCU Stadium (18,265)
 
GAME 8 INFORMATION
TV: CBS Sports Network
• Play-by-Play: John Sadak
• Analyst: Randy Cross
• Reporter: Tiffany Blackmon
• Xfinity (Utah): Ch. 269/753HD
• DISH: Ch. 158
• DirecTV: Ch. 221
 
RADIO: Aggie Sports Network
• Play-by-Play: Scott Garrard 
• Analyst: Kevin White
• Online: kslsports.com/kslsportszone
 
SOCIAL MEDIA: #AGGIESALLTHEWAY
• X/Instagram: @USUFootball
• Facebook: USUFootball
• YouTube: UtahStateFootball
• Live Stats: stats.statbroadcast.com
 
KICKOFF COVERAGE
• Utah State (3-4, 1-2 MW) continues Mountain West play at San José State (2-5, 1-2 MW) on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 5 p.m. (MT), on CBS Sports Network (Xfinity Ch. 269/753HD, DISH Ch. 158, DirecTV Ch. 221) with John Sadak (play-by-play), Randy Cross (analyst) and Tiffany Blackmon (reporter) on the call. 
 
• Utah State and San José State have won two of the last three Mountain West Championships as USU won the title in 2021 and SJSU in 2020.
 
• Utah State's four losses this year have been to opponents that have a combined 24-2 (.923) record in No. 22 Air Force (6-0), No. 24 Iowa (6-1), (RV) James Madison (6-0) and (RV) Fresno State (6-1).
 
• Utah State has been outscored 91-17 in the first quarter this season, but has outscored its opponents 244-139 the remainder of the game, including 99-58 in the second quarter, 72-28 in the third quarter and 73-53 in the fourth quarter.
 
• Utah State is 49-32 (.605) all-time in Mountain West play, including a 22-17 (.564) road record. USU is 6-3 in its last nine MW road games and 20-14 (.588) in its last 34 road games overall, which includes a 10-6 (.625) road record under head coach Blake Anderson. 
 
• Utah State (49-32) has the third-best record against Mountain West opponents since it joined the league in 2013. Boise State (69-16) has the best record during that time, while San Diego State (59-24) has the second-best record. San José State has the ninth-best record (35-48).
 
• Utah State leads the Mountain West and is 15th in the nation in total offense at 477.9 yards per game. USU is also second in the MW and 16th in the nation in scoring offense (37.3 ppg), and second in the MW and 17th in the nation in passing offense (305.6 ypg). 
 
• Utah State's defense leads the Mountain West and ranks sixth in the nation with its 14 forced turnovers, while also ranking second in the MW and eighth in the nation with six fumble recoveries, and fourth in the MW and 17th in the nation with eight passes intercepted.
 
• Utah State is the only FBS team in the nation that has two players with at least eight touchdown catches this year in junior WR Jalen Royals and senior WR Terrell Vaughn. Royals is tied for first in the nation with nine touchdowns, while Vaughn has eight. USU is also one of just three teams, along with Washington and LSU, to have two players averaging 87.0 or more receiving yards per game.
 
SCOUTING SAN JOSÉ STATE
• San José State is 2-5 on the season and 1-2 in Mountain West play following its 52-24 conference win at New Mexico last weekend. The Spartans are led by senior QB Chevan Cordeiro, who is 133-of-222 (.599) passing for 1,619 yards (231.3 ypg) with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. Senior RB Kairee Robinson has carried the ball 73 times for 471 yards (6.5 ypc/78.5 ypg) and 10 touchdowns. And, junior WR Nick Nash has 30 receptions for 387 yards (12.9 ypr/55.3 ypg) and four touchdowns. Defensively, junior LB Bryun Parham has 60 tackles, which includes 0.5 sacks and 1.0 tackles for loss. As a team, SJSU is averaging 31.4 points and 391.1 yards of offense per game (242.7 passing, 148.4 rushing), and allowing 32.3 points and 396.3 yards (210.1 rushing, 186.1 passing). San José State returns 15 starters (O-4, D-11) from last year's team that went 7-5 overall and finished tied for second place in the West Division with a 5-3 league mark. The Spartans concluded its season with a 41-27 loss to Eastern Michigan in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Brent Brennan is 29-47 in his seventh season as SJSU's head coach.  
 
AGGIES AND SPARTANS SERIES HISTORY
• Utah State's series with San José State is tied 20-20-1 as the Aggies have won 10 straight games against the Spartans. USU is also 8-11-1 all-time in road games against SJSU, which includes five-straight road wins. The first game played between the two teams was on Sept. 30, 1940, in Logan, with SJSU winning, 19-0. In fact, SJSU won the first five games played in the series before USU won four straight from 1962-66. The last time the Spartans defeated USU was on Oct. 11, 2008, in San Jose, 30-7.   
 
AGGIES vs. SPARTANS SERIES FIFTH-LONGEST IN SCHOOL HISTORY
• Utah State and San José State will be meeting for the 42nd time for the fifth-most played series in school history, trailing Utah (112), BYU (91), Colorado State (79) and Wyoming (72). 
 
CONNECTIONS BETWEEN UTAH STATE AND SAN JOSÉ STATE
• San José State associate head coach and defensive coordinator Derrick Odum spent three years (2000-03) at Utah State as the secondary coach. SJSU offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kevin McGiven also spent three years (2009, '13-14) at USU as its offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. SJSU sophomore DL Mata Hola spent the 2020 season at USU. 
 
UTAH STATE AND SAN JOSÉ STATE AS CONFERENCE FOES
• Utah State and San José State have spent 36 years as league foes as both schools joined the Mountain West on July 1, 2013. The two schools began their conference affiliation as members of the Big West Conference from 1978-95 and were foes in the Western Athletic Conference from 2005-12. As members of the Big West, SJSU held a 10-4-1 series advantage against USU, while the series record as WAC members was 5-3 in favor of the Aggies. USU is 6-0 against the Spartans as members of the Mountain West.
 
UTAH STATE VERSUS THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
• Utah State is 65-74-2 (.470) all-time against teams from California, including a 27-46-2 (.373) road record. Overall, USU is 21-7 versus Pacific, 20-20-1 against San José State, 13-19-1 versus Fresno State, 8-6 against Cal State Fullerton, 3-13 versus San Diego State, 1-0 against Cal State Northridge, 0-6 versus USC, and 0-1 against Stanford, St. Vincent's and UCLA. 
 
