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.

2023 Utah State Aggies football
ConferenceMountain West Conference
Record6–7 (4–4 MW)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorKyle Cefalo (1st season)
Offensive schemeSpread option
Defensive coordinatorJoe Cauthen (1st season)
Base defense4–2–5
Home stadiumMaverik Stadium
Uniform
Seasons
← 2022
2024 →
2023 Mountain West Conference football standings
Conf Overall
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

Schedule

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DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
September 210:00 a.m.at No. 25 Iowa*FS1L 14–2469,250
September 96:00 p.m.Idaho State*KJZZW 78–2820,034
September 156:00 p.m.at Air ForceCBSSNL 21–3946,692
September 236:00 p.m.James Madison*
  • Maverik Stadium
  • Logan, UT
KJZZL 38–4519,994
September 3010:00 a.m.at UConn*CBSSNW 34–3321,227
October 76:00 p.m.Colorado State 
  • Maverik Stadium
  • Logan, UT
KJZZW 44–2422,864
October 136:00 p.m.Fresno State
  • Maverik Stadium
  • Logan, UT
CBSSNL 32–3717,220
October 215:00 p.m.at San Jose StateCBSSNL 21–4215,028
November 45:00 p.m.at San Diego StateFS1W 32–24 2OT23,096
November 111:00 p.m.Nevada
  • Maverik Stadium
  • Logan, UT
KJZZW 41–2417,760
November 185:00 p.m.Boise State
  • Maverik Stadium
  • Logan, UT
CBSSNL 10–4517,821
November 241:30 p.m.at New MexicoCBSSNW 44–41 2OT12,094
December 231:30 p.m.vs. Georgia StateESPNL 22–45 12,168

[1]

Game summaries

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at No. 25 Iowa

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Utah State Aggies (0-0) at No. 25 Iowa Hawkeyes - Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Aggies 0 3 3814
Hawkeyes 3 14 0724

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)
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
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
Rushing Rahsul Faison 7 carries, 59 yards
Receiving Terrell Vaughn 12 receptions, 93 yards, TD
Iowa Passing Cade McNamara 17/30, 191 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Kaleb Johnson 19 carries, 63 yards, TD
Receiving Luke Lachey 7 receptions, 73 yards

Idaho State

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Idaho State Bengals (0–1) at Utah State Aggies (0–1) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bengals 7 7 7728
Aggies 7 44 141378

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

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Utah State Aggies (1–1) vs Air Force Falcons (2–0)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Aggies 0 7 7721
Falcons 22 10 7039

at Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, CO

Game information
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

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at UConn

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Utah State Aggies at UConn Huskies – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Aggies 0 7 171034
Huskies 7 10 01633

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

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Colorado State Rams (2–2) at Utah State Aggies (2–3) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Rams 17 0 0724
Aggies 3 14 141344

at Maverik StadiumLogan, 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: compattint 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

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Game Seven – Fresno State Bulldogs (5–1) at Utah State Aggies (3–3)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bulldogs 7 7 14937
Aggies 7 7 31532

at Maverik StadiumLogan, 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: compattint 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

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Utah State Aggies (3–4) at San Jose State Spartans (2–5)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Aggies 0 0 000
Spartans 0 0 000

at CEFCU Stadium, San Jose, CA

  • Date: October 21, 2023
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. PST
  • TV: CBSSN
Game information
Statistics USU SJSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
Utah State Passing
Rushing
Receiving
SJSU Passing
Rushing
Receiving

at San Diego State

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Utah State Aggies (3–5) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (3–5)
Quarter 1 2 34OT2OTTotal
Aggies 0 3 777832
Aztecs 0 7 0107024

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)
Game information
First Quarter

None

Second Quarter
  • (14:10) SDSU - Mark Redman 9 yard pass from Jalen Mayden (Jack Browning kick); 6 plays, 88 yards, 3:18 (San Diego State 7-0)
  • (10:14) USU - William Testa 24 yard field goal; 14 yards, 68 yards, 3:56 (San Diego State 7-3)
Third Quarter
  • (8:43) USU - Jalen Royals 50 yard pass from Cooper Legas (William Testa kick); 9 plays, 73 yards, 3:43 (Utah State 10-7)
Fourth Quarter
  • (13:40) USU - Davon Booth 19 yard run (William Testa kick); 7 plays, 92 yards, 2:25 (Utah State 17-7)
  • (7:10) SDSU - Kenan Christon 10 yard pass from Jalen Mayden (Jack Browning kick); 9 plays, 79 yards, 4:08 (Utah State 17-14)
  • (0:33) SDSU - Jack Browning 23 yard field goal; 9 plays, 49 yards, 1:54 (Tied 17-17)
First Overtime
  • SDSU - Brionne Penny 27 yard pass from Jalen Mayden (Jack Browning kick); 2 plays, 25 yards (San Diego State 24-17)
  • USU - Terrell Vaughn 18 yard pass from Cooper Legas (William Testa kick); 3 plays, 25 yards (Tied 24-24)
Second Overtime
  • USU - Robert Briggs Jr. 20 yard run (Terrell Vaughn pass to Broc Lane for two-point conversion); 2 plays, 25 yards (Utah State 32-24)
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: compattint 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
Rushing Davon Booth 13 carries, 77 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Terrell Vaughn 8 receptions, 91 yards, 1 TD
San Diego State Passing Jalen Mayden 25–39, 265 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Lucky Sutton 11 carries, 86 yards
Receiving Kenan Christon 8 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD

Nevada

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Boise State

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at New Mexico

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vs. Georgia State (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl)

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Game Thirteen – Georgia State Panthers (6–6) vs Utah State Aggies (6–6) (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Panthers 21 10 7745
Aggies 14 0 0822

at Albertsons StadiumBoise, 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
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

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  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.