2023 Utah State Aggies football team

2023 Utah State Aggies football
2023 Utah State Aggies football
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, L 22–45 vs. Georgia State
Conference	Mountain West Conference
Record	6–7 (4–4 MW)
Head coach	Blake Anderson (3rd season);
Offensive coordinator	Kyle Cefalo (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread option
Defensive coordinator	Joe Cauthen (1st season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	Maverik Stadium
Uniform
	Seasons ← 2022 2024 →

2023 Mountain West Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
UNLV y	6	–	2	9	–	5
Boise State y$	6	–	2	8	–	6
San Jose State	6	–	2	7	–	6
Air Force	5	–	3	9	–	4
Wyoming	5	–	3	9	–	4
Fresno State	4	–	4	9	–	4
Utah State	4	–	4	6	–	7
Hawaii	3	–	5	5	–	8
Colorado State	3	–	5	5	–	7
Nevada	2	–	6	2	–	10
New Mexico	2	–	6	4	–	8
San Diego State	2	–	6	4	–	8
Championship: Boise State 44, UNLV 20
$ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant

The 2023 Utah State Aggies football team represented Utah State University as a member of the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Aggies were led by third-year head coach Blake Anderson and played their home games at Maverik Stadium in Logan, Utah.

Schedule[edit]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	10:00 a.m.	at No. 25 Iowa*	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	FS1	L 14–24	69,250
September 9	6:00 p.m.	Idaho State*	Maverik Stadium Logan, UT	KJZZ	W 78–28	20,034
September 15	6:00 p.m.	at Air Force	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO	CBSSN	L 21–39	46,692
September 23	6:00 p.m.	James Madison*	Maverik Stadium Logan, UT	KJZZ	L 38–45	19,994
September 30	10:00 a.m.	at UConn*	Rentschler Field East Hartford, CT	CBSSN	W 34–33	21,227
October 7	6:00 p.m.	Colorado State	Maverik Stadium Logan, UT	KJZZ	W 44–24	22,864
October 13	6:00 p.m.	Fresno State	Maverik Stadium Logan, UT	CBSSN	L 32–37	17,220
October 21	5:00 p.m.	at San Jose State	CEFCU Stadium San Jose, CA	CBSSN	L 21–42	15,028
November 4	5:00 p.m.	at San Diego State	Snapdragon Stadium San Diego, CA	FS1	W 32–24 ^2OT	23,096
November 11	1:00 p.m.	Nevada	Maverik Stadium Logan, UT	KJZZ	W 41–24	17,760
November 18	5:00 p.m.	Boise State	Maverik Stadium Logan, UT	CBSSN	L 10–45	17,821
November 24	1:30 p.m.	at New Mexico	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM	CBSSN	W 44–41 ^2OT	12,094
December 23	1:30 p.m.	vs. Georgia State	Albertsons Stadium Boise, ID (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl)	ESPN	L 22–45	12,168
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 7) - Released prior to game All times are in Mountain time

^[1]

Game summaries[edit]

at No. 25 Iowa[edit]

Utah State Aggies (0-0) at No. 25 Iowa Hawkeyes - Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Aggies	0	3	3	8	14
Hawkeyes	3	14	0	7	24

at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA

Game time: 11:05 a.m. CDT
Game attendance: 69,250
Referee: Jeffrey Servinski

Idaho State[edit]

Idaho State Bengals (0–1) at Utah State Aggies (0–1) – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	7	7	7	7	28
Aggies	7	44	14	13	78

at Maverik Stadium, Logan, Utah

Date: September 9
Game time: 6:00 p.m. MDT
Game weather: Sunny, 78 °F (26 °C)
Game attendance: 20,034
Referee: Gary Leeper
TV announcers (MW Network): Dave Fox (play-by-play), Alema Harrington (analyst), Frank Dolce (sideline)
Spread: Utah State –24.0 • Odds to win: Utah State 90.4% • [1]

Game information

First quarter

14:33 USU – Robert Briggs Jr. 58-yard run (William Testa kick) – Utah State 7–0, Drive: 2 plays, 65 yards, 0:27
10:59 ISU – Christian Fredericksen 9-yard pass from Jordan Cooke (Thomas Kopcho kick) – Tied 7–7, Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:34