CURRENT AGGIES FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
• Utah State has 21 players in its program from the state of California, which is the second-most on the team behind the 44 players from the state of Utah. Those players from the Golden State currently in USU's program include graduate senior CB Michael Anyanwu (Covina/Charter Oak HS), junior OL Shively Asoau Fua (San Francisco/Mission HS/Chabot College), freshman WR Zakkarii Black (Covina/Charter Oak HS), graduate junior WR Colby Bowman (Orange/St. John Bosco HS/Stanford), sophomore S Devin Dye (San Diego/Cathedral Catholic HS/Palomar College), junior LS Jacob Garcia (Anaheim/Servite HS), sophomore S Simeon Harris (Vallejo/Benicia HS/Colorado), junior WR Arcelles Johnson (Woodland Hills/El Camino Real HS/Moorpark College), freshman LS Alexander McDougall (Corona/Centennial HS), junior DT Vaughn Mamea (San Jose/Independence HS/College of San Mateo), junior CB Jaylen Martin (Los Angeles/Roosevelt HS/East Los Angeles College), sophomore OL Elia Migao (Temecula/Chaparral HS), sophomore DE Enoka Migao (Temecula/Chaparral HS), senior S Omari Okeke (Bellflower/Bellflower HS/Cerritos College), junior QB Zeke Payne (San Diego/Rancho Bernardo HS/New Mexico Highlands), junior DE Cian Slone (Rocklin/Rocklin HS/American River College), sophomore S Teeg Slone (Rocklin/Rocklin HS/American River College), graduate senior CB Xavion Steele (Hemet/Orange Lutheran HS/Fullerton JC), redshirt freshman DE Adam Tomczyk (Los Alamitos/Los Alamitos HS), senior WR Terrell Vaughn (Oxnard/Westlake HS/Ventura College) and junior DE John Ward (Palmdale/Palmdale HS/UCLA).
 
UTAH STATE IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST
• Utah State is 177-194-8 (.478) all-time against current members of the Mountain West with a 40-28-4 record vs. Wyoming, a 38-39-2 record vs. Colorado State, a 20-20-1 record vs. San José State, an 18-8 record vs. UNLV, a 16-13 record vs. New Mexico, a 13-19-1 record vs. Fresno State, a 12-6 record vs. Hawai`i, a 7-19 record vs. Nevada, a 5-22 record vs. Boise State, a 5-7 record vs. Air Force, and a 3-13 record vs. San Diego State.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Former Utah State head coach John Ralston (1959-62) spent four years as San José State's head coach (1993-1996). At USU, Ralston compiled a 31-11-1 (.733) record, ranking first all-time in winning percentage and fifth all-time in wins. 
 
• The Aggies and Spartans set a then-NCAA record for the highest scoring tie, 48-48, in Spartan Stadium to open the 1979 season.
 
• San José State defeated Utah State 20-0 in the 1947 Raisin Bowl in Fresno, California, on New Year's Day. It was both program's first-ever bowl appearance.
 
• Utah State has 44 players in its program from the state of Utah, while San José State has 89 players on its roster from the state of California.
    
SERIES NOTABLES BETWEEN UTAH STATE AND SAN JOSÉ STATE
• Utah State has outscored San José State 432-204 (43.2-20.4) during its current 10-game winning streak, including 336-128 (48.0-18.3) in its last seven meetings. In fact, USU has won six of the last seven games in the series by at least 22 points. 
 
• Utah State has had more rushing yards in each of its last 10 games in the series and has rushed for at least 200 yards in eight of the last 10 games. USU has also held SJSU to under 90 yards rushing in each of the last three games in the series. 
 
• Utah State has scored at least 34 points against San José State in each of its last nine meetings and 40-plus points in six of the last seven meetings.
 
• Utah State has had at least 400 yards of offense in each of the last 10 games in the series, and at least 500 yards in five of its last nine games, while holding San José State to under 165 yards of total offense in two of the last four meetings. 
 
• In the last five games in the series, Utah State has converted 52.4 of its third downs (44-of-84), while San José State has converted just 20.6 percent of its third downs (14-of-68). 
 
• The winning team has scored at least 20 points in 38 of the 41 meetings and at least 30 points in 23 of those games. 
 
• Utah State has led at the half in nine of the last 10 games, winning all 10 contests. 
 
• Utah State has had a 100-yard rusher in eight of its last 10 meetings with San José State. During the last 14 games in the series, the Spartans have had just one 100-yard rusher. 
 
• Utah State has had just one 300-yard passer and just three 100-yard receivers in the last 14 games in the series. Conversely, San José State has had six 300-yard passers and seven 100-yard receivers in the last 14 games, but is just 3-11 in those contests. 
 
• The team that has more total yards has won 13 of the last 14 games in the series. The team that has more rushing yards has won 12 of the last 14 games. And, the team that has more first downs has won 11 of the last 14 games in the series. 
 
• Utah State has controlled the time of possession in each of the last four games, in five of the last six, and in seven of the last 10 games in the series.
 
• Time of possession has not been a deciding factor in the series as the team who controls the ball is just 7-7 in the last 14 games.
 
• In its 41 games against San José State, Utah State has had 15 100-yard receivers, 11 100-yard rushers and six 300-yard passers.
 
FROM THE RECORD BOOKS
• Utah State set a school record with 804 yards of total offense, which is the third-most in Mountain West history, in its 2018 meeting against San José State. USU also had 510 passing yards in that game, the third-most in school history.  
 
• Utah State recorded its 18th-largest margin of victory in school history with a 61-10 road win at San José State in 2017. That 51-point victory is the third-largest road win in school history.
 
• Utah State set single-game school records as nine Aggies recorded 13.0 sacks and 15.0 tackles for loss at San José State in 2012. 
 
• Utah State held San José State to 119 yards in 1966, the 15th-fewest in school history. USU also held SJSU to negative 15 rushing yards in 1985, four rushing yards in 2012 and 12 rushing yards in 2021, which ranks as the sixth-, 16th- and 19th-fewest in school history. 
 
• Utah State passed for 412 yards against San José State in 1988, which ranks as the 14th-most in school history. 
 
• Utah State rushed for 381 yards against San José State in 2009, which is the 18th-most in school history. 
 
• Jordan Love passed for 491 yards against San José State in 2018, which ranks as the third-most in school history. Love also completed an 88-yard pass to Darwin Thompson against SJSU in 2018, which is the sixth-longest pass play in school history.
 
• Danilo Robinson set the school record with 5.0 sacks and 6.0 tackles for loss against San José State in 1995. 
 
• Louie Aguiar set the school record with an 85-yard punt against San José State in 1988, while Guy McClure had a 73-yard punt against the Spartans in 1978, which is the ninth-longest in school history. 
 
• Dene Garner made a 58-yard field goal against San José State in 1985, which is the second-longest in school history. Garner also attempted and made five field goals against SJSU in 1985 to set the school record at the time in both categories.  
 
• Brent Snyder passed for 412 yards against San José State in 1998 and 384 yards in 1987, which rank as the 11th- and 22nd-most in school history, respectively. 
 
• Bob Gagliano passed for 366 yards against San José State in 1980 and Eric Hipple passed for 364 yards against the Spartans in 1979, which rank as the 28th- and 29th-most in school history. 
 
• Kendal Smith had 208 receiving yards against San José State in 1998, which is the 13th-most in school history. 
 
• Kevin Robinson had an 87-yard punt return against San José State in 2005, which is the fourth-longest in school history.  
 
• Kerwynn Williams had an 86-yard run against San José State in 2012, which is tied for the eighth-longest in school history.
 
• Dominik Eberle set a then-school record with 19 points scored by a kicker at San José State in 2017, which now ranks second all-time. His 52-yard field goal was also a career long and tied for the 11th-longest in school history.
 
