# 2023 Utah State Aggies football team

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. The Aggies drew an average home attendance of 19,282 in 2023.

## Schedule

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

## Game summaries
### at No. 25 Iowa

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aggies | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 14 |
| Hawkeyes | 3 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA
* Date: September 2
* Game time: 11:05 a.m. CDT
* Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C), Sunny, Wind SE 8 mph (13 km/h)
* Game attendance: 69,250
* Referee: Jeffrey Servinski
* TV announcers (FS1): Jeff Levering (play-by-play) and Mark Helfrich (analyst)
| Statistics | USU | IOWA |
| First downs | 19 | 17 |
| Total yards | 329 | 284 |
| Rushing yards | 116 | 88 |
| Passing yards | 213 | 196 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 27:48 | 32:12 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Utah State | Passing | Cooper Legas | 32/48, 213 yards, TD, INT |
| Utah State | Rushing | Rahsul Faison | 7 carries, 59 yards |
| Utah State | Receiving | Terrell Vaughn | 12 receptions, 93 yards, TD |
| Iowa | Passing | Cade McNamara | 17/30, 191 yards, 2 TD |
| Iowa | Rushing | Kaleb Johnson | 19 carries, 63 yards, TD |
| Iowa | Receiving | Luke Lachey | 7 receptions, 73 yards |

### Idaho State

| Quarter | 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% •
| 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 |
| Idaho State | Rushing | Soujah Gasu | 6 carries, 30 yards |
| Idaho State | Receiving | Christian Fredericksen | 8 receptions, 116 yards, 2 TD |
| Utah State | Passing | Cooper Legas | 14/16, 125 yards, 2 TD |
| Utah State | Rushing | Robert Briggs Jr. | 9 carries, 101 yards, 1 TD |
| Utah State | Receiving | Terrell Vaughn | 11 receptions, 73 yards, 2 TD |

### at Air Force

| Quarter | 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
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 |

### at UConn

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

### Colorado State

| Quarter | 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
| 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 |
| Colorado State | Rushing | Kobe Johnson | 17 carries, 56 yards, TD |
| Colorado State | Receiving | Louis Brown IV | 6 receptions, 54 yards |
| Utah State | Passing | Cooper Legas | 19/29, 387 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT |
| Utah State | Rushing | Davon Booth | 14 carries, 141 yards, 2 TD |
| Utah State | Receiving | Terrell Vaughn | 8 receptions, 143 yards, TD |

### Fresno State

| Quarter | 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
| 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 |
| Fresno State | Rushing | Malik Sherrod | 24 carries, 131 yards, 3 TD |
| Fresno State | Receiving | Tre Watson | 5 receptions, 76 yards, 2 TD |
| Utah State | Passing | Cooper Legas | 23/40, 363 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| Utah State | Rushing | Rahsul Faison | 12 carries, 75 yards, TD |
| Utah State | Receiving | Jalen Royals | 7 receptions, 125 yards, 2 TD |

### at San Jose State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aggies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Spartans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at CEFCU Stadium, San Jose, CA
* Date: October 21, 2023
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. PST
* TV: CBSSN
Game information :
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Win Probability
Line
Over/Under :
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Utah State | Passing |
| Utah State | Rushing |
| Utah State | Receiving |
| SJSU | Passing |
| SJSU | Rushing |
| SJSU | Receiving |

### at San Diego State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | Total |
| Aggies | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 32 |
| Aztecs | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: November 4
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: Sunny, Temperature: 78 °F (26 °C), Wind: N 9 mph
* Game attendance: 23,096
* Referee: Cal McNeill
* TV announcers (FS1): Guy Haberman (play-by-play) and Petros Papadakis (analyst)
| Statistics | Utah State | San Diego State |
| First downs | 20 | 17 |
| Plays–yards | 76–400 | 71–384 |
| Rushes–yards | 44–171 | 31–121 |
| Passing yards | 229 | 263 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 23–32–0 | 26–40–1 |
| Time of possession | 28:30 | 31:30 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Utah State | Passing | Cooper Legas | 11–15, 167 yards, 2 TD |
| Utah State | Rushing | Davon Booth | 13 carries, 77 yards, 1 TD |
| Utah State | Receiving | Terrell Vaughn | 8 receptions, 91 yards, 1 TD |
| San Diego State | Passing | Jalen Mayden | 25–39, 265 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| San Diego State | Rushing | Lucky Sutton | 11 carries, 86 yards |
| San Diego State | Receiving | Kenan Christon | 8 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD |

### vs. Georgia State (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl)

| Quarter | 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 |
| Georgia State | Rushing | Freddie Brock | 24 carries, 276 yards, TD |
| Georgia State | Receiving | Cadarrius Thompson | 5 receptions, 117 yards, 2 TD |
| Utah State | Passing | Levi Williams | 12/21, 131 yards, TD, INT |
| Utah State | Rushing | Davon Booth | 4 carries, 71 yards, TD |
| Utah State | Receiving | Terrell Vaughn | 8 receptions, 86 yards, TD |