Second quarter

14:51 USU – Davon Booth 8-yard run (William Testa kick) – Utah State 14–7, Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 2:40
12:09 USU – Davon Booth 40-yard run (William Testa kick) – Utah State 21–7, Drive: 3 plays, 67 yards, 1:25
6:35 USU – Terrell Vaughn 4-yard pass from Cooper Legas (William Testa kick) – Utah State 28–7, Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:02
5:44 USU – Ike Larsen 47-yard interception return (two–point run conversion failed) – Utah State 34–7, Drive: 3 plays, 20 yards, 0:51
5:24 USU – Jalen Royals 20-yard pass from Cooper Legas (Elliott Nimrod kick) – Utah State 41–7, Drive: 1 play, 20 yards, 0:07
4:08 USU – Rahsul Faison 60-yard run (Elliott Nimrod kick) – Utah State 48–7, Drive: 2 plays, 60 yards, 0:19
0:16 ISU – Christian Fredericksen 15–yard pass from Hunter Hays (Thomas Kopcho kick) – Utah State 48–14, Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:52
0:01 USU – Elliott Nimrod 37-yard field goal – Utah State 51–14, Drive: 1 play, 0 yards, 0:05

Third quarter

8:58 USU – Terrell Vaughn 5-yard pass from Levi Williams (Elliott Nimrod kick) – Utah State 58–14, Drive: 11 plays, 62 yards, 3:48
3:58 USU – Micah Davis 47-yard pass from Levi Williams (Elliott Nimrod kick) – Utah State 65–14, Drive: 2 plays, 46 yards, 0:32
0:00 ISU – Michael Shulikov 12-yard pass from Hunter Hays (Thomas Kopcho kick) – Utah State 65–21, Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 3:58

Fourth quarter

9:15 ISU – Raiden Hunter 1-yard run (Thomas Kopcho kick) – Utah State 65–28, Drive: 13 plays, 77 yards, 4:34
4:25 USU – Cooper Jones 1-yard run (Elliott Nimrod PAT failed) – Utah State 71–28, Drive: 11 plays, 63 yards, 4:44
0:54 USU – Jaiden Francois 75-yard interception return (Elliott Nimrod kick) – Utah State 78–28, Drive: 8 plays, 40 yards, 3:23

Statistics	Idaho State	Utah State
First downs	28	23
Plays–yards	83–424	69–591
Rushes–yards	30–101	41–380
Passing yards	323	211
Passing: comp–att–int	34–53–2	22–28–0
Turnovers	3	0
Time of possession	33:27	26:33

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Idaho State	Passing	Jordan Cooke	20/30, 185 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Soujah Gasu	6 carries, 30 yards
	Receiving	Christian Fredericksen	8 receptions, 116 yards, 2 TD
Utah State	Passing	Cooper Legas	14/16, 125 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Robert Briggs Jr.	9 carries, 101 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Terrell Vaughn	11 receptions, 73 yards, 2 TD

at Air Force[edit]

Utah State Aggies (1–1) vs Air Force Falcons (2–0)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Aggies	0	7	7	7	21
Falcons	22	10	7	0	39

at Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, CO

Date: September 15, 2023
Game time: 6:00 p.m. MDT
Game weather: Cloudy
Game attendance: 18,400
Referee: Patrick Foy
TV announcers (CBSSN): Alex Del Barrio (Play-by-play), Robert Turbin (Analyst), & Emily Proud (Color)
ESPN – Michel runs for three TDs, leads Air Force over Utah State 39-21^[2]

Game information

First quarter

(07:04) AF TD – Emmanuel Michel 1-yard rush, Emmanuel Michel rush
Drive: 12 plays, 63 yards, 6:57; Air Force 8–0
(05:17) AF TD – Zac Larrier 4-yard rush, Matthew Dapore kick
Drive: 3 plays, 11 yards, 1:16; Air Force 15–0
(00:11) AF TD – Emmanuel Michel 2-yard rush, Matthew Dapore kick
Drive: 7 plays, 79 yards, 4:00; Air Force 22–0