PLAYER CONNECTIONS BETWEEN UTAH STATE AND SAN JOSÉ STATE
• Utah State graduate senior ILB MJ Tafisi Jr., sophomore DE Maka Tu'akoi and freshman CB Noah Flores all attended Alta HS in Sandy, Utah, as did SJSU sophomore DL Mata Hola. USU junior RB Rahsul Faison, junior OL Sione Nomani and sophomore DE Ioholani Raass all attended Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, as did Hola. USU graduate senior CB Xavion Steele and SJSU freshman OL Nate Hale both attended Orange Lutheran HS in Orange, California. USU junior OL Jake Hellmann and junior DT Vaughn Mamea both attended the College of San Mateo (CA), as did SJSU senior DL Noah Lavulo and junior DL Quincy Likio. USU sophomore ILB Gavin Barthiel and SJSU sophomore OL James McNorton both began their collegiate careers at Washington State. USU junior WR Kyrese Rowan and SJSU junior OL Marist Talavou both began their collegiate careers at Utah. USU junior DE John Ward and Raass both began their collegiate careers at UCLA, as did SJSU senior DB Elisha Guidry. USU graduate junior WR Colby Bowman attended St. John Bosco HS in Bellflower, California, as did SJSU freshman RB Jabari Bates, freshman DL Vaka Hansen, freshman DB Hunter Nowell, freshman DL Jairus Satele and Talavou. USU redshirt sophomore CB Avante Dickerson and redshirt freshman DT Sir Mells both began their collegiate careers at Oregon, as did SJSU sophomore QB Jay Butterfield. USU junior PK William Testa and sophomore OL Aloali'i Maui both began their collegiate careers at New Mexico Military Institute, as did SJSU sophomore DL Gafa Faga. USU sophomore S Devin Dye and SJSU sophomore WR Branden Alvarez both attended Centennial HS in San Diego, California. And, USU freshman LS Alexaner McDougall and SJSU sophomore LB Jordan Allen both attended Cathedral Catholic HS in San Diego, California.
 
LAST MEETING vs. SAN JOSÉ STATE
LOGAN, Utah  - Graduate senior RB Calvin Tyler Jr. scored on a 3-yard run with 2:49 left in the game to lift Utah State to a thrilling 35-31 Senior Night win against San José State on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, on Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium. 
               
With the win, the Aggies (6-5, 5-2 Mountain West) became bowl eligible for the 10th time in the last 12 years. 
               
Utah State extended its winning streak to 10 in a row against San José State and is now 20-20-1 all-time against the Spartans, including 12-8 at home.  
               
Tyler led Utah State's rushing attack as he gained 125 yards and a career-high three touchdowns on 30 carries. As a team, the Aggies finished with 186 yards rushing. Junior QB Cooper Legas was 23-of-35 for a career-high 244 yards and one touchdown, to go along with two interceptions. Legas also had career highs in both completions and attempts.
               
Utah State graduate senior WR Brian Cobbs caught a career-high-tying 10 passes for 122 yards as the Aggies finished with 430 yards of offense and held the Spartans to 341 yards (257 passing, 84 rushing). 
               
True freshman ILB Max Alford paced the Aggies' defense with seven tackles, including 0.5 tackles for loss. Graduate junior DE Daniel Grzesiak added six stops, including 2.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, while senior DT Hale Motu'apuaka had a career-high-tying 2.0 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss as part of his five total stops.
               
After the Spartans (6-4, 4-3 MW) opened the scoring courtesy of a 36-yard touchdown pass from Chevan Cordeiro to Elijah Cooks, Utah State reeled off 21 unanswered points and was seemingly in control. 
               
Tyler scored on a 14-yard touchdown run to give the Aggies a 7-6 lead late in the first quarter, then found the end zone from two yards out to make it 14-6 with 5:29 left in the second quarter. 
               
Utah State went up 21-6 just before the half when junior CB Jaden Smith fielded a blocked SJSU punt by redshirt freshman S Ike Larsen and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown. 
               
However, the Spartans answered back just before intermission when Cordeiro found Cooks again, this time from 29 yards out, to make it a 21-13 ballgame. 
               
San José State's Taren Schive kicked a 41-yard field goal with 9:22 to go in the third quarter to pare the deficit to 21-16, but Utah State seemingly regained control four minutes later when senior WR Justin McGriff hauled in a 19-yard touchdown pass from Legas, giving the hosts a 28-16 lead. 
               
The Spartans wouldn't go away, though. They scored the next 15 points of the game to move in front for the first time since the first quarter, 31-28 with 6:42 remaining in the contest.
               
That's when Tyler took over.
               
On Utah State's go-ahead possession, Tyler touched the ball on six of the team's nine-play drive, accounting for 25 yards, one first down and the game-winning touchdown. 
               
The game wasn't cemented in the Aggies favor, though, until Utah State's defense forced the Spartans to turn the ball over on downs after just four plays on the ensuing possession. USU ran out the remainder of the clock and was aided by a roughing the kicker penalty on a successful field goal.
               
Utah State's defense finished the game with a season-high five sacks to go along with six pass breakups. 
  
LAST ROAD MEETING vs. SAN JOSÉ STATE
SAN JOSE, California  - Graduate junior QB Logan Bonner was 20-of-33 passing for 263 yards and a career-high-tying four touchdowns and senior WR Deven Thompkins caught five passes for a game-high 127 yards as Utah State rolled to a 48-17 Mountain West win at San Jose State on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021.
               
For Bonner, he became the first quarterback in school history to throw at least four touchdowns in three-straight games, while Thompkins tied Kevin Curtis' 2001 school record for most consecutive 100-yard receiving games at six. 
               
After the Aggies spotted the defending Mountain West champion Spartans a 14-0 lead, Utah State (8-2, 5-1 MW) outscored the hosts 48-3 the rest of the way. The double-digit comeback victory was the sixth of the season for USU, including its fifth straight on the road.
               
Utah State finished the game with 410 yards of total offense (263 passing, 147 rushing) and held the Spartans (5-6, 3-4 MW) to just 150 yards, including 12 on the ground, which tied a season low and is tied for the 19th-fewest in school history. It is also the fewest yards allowed by USU since Weber State's 138 in 2013. The Aggies also notched a pair of sacks and finished the game with 8.0 tackles for loss.
               
Junior OLB Ajani Carter highlighted Utah State's efforts on defense as he recorded four tackles, including a strip sack that he recovered to set up a touchdown. He also intercepted a pass and returned it 45 yards, and had one pass breakup.
               
Graduate senior ILB Justin Rice led the Aggies with eight tackles, while junior CB Michael Anyanwu tied his career high with six tackles.
               
Senior WR Derek Wright had three receptions for 50 yards and a career-high-tying two touchdowns, while graduate senior WR Brandon Bowling had three catches for 25 yards and a score. Graduate junior RB Calvin Tyler Jr. led all rushers in the game with 61 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, and sophomore RB Elelyon Noa added 41 yards and another score on the ground. In all, eight different Aggies caught at least one pass in the game.
               
