LOGAN, Utah – Utah State football held its final practice of the spring Saturday afternoon on Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium as third-year head coach Blake Anderson ran his team through a segmented workout, which included live competition with the No. 1 and No. 2 units.
 
"We are not the team we need to be yet, but there has been steady improvement this spring," said Anderson. "There is still a lot to learn on both sides of the ball, but this spring was a good first step for this group. This summer is going to be critical, and I think we have a chance to be competitive, but we have to keep progressing."
 
Offensively, Utah State finished the day with 194 yards of offense as it rushed for 40 yards on 14 carries with one score, while its top two quarterbacks combined to go 15-of-20 for 154 yards and four touchdowns.
 
Senior Cooper Legas was 9-of-11 passing for 89 yards and two touchdowns, while junior quarterback Levi Williams was 6-of-9 for 65 yards and two touchdowns.
 
"Today was good," said Legas. "We scored on every drive, so that is good to see. The last public scrimmage wasn't as good, so we cleaned some things up and it looked a lot better today.
 
"Coach Anderson has done a really good job of getting everyone on the same page and that allows us to play fast and move on with our progression as quarterbacks, so we aren't forcing balls to one player. With this offense and coach Anderson calling the plays we have been able to breeze through our progressions and hit the open receivers."
 
Junior wide receiver Micah Davis, a transfer from Iowa Western CC via Air Force, caught a pair of 25-yard touchdowns and finished the afternoon with two receptions for 50 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Ryder MacGillivray had a team-best three catches on the day for 15 yards, which included a pair of touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver Otto Tia added two receptions for 38 yards, while senior wide receiver Terrell Vaughn caught a pair of passes for 17 yards. Junior wide receiver Colby Bowman, a transfer from Stanford, also had two receptions for 16 yards.
 
Utah State's first touchdown on the day was via a 5-yard run from junior running back Davon Booth, who is a transfer from Cerritos College. On its next drive, Williams threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Davis. Legas then threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to MacGillivray, followed by another 25-yard scoring strike from Williams to Davis. USU's final touchdown on the day was from Legas to MacGillivray from six yards.
 
Defensive highlights from the limited live work on Saturday included 2.0 tackles for loss from sophomore inside linebacker Gavin Barthiel, a transfer from Washington State. Redshirt freshman defensive end Paul Fitzgerald added 1.0 sacks and one pass breakup, while redshirt freshman cornerback JD Drew also had a pass breakup.
 
Season ticket renewals are currently being accepted. To renew, fans should visit www.utahstateaggies.com, or do so in person or by phone through the USU Ticket Office during regular business hours (435-797-0305). New season ticket orders can also be made.
 
Utah State opens the 2023 season at Iowa on Saturday, Sept. 2, while its home opener is the following weekend against Idaho State on Saturday, Sept. 9. USU begins Mountain West play at Air Force on Saturday, Sept. 16.
 
Fans can follow the Aggie football program at twitter.com/USUFootball or on Facebook at Utah State Football, as well as on Instagram at instagram.com/USUFootball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.