Second quarter

(11:15) AF TD – John Lee Eldridge III 13-yard rush, Matthew Dapore kick
Drive: 5 plays, 72 yards, 2:48; Air Force 29–0
(01:58) USU TD – McCae Hillstead 2-yard pass to Terrell Vaughn, Elliott Nimrod kick
Drive: 11 plays, 57 yards, 4:38; Air Force 29–7
(00:00) AF FG – Matthew Dapore 49-yard field goal
Drive: 8 plays, 43 yards, 1:58; Air Force 32–7

Third quarter

(08:45) AF TD – Emmanuel Michel 2-yard rush, Matthew Dapore kick
Drive: 10 plays, 46 yards, 6:14; Air Force 39–7
(05:10) USU TD – McCae Hillstead 9-yard pass to Jalen Royals, Elliott Nimrod kick
Drive: 10 plays, 79 yards, 3:28; Air Force 39–14

Fourth quarter

(08:43) USU TD – McCae Hillstead 6-yard pass to Micah Davis, Elliott Nimrod kick
Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 2:02; Air Force 39–21

Passing

USU – McCae Hillstead: 18/27, 202 yards, 3 TD
AF – Zac Larrier: 3/4, 84 yards

Rushing

USU – Rahsul Faison: 7 carries, 40 yards
AF – Owen Burk: 15 carries, 110 yards

Receiving

USU – Micah Davis: 8 receptions, 84 yards, 1 TD
AF – Jared Roznos: 1 reception, 49 yards

Defense

USU – Ike Larsen: 11 total tackles (5 solo, 6 assisted)
AF – Alec Mock: 11 total tackles (8 solo, 3 assisted), 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, 1 passes defended

Statistics	USU	AF
First downs	20	24
3rd down efficiency	3–11	9–13
4th down efficiency	2–3	1–1
Plays–yards	61–302	68–428
Rushes–yards	26–54	64–344
Passing yards	248	84
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	20–35–1	3–4–0
Penalties–yards	4–17	6–60
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	21:20	38:40

James Madison[edit]

at UConn[edit]

Utah State Aggies at UConn Huskies – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Aggies	0	7	17	10	34
Huskies	7	10	0	16	33

at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Connecticut

Date: September 30
Game time: 12:03 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Cloudy, Wind N 8MPH, 60 °F (16 °C)
Game attendance: 21,227
Referee: Marcus Woods
TV announcers (CBSSN): Chris Lewis (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (color analyst), Keiana Martin (sideline)

Game information

First Quarter

UCONN – Stafford, Jelani 1 yd run (McFadden, Joe kick), 1:14. Huskies 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, TOP 07:49

Second Quarter

UCONN – Harris, Nick 4 yd pass from Roberson, Ta'Quan (McFadden, Joe kick), 14:12. Huskies 14–0. Drive: 4 plays, 24 yards, TOP 01:38
UCONN – McFadden, Joe 36 yd field goal, 0:37. Huskies 17–0. Drive: 13 plays, 48 yards, TOP 05:27
USU – Bowman, Colby 63 yd pass from Hillstead, McCae (Nimrod, Elliott kick), 0:14. Huskies 17–7. Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:23

Third Quarter

USU – Royals, Jalen 15 yd pass from Legas, Cooper (Nimrod, Elliott kick), 12:21. Huskies 17–14. Drive: 8 plays, 88 yards, TOP 02:39
USU – Nimrod, Elliott 37 yd field goal, 6:56. Tied 17–17. Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards, TOP 03:47
USU – Royals, Jalen 71 yd pass from Legas, Cooper (Nimrod, Elliott kick), 3:52. Aggies 24–17. Drive: 3 plays, 88 yards, TOP 00:56