The Spartans took a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter when Kenyon Reed intercepted a pass by Bonner and returned it 58 yards for a touchdown. It marked the first time since 2019 that an opponent has had a pick-six against the Aggies.
               
On the very next series, Bonner fumbled after being sacked and the Spartans recovered the ball on Utah State's 38-yard line. Three plays later, SJSU doubled its lead when Tyler Nevens scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, making it 14-0 early in the second quarter.
               
The Aggies answered San Jose State's touchdown with their first score the next time they touched the ball. Bonner threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to senior WR Savon Scarver to pare the deficit to 14-7 with 12:40 remaining in the half.  
               
Utah State's defense set up the Aggies' next touchdown when Carter sacked SJSU quarterback Nick Nash. Carter also knocked the ball loose and recovered it at the Spartans' 4-yard line.
               
Two plays later, Bonner hooked up with Wright from four yards out and the game was knotted at 14-apiece with 9:50 showing on the clock.
               
The Aggies kept the pedal to the metal as Noa scored on a 3-yard touchdown run, while graduate senior PK Connor Coles kicked a 32-yard field goal to send Utah State into the locker room with a 24-14 lead. 
               
Utah State then outscored San José State 24-3 in the second half as Bowling, Wright and Tyler all had touchdowns, while Coles added another field goal.
 
GAME 7 RECAP vs. FRESNO STATE
LOGAN, Utah  - Graduate senior QB Cooper Legas threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns, but his final pass of the night was intercepted at the Bulldogs' 31-yard line with less than a minute to go, helping Fresno State preserve its 37-32 victory on Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. 
               
Junior RB Rahsul Faison rushed for 75 yards on a career high 12 carries. His 24-yard touchdown run tied the game at 31-all and after junior PK Elliott Nimrod kicked the extra point, the Aggies (3-4, 1-2 MW) were up 32-31 with 4:42 to go in the game. 
               
The Bulldogs (6-1, 2-1 MW) wasted little time regaining the lead as they marched 72 yards in just over two minutes. Malik Sherrod capped the five-play drive with an 11-yard touchdown run to give Fresno State a 37-32 lead with 2:19 remaining. 
               
Sherrod rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries as the Bulldogs produced 461 yards of total offense.
               
Following Sherrod's final score of the night, the Aggies took over on their own 25 with 2:19 to go and eventually moved the ball to Fresno State's 43 before Legas' final pass was picked off.
               
Utah State racked up 568 yards of total offense, but two turnovers and costly penalties (eight for 74 yards) proved damaging to the Aggies. Legas was 23-of-40 passing.
               
Junior WR Jalen Royals led Utah State with a career-high-tying seven receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Senior WR Terrell Vaughn also caught seven passes for 119 yards and one touchdown.
               
Fresno State's Logan Fife was 22-of-39 passing for 291 yards and one touchdown. 
               
Defensively, Utah State graduate senior ILB MJ Tafisi Jr. had both a game- and career-high 17 tackles, to go along with one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry. Redshirt junior S Anthony
Switzer matched his career high with 10 tackles.
               
Sherrod scored on a 5-yard touchdown run to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead with 6:19 to go in the opening quarter. USU answered on the ensuing possession when Legas connected with Royals for a 29-yard touchdown to make it 7-apiece less than three minutes later. 
               
The Aggies appeared to take a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter when Faison caught a screen pass from Legas and turned it into a 41-yard touchdown run. However, a personal foul called on Utah State negated the score and the home team eventually had to punt. 
               
Tre Watson made it 14-7 for Fresno State when he caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Fife on third-and-goal. 
               
But just like they did the first time the Bulldogs reached the end zone, the Aggies answered with a score of their own on another Legas to Royals connection.
               
Legas drove Utah State 75 yards in less than two minutes, capped by a 52-yard pass to Royals to knot the game at 14-apiece. 
               
The Aggies took their first lead early in the third quarter when Nimrod split the uprights from 37 yards out to make it 17-14. Fresno State scored touchdowns the next two times it touched the ball, however, to open a 28-17 lead with 4:51 left in the third. 
               
Utah State pulled within 28-25 early in the fourth when Vaughn caught a 43-yard touchdown pass from Legas, followed by a successful two-point conversion on a run by Royals.
               
A 26-yard field goal by Dylan Lynch put Fresno State up 31-25 with 9:50 to go, setting up the wild finish.
 
UTAH STATE POSTS 568 YARDS OF TOTAL OFFENSE AGAINST FRESNO STATE
• Utah State gained 568 yards of offense (363 passing, 205 rushing) in its 37-32 Mountain West home loss to Fresno State last weekend. For USU, it was the fourth time this year, including second-straight game, that it had 500-plus yards of offense. It was also the third time this year, and second-straight game, that it rushed for 200 yards in a game. And, it was the fourth time this year, including fourth-straight game, that USU passed for at least 300 yards.  
 
• Utah State's total yards (568), passing yards (363) and rushing yards (205) are the most allowed by Fresno State this year, while its 32 points scored are the second-most. Entering the USU game, the Bulldogs season highs were 364 yards allowed vs. Eastern Washington, 254 passing yards allowed vs. Purdue, 133 rushing yards allowed vs. EWU and 35 points at Purdue. 
 
• Fresno State entered the game against Utah State ranking 17th in the nation in total defense (289.8 ypg), 18th in the nation in rushing defense (99.3 ypg), 24th in the nation in scoring defense (18.2 ppg) and 27th in the nation in passing defense (190.5 ypg).
 
AGGIE OFFENSE HAS SCORED 30-PLUS POINTS IN FOUR STRAIGHT GAMES
• Utah State's offense has scored 30 or more points in each of its last four games and has had at least 500 total yards in three of its last four games. During its last four games, USU is averaging 37.0 points and 530.8 yards of total offense (366.8 passing, 164.0 rushing).  
 
• The last time Utah State scored 30 or more points in four straight games was during the 2018 season when that team scored 30-plus points in each of its first six games. The school record for consecutive games scoring 30-plus points is seven set in 2012 and this is just the eighth time in school history that USU has scored 30 or more points in at least four straight games joining the 2012 (7), 2018 (6), 2002 (5), 1965 (5), 1961 (5), 2000 (4) and 1990 (4) teams.
 
UTAH STATE'S OFFENSE ALREADY EQUALING LAST YEAR'S NUMBERS
• Through seven games of the 2023 season, Utah State's offense is equaling what it did last year as USU has already scored 34 touchdowns this year, including 23 passing touchdowns, as compared to just 36 touchdowns in 2022, including just 18 through the air. USU has also passed for 2,139 yards this season as compared to 2,537 yards all of last season.
 
COMPARING UTAH STATE'S 2023 OFFENSE IN THE RECORD BOOKS
• Through seven games of the 2023 season, Utah State's offense is averaging 37.3 points and 477.9 yards of total offense per game, including 305.6 passing yards per game. Historically, the 37.3 points per game average would rank as the third-most in school history behind the 2018 (47.5 ppg) and 1961 (38.7 ppg) teams, while the 477.9 yards of offense would rank second all-time behind the 2018 team (497.4 ypg). And, the 305.6 passing yards per game would rank third all-time at USU behind the 1996 (317.5 ypg) and 2002 (308.0 ypg) teams. 
 