Fourth Quarter

UCONN – Porter, Geordon 28 yd pass from Roberson, Ta'Quan (McFadden, Joe kick), 14:17. Tied 24–24. Drive: 8 plays, 88 yards, TOP 04:30
USU – Royals, Jalen 52 yd pass from Legas, Cooper (Nimrod, Elliott kick), 12:36. Aggies 31–24. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:41
UCONN - McFadden, Joe 38 yd field goal, 10:29. Aggies 31–27. Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, TOP 02:07
USU – Nimrod, Elliott 24 yd field goal, 5:20. Aggies 34–27. Drive: 12 plays, 69 yards, TOP 05:04
UCONN – Stafford, Jelani 1 yd run (kick blocked), 0:40. Aggies 34–33. Drive: 9 plays, 85 yards, TOP 02:01

Statistics

Statistics	USU	CONN
First downs	21	26
Total yards	416	473
Rushing yards	101	218
Passing yards	315	255
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	21:31	38:29

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Utah State	Passing	Cooper Legas	11/13, 204 yds, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Cooper Legas	6 att, 26 yds
	Receiving	Jalen Royals	7 rec, 185 yds, 3 TDs
	Defense	MJ Tafisi	13 tackles
UConn	Passing	Ta'Quan Roberson	23/32, 255 yds, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Victor Rosa	15 att, 92 yds
	Receiving	Cameron Ross	7 rec, 70 yds
	Defense	Jackson Mitchell	15 tackles, 1 int

Colorado State[edit]

Colorado State Rams (2–2) at Utah State Aggies (2–3) – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Rams	17	0	0	7	24
Aggies	3	14	14	13	44

at Maverik Stadium • Logan, Utah

Date: October 7th
Game time: 6:00 p.m. MST/5:00 p.m. PST
Game weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 22,864
Referee: Michael Cuttone
TV announcers (MW Network): TBD

Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

Statistics	Colorado State	Utah State
First downs	20	28
Plays–yards	83–320	84–639
Rushes–yards	26–95	55–252
Passing yards	225	387
Passing: comp–att–int	26–57–3	19–29–2
Time of possession	27:10	32:50

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Colorado State	Passing	Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi	26/57, 225 yards, 3 INT
	Rushing	Kobe Johnson	17 carries, 56 yards, TD
	Receiving	Louis Brown IV	6 receptions, 54 yards
Utah State	Passing	Cooper Legas	19/29, 387 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Davon Booth	14 carries, 141 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Terrell Vaughn	8 receptions, 143 yards, TD

Fresno State[edit]

Game Seven – Fresno State Bulldogs (5–1) at Utah State Aggies (3–3)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	7	7	14	9	37
Aggies	7	7	3	15	32

at Maverik Stadium • Logan, Utah

Date: Saturday, October 13, 2023
Game time: 5:00 p.m. PDT
Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 57 °F (14 °C) • Wind:
Game attendance: 17,220
Referee: Christian Watson
TV announcers (CBSSN): Chris Lewis (play-by-play) & Donte Whitner (analyst)
Pregame line: Fresno State −6.0

Game information

First quarter

(6:19) FRES – Malik Sherrod 5-yard run, Dylan Lynch kick (Drive: 14 plays, 98 yards, 5:19; Fresno State 7–0)
(3:42) USU – Jalen Royals 29-yard pass from Cooper Legas, Elliott Nimrod kick (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 2:37; Tied 7–7)

Second quarter

(2:45) FRES – Tre Watson 7-yard pass from Logan Fife, Dylan Lynch kick (Drive: 11 plays, 45 yards, 3:57; Fresno State 14–7)
(1:00) USU – Jalen Royals 52-yard pass from Cooper Legas, Elliott Nimrod kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 1:45; Tied 14–14)

Third quarter

(11:37) USU – Elliott Nimrod 37-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 3:23; Utah State 17–14)
(9:51) FRES – Malik Sherrod 46-yard run, Dylan Lynch kick (Drive: 4 plays, 57 yards, 1:45; Fresno State 21–17)
(4:51) FRES – Tre Watson 7-yard pass from Jaelen Gill, Dylan Lynch kick (Drive: 6 plays, 66 yards, 2:13; Fresno State 28–17)

Fourth quarter

(14:29) USU – Terrell Vaughn 43-yard pass from Cooper Legas, Jalen Royals two–point run (Drive: 5 plays, 69 yards, 1:16; Fresno State 28–25)
(9:50) FRES – Dylan Lynch 26-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 64 yards, 4:33; Fresno State 31–25)
(4:42) USU – Rahsul Faison 24-yard run, Elliott Nimrod kick (Drive: 5 plays, 85 yards, 2:00; Utah State 32–31)
(2:19) FRES – Malik Sherrod 11-yard run, two–point conversion failed (Drive: 5 plays, 72 yards, 2:16; Fresno State 37–32)

Statistics	FRES	USU
First downs	27	30
Plays–yards	80–461	82–568
Rushes–yards	40–151	42–205
Passing yards	310	363
Passing: comp–att–int	23–40–0	23–40–2
Time of possession	33:09	26:51

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Fresno State	Passing	Logan Fife	22/39, 291 yards, TD
	Rushing	Malik Sherrod	24 carries, 131 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Tre Watson	5 receptions, 76 yards, 2 TD
Utah State	Passing	Cooper Legas	23/40, 363 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Rahsul Faison	12 carries, 75 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jalen Royals	7 receptions, 125 yards, 2 TD

at San Jose State[edit]

at San Diego State[edit]

Nevada[edit]

Boise State[edit]

at New Mexico[edit]

vs. Georgia State (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl)[edit]

Game Thirteen – Georgia State Panthers (6–6) vs Utah State Aggies (6–6) (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	21	10	7	7	45
Aggies	14	0	0	8	22

at Albertsons Stadium • Boise, Idaho

Date: December 23, 2023
Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 39 °F (4 °C) • Wind: 15 mph (24 km/h) NW
Game attendance: 12,168
Referee: Jeremy Valentine
TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), and Morgan Uber (sideline)
Box score

Game information

First quarter

(7:36) GSU – Darren Grainger 1 yard run, Liam Rickman kick (Drive: 10 plays, 68 yards, 4:34; Georgia State 7–0)
(6:15) USU – Jalen Royals 35 yard pass from Levi Williams, Elliott Nimrod kick (Drive: 4 plays, 50 yards, 1:21; Tied 7–7)
(3:57) GSU – Darren Grainger 1 yard run, Liam Rickman kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:18; Georgia State 14–7)
(3:41) USU – Davon Booth 65 yard run, Elliott Nimrod kick (Drive: 2 plays, 65 yards, 0:16; Tied 14–14)
(0:15) GSU – Tailique Williams 27 yard pass from Darren Grainger, Liam Rickman kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:26; Georgia State 21–14)

Second quarter

(7:30) GSU – Liam Rickman 31 yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, -3 yards, 1:32; Georgia State 24–14)
(1:17) GSU – Cadarrius Thompson 23 yard pass from Darren Grainger, Liam Rickman kick (Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 3:20; Georgia State 31–14)

Third quarter

(6:02) GSU – Cadarrius Thompson 37 yard pass from Darren Grainger, Liam Rickman kick (Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:26; Georgia State 38–14)

Fourth Q=quarter

(9:18) GSU – Freddie Brock 5 yard run, Liam Rickman kick (Drive: 5 plays, 71 yards, 2:54; Georgia State 45–14)
(4:48) USU – Terrell Vaughn 2 yard pass from McCae Hillstead, Jalen Royals two-point pass conversion from McCae Hillstead (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:30; Georgia State 45–22)

Win Probability

Line

Over/Under

Statistics	GSU	USU
First downs	24	18
Total yards	643	347
Rushing yards	386	159
Passing yards	257	188
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	36:12	23:48

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Georgia State	Passing	Darren Grainger	19/22, 257 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Freddie Brock	24 carries, 276 yards, TD
	Receiving	Cadarrius Thompson	5 receptions, 117 yards, 2 TD
Utah State	Passing	Levi Williams	12/21, 131 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Davon Booth	4 carries, 71 yards, TD
	Receiving	Terrell Vaughn	8 receptions, 86 yards, TD

References[edit]

^ "2023 Utah State Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
^ "https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/401532581". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 16, 2023.

This college football 2020s season article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] "2023 Utah State Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved March 3, 2023.

[2] "https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/401532581". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 16, 2023.

[1]

[2]

v t e Utah State Aggies football
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