WIDE RECEIVER U.
• Utah State might be able to start referring to itself as "Wide Receiver U." following the success from its three starting wide receivers this year in senior Terrell Vaughn, junior Jalen Royals and junior Micah Davis, as the trio has combined to catch 113 passes for 1,677 yards and 21 touchdowns, to go along with seven 100-yard receiving games.
 
• In its last game against Fresno State, Royals had seven receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns, while Vaughn had seven receptions for 119 yards and one touchdown.
 
• In its previous game against Colorado State, Utah State had three 100-yard receivers in the same game for just the second time in school history as Vaughn had 143 yards on eight receptions, Royals had 140 yards on six receptions and Davis had 104 yards on five receptions. USU also had a 100-yard rusher against the Rams as junior RB Davon Booth gained 141 yards on 14 carries. The only other time in school history that USU has had three 100-yard receivers and a 100-yard rusher in the same game was against CS Northridge in 1996. 
 
• Utah State's seven 100-yard receiving games this season are already tied for the ninth-most in school history. The school record is 13 100-yard receiving games set in 1996 and tied in 2021, while the 2001 team had 10 100-yard receiving games. The 1998 and 2002 teams both had nine 100-yard receiving games. And the 1979, 1987 and 2018 teams all had eight 100-yard receiving games, while the 1980 team had seven.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Utah State has 10 scoring drives this season that have taken less than 60 seconds, which includes nine touchdown drives and one field goal. USU also has 10 scoring plays of at least 50 yards this season with eight passes and two runs. Overall, USU has 21 scoring plays this year of at least 20 yards (14 passing, 7 rushing). USU has also had 18 plays of at least 20 yards in its last two games with 11 against Colorado State and seven against Fresno State.
 
• Utah State has posted 14 come-from-behind wins under head coach Blake Anderson, including two this season, as it overcame 17-0 deficits against both Colorado State and UConn, which is tied for the fourth-largest comebacks in school history. In fact, nine of USU comebacks under Anderson have been when trailing by double-digits.
 
• Utah State is 9-2 in one-score games under Anderson, including a 1-2 record this year.
 
LEGAS HAS SECOND-STRAIGHT 300-YARD PASSING GAME
• Graduate senior QB Cooper Legas posted his second-straight 300-yard passing game, and the third of his career, in his last outing against Fresno State as he was 23-of-40 (.575) for 363 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. 
 
• In his previous game against Colorado State, Legas was 19-of-29 (.655) passing for a career-high 387 yards with a career-best four touchdowns, to go along with two interceptions. Those 387 passing yards for Legas are the 22nd-most in a single game in school history.
 
• At UConn, Legas came off the bench following an injury to McCae Hillstead to complete 11-of-13 (.846) passes for 204 yards and a then-career-high-tying three touchdowns in two quarters of action. 
 
• Since being benched against Air Force (9/15) and not playing against James Madison (9/23), Legas is 53-of-82 (.646) passing for 954 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions in his last 10 quarters of football against UConn, Colorado State and Fresno State.
 
• Legas has now thrown three or more touchdown passes in each of his last three games and in four games in his career, and has multiple touchdown passes in eight games overall.
 
ROYALS HAS SEVEN TOUCHDOWN CATCHES IN HIS LAST THREE GAMES
• Junior WR Jalen Royals has exploded in his last three games as he has caught 20 passes for 450 yards (22.5 ypr) and seven touchdowns. Last weekend against Fresno State, he had a career-high-tying seven receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns (29, 52). In his previous game against Colorado State, he had six receptions for 140 yards and two touchdowns (24, 51). And, in his game prior to that at UConn, he had a career-high 185 receiving yards and a career-best three touchdowns (15, 71, 52) on a career-high-tying seven receptions. 
 
• Of his seven touchdown receptions in his last three games, four have been for at least 50 yards.
 
• Royals, who now has three-career 100-yard receiving games, entered the UConn game with 19 receptions for 197 yards and two touchdowns in 16 career outings.
 
ROYALS HAS THREE-STRAIGHT 100-YARD RECEIVING GAMES
• Junior WR Jalen Royals has had three-straight 100-yard receiving games, which is the longest streak by an Aggie since Devin Thompkins had five-straight 100-yard receiving games in 2021.
 
VAUGHN POSTS FOURTH-CAREER 100-YARD RECEIVING GAME
• Senior WR Terrell Vaughn posted his third 100-yard receiving game of the season, including his second in as many games and the fourth of his career, as he caught seven passes for 119 yards and one touchdown against Fresno State. In his previous game against Colorado State, he caught eight passes for 143 yards, including a career-long 76-yard touchdown. 
 
• Vaughn has now caught at least one touchdown pass in six of USU's seven games this season.
 
VAUGHN ENTERS AGGIE RECORD BOOKS
• With his seven receptions for 119 yards against Fresno State, senior WR Terrell Vaughn now has 109 receptions for 1,233 yards in his two-year Aggie career. Overall, Vaughn ranks 20th all-time in receptions and 28th all-time in receiving yards as he is the 22nd player in school history to catch 100 passes and the 38th player in school history with 1,000 career receiving yards.
 
DAVIS RECORDS FIRST 100-YARD RECEIVING GAME AS AN AGGIE
• Junior WR Micah Davis recorded his first 100-yard receiving game as an Aggie and the second of his career as he caught a career-high five passes for 104 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown, against Colorado State two weekends ago. 
 
• Last weekend against Fresno State, Davis tied his career high with five receptions for 72 yards. 
 
FAISON SCORES SECOND-CAREER TOUCHDOWN IN FRESNO STATE GAME
• Junior RB Rahsul Faison scored his second-career touchdown on a 24-yard run against Fresno State in his last game. Faison rushed for 75 yards on a career-high 12 carries against the Bulldogs.
 
BOOTH POST CAREER-HIGHS AGAINST COLORADO STATE
• Junior RB Davon Booth had his second-career 100-yard rushing game two weekends ago against Colorado State as he carried the ball 14 times for a career-high 141 yards, while tying his career high with two rushing touchdowns (22, 48).
 
UTAH STATE MILESTONES THAT EQUAL SUCCESS
• Utah State has won 45 of its last 56 games when it has a 100-yard rusher, including a 2-1 record this year, and 51 of its last 60 contests when rushing at least 40 times in a game, including a 2-1 record in 2023. USU has also won 69 of its last 76 games when scoring at least 30 points, including a 3-2 record this year.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• USU has had 25 players make their first-career start through the first seven weeks of the season. Furthermore, USU has had 16 players appear in their first-ever Division I game this year and 39 players have made their Aggie debut this fall. 
 
TAFISI RECORDS CAREER-HIGH 17 TACKLES IN FRESNO STATE GAME
• Graduate senior ILB MJ Tafisi Jr. recorded a career-high 17 tackles, to go along with one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry, in his last game against Fresno State. Overall, it is his third-straight double-digit tackle game and his fourth this season. For his career, Tafisi now has nine double-digit tackle games. Those 17 stops by Tafisi are the most by an Aggie since AJ Vongphachanh had 17 tackles at Nevada in 2020. 
 
SWITZER TIES CAREER HIGH WITH 10 TACKLES IN FRESNO STATE GAME
• Redshirt junior S Anthony Switzer had a career-high-tying 10 tackles against Fresno State, marking the third time this year and in his career he has posted double-digit tackles.
 
DYE CONTINUES IMPRESSIVE PLAY FOR AGGIES
• Sophomore S Devin Dye posted six tackles and a career-high two pass breakups against Fresno State last weekend and has now posted 31 tackles and four pass breakups in his last four games. Dye also had six tackles, to go along with a pass breakup, against Colorado State, and recorded his first-ever double-digit tackle outing with a career-high 10 stops, while intercepting his second pass in as many games, in his first-career start at UConn. And, against James Madison, Dye recorded a then-career-high nine tackles, which included 0.5 tackles for loss, to go along with his first-career interception and second-career pass breakup.
 
OTHER DEFENSIVE NOTABLES FOR FRESNO STATE GAME
• Senior DT Hale Motu'apuaka tied his season high with four tackles. He also had 1.0 sacks, his first this season, to give him 8.5 sacks and 17.5 TFLs in his career. Sophomore DT Bo Maile tied his career high with three tackles for the second time this year. Junior DE Blaine Spires had 1.0 sacks to give him 1.0 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss on the season, and 3.5 sacks and 14.5 TFLs in his career. Redshirt freshman DE Paul Fitzgerald had 1.0 sacks to give him a team-leading 4.0 sacks on the season, to go along with 4.5 tackles for loss. Junior DE John Ward had 1.0 tackles for loss to give him 2.0 TFLs on the season and 5.0 in his career. Junior CB Jaiden Francois had one pass breakup to give him two PBUs this season and in his career. Sophomore S Ike Larsen had one pass breakup to give him five PBUs this season and seven in his career. 
 
NIMROD SCORES CAREER-HIGH 14 POINTS AGAINST JAMES MADISON
• Junior PK Elliott Nimrod scored a career-high 14 points against James Madison as he scored his first-career touchdown on an 18-yard run on a fake field goal. Nimrod was also 5-of-5 on extra points and 1-of-2 on field goals as he made a 28-yarder and missed a 37-yarder. 
 
• Against Colorado State, Nimrod scored eight points as he was 1-of-2 on field goal and 5-for-6 on PATs. Nimrod is now 6-of-8 on the season on field goals, including 2-of-2 from 20-29 yards, 2-of-3 from 30-39 yards and 2-of-3 from 40-49 yards, and 22-of-24 on PATs.
 
• And, against Fresno State, Nimrod scored six points as he was 1-of-1 on field goal and 3-for-3 on PATs. Nimrod is now 7-of-9 on the season on field goals, including 2-of-2 from 20-29 yards, 3-of-4 from 30-39 yards and 2-of-3 from 40-49 yards, and 25-of-27 on PATs.  
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Utah State blocked its second kick of the 2023 season at UConn as it blocked an extra point with 40 seconds remaining to preserve a 34-33 win. USU also blocked a punt at No. 25 Iowa.USU has now blocked nine kicks (6 punts, 2 extra points, 1 field goal) under head coach Blake Anderson, which included four blocks (3 punts, 1 extra point) during the 2022 campaign.  The school record for blocked kicks in a season is six set in 2012. 
 
AGGIE TO KEEP YOUR EYES ON
#6 | Ike Larsen | S | 5-10 | 185 | So. | Smithfield, Utah | Sky View HS
• Was named the 2023 College Football Network (CFN) Midseason National Safety of the Year. Was also named to the Midseason All-America First-Team Defense, along with being tabbed the Mountain West Safety of the Year and Midseason MW First-Team Defense.
 
• Named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week (10/9/23) as he tied his career high with two interceptions against Colorado State to give him three interceptions this season and seven in his career. He also had seven tackles and a pass breakup against the Rams.
 
• Named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week (10/2/23) for the first time in his career after blocking the tying extra point in the final minute of Utah State's 34-33 road win at UConn.
 
• For his career, Larsen has a school-record five blocked kicks (4 punts, 1 PAT).
 
• Returned his first interception of the season 47 yards for his second-career pick-six against Idaho State. 
 
• Has recorded at least four tackles in every game this season and has six-plus tackles in each of his last five games. Also has three pass breakups and five passes defended in his last three games.
 
UTAH STATE 15TH IN THE NATION IN TOTAL OFFENSE 
• Utah State is first in the Mountain West and 15th in the nation in total offense (477.9 ypg), second in the MW and 16th in the nation in scoring offense (37.3 ppg), second in the MW and 17th in the nation in passing offense (305.6 ypg), second in the MW and 33rd in the nation in passing efficiency (155.6), fourth in the MW and 48th in the nation in rushing offense (172.3 ypg), fifth in the MW and 47th in the nation in completion percentage (.632), and 11th in the MW and 111th in the nation in sacks allowed with 22 (3.1 pg). 
 
• Utah State is also second in the MW and 28th in the nation in first downs with 162 (23.1 pg), fourth in the MW and 39th in the nation in passing yards per completion (13.4), fifth in the MW and 37th in the nation in yards per rush attempt (4.8), fifth in the MW and 43rd in the nation in fumbles lost with three (0.43 pg), sixth in the MW and 30th in the nation in fourth down conversions (.647), seventh in the MW and 46th in the nation in red zone offense (.880), and seventh in the MW and 61st in the nation in turnover margin (+0.00),   
 
UTAH STATE FIFTH IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST IN TACKLES FOR LOSS
• Utah State is fifth in the Mountain West and 84th in the nation in tackles for loss with 38 (5.4 pg), fourth in the MW and 54th in the nation in passing efficiency defense (128.3), sixth in the MW and 99th in the nation in rushing defense (163.6 ypg), seventh in the MW and 101st in the nation in passing defense (251.0 ypg), seventh in the MW and 107th in the nation in total defense (414.6 ypg), eighth in the MW and 99th in the nation in sacks with 12 (1.71 pg), and eighth in the MW and 114th in the nation in scoring defense (32.9 ppg). 
 
UTAH STATE SIXTH IN THE NATION WITH 14 FORCED TURNOVERS
• Utah State is first in the Mountain West and sixth in the nation with 14 forced turnovers this season. USU is also second in the MW and eighth in the nation in fumbles recovered with six (0.9 pg), and fourth in the MW and 17th in the nation in passes intercepted with eight (1.1 pg). 
 
UTAH STATE ONE OF 27 FBS TEAMS WITH TWO DEFENSIVE TOUCHDOWNS
• Utah State is one of 27 FBS teams in the nation with two defensive touchdowns this season.     
 
UTAH STATE 41ST IN THE NATION IN PUNT RETURNS
• Utah State is fourth in the Mountain West and 41st in the nation in punt returns (11.1 ypr), seventh in the MW and 87th in the nation in kickoff return defense (21.2 ypr), seventh in the MW and 88th in the nation in kickoff returns (18.6 ypr), eighth in the MW and 103rd in the nation in net punting (36.3 ypp), and 11th in the MW and 117th in the nation in punt return defense (14.7 ypr).  
 
AGGIES IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST AND NCAA RANKINGS
• Utah State sophomore S Ike Larsen is tied for first in the nation with two blocked kicks (0.29 pg), tied for first in the MW and fourth in the nation with one defensive touchdown (0.14 pg), second in the MW and 12th in the nation with three interceptions (0.43 pg), and sixth in the MW in passes defended with eight (1.1 pg). Junior WR Jalen Royals is tied for first in the nation in receiving touchdowns with nine (1.29 pg), second in the MW and 15th in the nation in receiving (92.4 ypg), fifth in the MW and 37th in the nation in receptions (5.6 pg), fifth in the MW and 68th in the nation in yards per reception (16.6), seventh in the MW and 42nd in the nation in scoring (8.0 ppg), and eighth in the MW and 88th in the nation in all-purpose yards (92.4 ypg). Junior CB Jaiden Francois is tied for first in the MW and fourth in the nation with one defensive touchdown (0.14 pg). Junior WR Micah Davis is first in the MW and 16th in the nation in punt returns (11.8 ypr), first in the MW and 17th in the nation in yards per reception (20.1), seventh in the MW and 51st in the nation with four receiving touchdowns (0.57 pg), ninth in the MW and 92nd in the nation in all-purpose yards (92.0 ypg), and 10th in the MW and 91st in the nation in receiving (60.1 ypg). Graduate senior QB Cooper Legas is first in the MW and 25th in the nation in passing efficiency (159.7), second in the MW and 27th in the nation in completion percentage (.660), second in the MW and 30th in the nation in yards per completion (13.3), fourth in the MW and 28th in the nation in passing touchdowns with 13 (2.2 pg), fifth in the MW and 47th in the nation in points responsible for (13.3 ppg), fifth in the MW and 54th in the nation in passing (223.0 ypg), fifth in the MW and 59th in the nation in total offense (235.3 ypg), and fifth in the MW and 62nd in the nation in completions per game (16.8). Junior DE Blaine Spires is second in the MW and third in the nation in fumbles recovered with two (0.29 pg). Senior WR Terrell Vaughn is second in the MW and fifth in the nation in receiving touchdowns with eight (1.14 pg), second in the MW and seventh in the nation in receptions (7.6 pg), fifth in the MW and 28th in the nation in receiving yards (87.0 ypg), and fifth in the MW and 58th in the nation in all-purpose yards (101.7 ypg). Graduate senior ILB MJ Tafisi Jr. is second in the MW and 12th in the nation in tackles (9.9 pg). Junior RB Davon Booth is third in the MW and 24th in the nation in yards per carry (6.11), seventh in the MW and 78th in the nation in rushing (63.7 ypg), and ninth in the MW and 73rd in the nation in rushing touchdowns with four (0.57 pg). Sophomore S Devin Dye is fifth in the MW and 43rd in the nation in interceptions with two (0.29 pg). Junior PK Elliott Nimrod is sixth in the MW and 56th in the nation in field goal percentage (.778), seventh in the MW and 65th in the nation in field goals (1.00 pg), and eighth in the MW and 66th in the nation in scoring (7.4 ppg). Redshirt freshman DE Paul Fitzgerald is sixth in the MW and 76th in the nation in sacks with 4.0 (0.57 pg). Redshirt junior S Anthony Switzer is eighth in the MW and 36th in the nation in fumbles recovered with one (0.14 pg). Graduate senior OL Wade Meacham is eighth in the MW and 36th in the nation in fumbles recovered with one (0.14 pg). Junior DE Cian Slone is eighth in the MW and 36th in the nation in fumbles recovered with one (0.14 pg). And, sophomore DT Seni Tuiaki is eighth in the MW and 36th in the nation in fumbles recovered with one (0.14 pg).     
 
WHAT'S RETURNING IN 2023 
• Utah State returns nine starters (O-4, D-5) as part of 35 letterwinners (O-19, D-13, S-3) from last year's team that posted a 6-7 record, tied for second in the Mountain Division of the Mountain West with a 5-3 mark, and concluded its season by playing in its 10th bowl game in the past 12 years against Memphis (L, 38-10) in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl in Dallas, Texas. USU also welcomes back 14 redshirts (O-7, D-6, S-1) and three squadmen (O-1, D-2). 
 
• Highlighting Utah State's returners in 2023 are a trio of all-Mountain West performers in sophomore S Ike Larsen, senior ILB MJ Tafisi Jr. and senior WR Terrell Vaughn. Larsen earned second-team all-MW accolades and was named a College Football News Honorable Mention Freshman All-American, while Tafisi and Vaughn both garnered honorable mention all-MW honors. USU also returns senior P Stephen Kotsanlee, who earned honorable mention all-MW honors in 2020.  
 
• Other starters returning for Utah State in 2023 include graduate senior CB Michael Anyanwu, graduate senior QB Cooper Legas, graduate senior OL Wade Meacham, senior DT Hale Motu'apuaka, senior TE Josh Sterzer and senior DT Poukesi Vakauta.
 
UTAH STATE WELCOMES 61 NEWCOMERS 
• Utah State welcomes 61 newcomers (O-27, D-32, S-2) to its program this fall, which is the sixth-most in the nation. Among the group of new players are 14 four-year transfers in graduate senior OL Ralph Frias III (Arizona State), senior RB Sione Finau (BYU), graduate junior WR Colby Bowman (Stanford), junior CB Jaiden Francois (UCF), junior QB Zeke Payne (New Mexico Highlands), junior DE Blaine Spires (Bowling Green), redshirt sophomore CB Avante Dickerson (Oregon), sophomore CB Al Ashford III (Wisconsin), sophomore ILB Gavin Barthiel (Washington State), sophomore S Simeon Harris (Colorado), redshirt freshman DT Sir Mells (Oregon), redshirt freshman WR Grant Page (Colorado), redshirt freshman ILB Logan Pili (BYU) and redshirt freshman S Jackson Sundstrom (Concordia). USU also welcomes 21 junior college transfers (O-9, D-11, S-1), to go along with 26 high schoolers (O-13, D-12, S-1).
 
• Among the 21 junior college transfers, five of those players began their careers at the FBS level in junior WR Micah Davis (Air Force), junior RB Rahsul Faison (Marshall), junior CB Jaylen Martin (California), sophomore DE Ioholani Raass (UCLA) and sophomore S Javar Strong (Arkansas State). 
 
UTAH STATE HAS FOUR SETS OF BROTHERS ON 2023 ROSTER  
• Utah State has four sets of brothers on its 2023 roster in senior DT Hale Motu'apuaka (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou HS) and redshirt freshman OL Tavo Motu'apuaka (Honolulu, Hawaii/Mililani HS), junior DE Cian Slone (Rocklin, California/American River JC/Rocklin HS) and sophomore S Teeg Slone (Rocklin, California/American River JC/Rocklin HS), sophomore OL Elia Migao (Temecula, California/Chaparral HS) and sophomore DE Enoka Migao (Temecula, California/Chaparral HS), and redshirt freshman DE Kaden Jolley (Fruita, Colorado/Fruita Monument HS) and freshman DT Tanner Jolley (Fruita, Colorado/Fruita Monument HS). 
 
NINE AGGIES WITH BACHELOR'S DEGREES  
• Utah State has nine players on its 2023 roster that have already received their bachelor's degrees in graduate senior CB Michael Anyanwu (kinesiology), graduate senior OL Ralph Frias III (interdisciplinary studies), graduate senior OL Calvin Knapp (interdisciplinary studies), graduate senior QB Cooper Legas (economics), graduate senior OL Wade Meacham (psychology), graduate senior CB Xavion Steele (sociology), graduate senior ILB MJ Tafisi Jr. (integrated studies), graduate junior WR Colby Bowman (science, technology and society) and graduate junior QB Levi Williams (integrated studies). 
 
AGGIES WHO HAVE SERVED LDS CHURCH MISSIONS 
•  Utah State has 14 players on its 2023 roster who have served missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in graduate senior OL Wade Meacham, senior RB Sione Finau, senior TE Josh Sterzer, senior WR Kyle Van Leeuwen, sophomore DE Kaden Jolley, sophomore DT Seni Tuiaki, redshirt freshman K/P Ryan Marks, redshirt freshman ILB Bronson Olevao Jr., redshirt freshman LB Logan Pili, redshirt freshman OL Adam Pond, freshman DE Emerson Conlon, freshman ILB Bowen Fjord, freshman DT Tanner Jolley and freshman S Titan Saxton.
 
AGGIES WHO ARE MARRIED 
• Utah State has four players on its 2023 roster who are married in graduate senior OL Wade Meacham, senior DT Hale Motu'apuaka, senior TE Josh Sterzer and junior OL Cole Motes.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Utah State sophomore S Devin Dye's dad, Jermaine, spent 13 years in Major League Baseball as an outfielder for several teams, including the 2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox, as he was named World Series MVP. He was a two-time All-Star, a Gold Glove Award recipient in 2000 and a Silver Slugger Award recipient in 2006. 
 
• Utah State junior WR Micah Davis' dad, Dexter, spent five years in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams.
 
ANDERSON ENTERS THIRD SEASON AT UTAH STATE
• Blake Anderson, who is entering his third season at Utah State, is just the second head coach in program history to lead the Aggies to consecutive bowl games in his first two seasons. Overall, Anderson is the fifth head coach in school history to coach in multiple bowls, along with E. Lowell Romney (1946-47), John Ralston (1960-61), Gary Andersen (2011-12, 2019) and Matt Wells (2013-15, '17). 
 
• In 2021, Anderson led the Aggies to their first-ever Mountain West Championship with a 46-13 win at No. 19 San Diego State, which was the program's first win against a nationally-ranked opponent in six years. Anderson also led USU to 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 after being picked to finish fifth in the Mountain Division of the Mountain West in the preseason polls. USU concluded its season ranked 24th in the nation in the final Associated Press poll, marking just the fifth-time ever that USU finished a season nationally ranked. 
 
• Under Anderson, Utah State tied for the best turnaround in the nation in 2021, as the Aggies became the first FBS team ever to go from zero or one win to 11 wins the following season. USU also became the first FBS program in eight years to post a 7-0 road record. 
 
• Anderson, who was named the 2021 AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award, was the only first-year head coach in the nation to lead his team to nine or more wins. In 2022, Anderson led USU to the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl.  
 
• 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 eighth bowl game in nine seasons last year and has a 3-5 bowl record.
 
ANDERSON AS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR AND QUARTERBACKS COACH
• Along with his head coaching responsibilities, Blake Anderson is also serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach this season. During his time as a head coach at Arkansas State, Anderson also served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. In 2017, ASU ranked fifth in the nation in passing (342.2 ypg), 10th in total offense (494.8 ypg) and 13th in scoring (37.8 ypg). In 2018, ASU ranked 17th in the nation in total offense (466.2 ypg), 21st in passing (281.5 ypg) and 54th in scoring (30.3 ppg).
 
CEFALO HAS COACHED THREE BILETNIKOFF SEMIFINALISTS
• Utah State co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Kyle Cefalo has coached a Biletnikoff Award Semifinalist in three of the last four 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, Cefalo coached Jonathan Adams in 2020 and Omar Bayless in 2019, as both players were named Sun Belt Conference Offensive Players of the Year.
 
OTHER COACHING NOTABLES
• Utah State welcomes six new coaches to its staff this fall in defensive coordinator Joe Cauthen, defensive passing game coordinator and cornerbacks coach Mitchell White, offensive line coach Cooper Bassett, defensive line coach Tevita Finau, running backs coach Rodney Freeman III and safeties coach Ethan Morriss. 
 
• Cauthen spent five years working with USU head coach Blake Anderson at Arkansas State (2014-18) as the Red Wolves played in five-straight bowl games and won a pair of conference championships (2015-16). 
 
• Anderson has two former Aggies on his staff in tight ends coach DJ Tialavea (2010-13) and director of player development and community engagement Austin Albrecht (2014-16). 
 
• Finau spent five years (2012-16) in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets and Houston Texans. 
 
• White spent six years in professional football, including in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders (2013) and Philadelphia Eagles (2017). White also played four years in the Canadian Football League and won back-to-back Grey Cups with the Ottawa Redblacks (2016) and Toronto Argonauts (2017). During the 2016 campaign, he was named a CFL East All-Star.
 
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.
 
AGGIES IN THE NFL
• Utah State currently has nine players on NFL rosters and has had 13 players drafted into the NFL in the past 12 years. Former Aggies currently in the NFL include CB Jalen Davis (Cincinnati Bengals),  OG Tyler Larsen (Washington Commanders),  SS Dallin Leavitt (Green Bay Packers), QB Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers), LS Patrick Scales (Chicago Bears), WR Deven Thompkins (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), LB Nick Vigil (New York Jets), WR Derek Wright (Carolina Panthers) and LB Bobby Wagner (Seattle Seahawks).
 
HEAD COACH BLAKE ANDERSON
• Blake Anderson (hired on Dec. 12, 2020) is in his third year as Utah State's head coach and is the 29th head coach in program history. He has a 71-51 overall record, including a 50-25 conference mark. He has posted a 20-14 record at USU, including a 12-7 Mountain West record.
 
• Anderson has 30 years of coaching experience and has been part of six conference championships. He has also coached in 13 bowl games and he won a national championship at the junior college level.
 
• During the 2022 campaign, Anderson led Utah State to six wins and its 10th bowl game in the past 12 seasons, including its second in as many years. USU also tied for second-place in the Mountain Division of the Mountain West with a 5-3 mark as the Aggies had nine players earn various all-conference accolades. Graduate senior safety Hunter Reynolds was named a ProFootballFocus Honorable Mention All-American, while redshirt freshman safety Ike Larsen was named a College Football News Honorable Mention Freshman All-American.
 
• 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 (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 (2015-16).
 
• 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.
 
• 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.