2023 Mountain West football preview: Utah State Aggies

Editor’s note: This is the fifth in a 12-part series previewing the Mountain West teams in reverse order of the preseason media poll
LAS VEGAS – The Jim Bridger Rifle may need to be dusted the next time the Cowboys take it out of the trophy case.
Wyoming doesn't play Utah State in the unbalanced 2023 schedule as the Mountain West ditches the divisional format.
The next matchup in the series, which dates back to 1903, will be during the 2024 season in Logan, Utah.
“We’re not playing Utah State this year, which I’m disappointed in,” UW head coach Craig Bohl said. “But I think not having divisions is a really good deal. It’s going to be important for some of the traditional rivalry games to stay in place.”
This rivalry has heated up in recent years with quarterbacks Andrew Peasley and Levi Williams switching sides via the transfer portal.
The Aggies, who won the Mountain West in 2021 but finished 6-7 in 2022, are picked to finish eighth in the preseason media poll.
UW beat Utah State 44-17 in 2021 with Williams taking the snaps. The Pokes prevailed 28-14 last season in Laramie with Peasley taking the snaps and Williams unavailable for the Aggies due to injury.
“I’ve got mixed emotions about it,” Utah State head coach Blake Anderson said of the decision by the conference to get rid of divisions to increase the chances of having the top two teams in the MW title game. “Big picture is to make sure when we raise a trophy at the end of the year that that team plays in the playoff. I get it completely.
“I hate what it does to some rivalries like that one (against Wyoming). I hate the fact that we’re going to miss that because that’s what I love about college football, I love those rivalries.”
Utah State was hit hard by portal defections during the offseason and has 39 new players on the roster.
Cooper Legas, the incumbent starter, completed 61.1% of his passes for 1,499 yards with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season. He also missed the UW game due to injury.
Williams, the starting QB for UW’s 2019 Arizona Bowl and 2021 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl wins, only attempted six passes last season after transferring. Peasley went from backup at Utah State to the Cowboys’ starter.
“I know we haven’t talked about Levi Williams at all, but Cooper is not the only guy that improved in the spring,” Anderson said when asked about Williams by the Star-Tribune. “Levi looks physically better than he ever has, which is hard to say because that’s one big yoked up dude. I think the offensive changes and some of the communication aspects and the speed of play benefited him.
“He did close the gap between him and Coop. I know his mindset is, ‘I’m going to go beat him out in fall camp,’ and he’s got the opportunity to do that.”
Anderson is taking over the play-calling duties after the Aggies finished 104th in scoring offense (22.2 ppg) and 96th in total yards (354.5 per game) last season.
Utah State must replace running back Calvin Tyler, who rushed for 1,122 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Robert Briggs is the favorite to win the starting job after rushing for 353 yards and a touchdown as a freshman.
Wide receiver Terrell Vaughn is back after catching 56 passes for 624 yards and five touchdowns.
“I just have to be super-efficient with my conversations. I can’t spend a ton of time,” Anderson said of calling the plays and communicating with co-offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo, who will be at press box level. “When we come off the field I have to make adjustments quickly and get my head back in the game as a game manager.
"It’s a challenge, there’s no doubt, but I felt it was the best way for me to impact where we wanted to go to use all of our weapons, use all of the grass, play faster and we’ve got to turn the turnover ratio.”
Utah State returns five starters on defense, including standout linebacker MJ Tafisi (69 tackles) and safety Ike Larsen (four interceptions).
The Aggies have three challenging road trips in September at Iowa, Air Force and UConn. Both reigning MW champion Fresno State and runner-up Boise State come to Maverik Stadium.
“We could come out Week 1 and just shock the country, or it could take a while for us develop,” Anderson said. “But we are deeper. We need to stay healthy; we need to avoid (roster) attrition at this level in the future.
“Are we better right now than we were a year ago? On paper, yes, we are. Now we’ve got to put that paper together. Get them on the field and actually get them all moving in the same direction.”
The only way Utah State and UW will meet would be for both teams to make it to the conference championship game on Dec. 2. That is a long shot but something Anderson would certainly love to see happen.
“I would like to have an opportunity to beat him,” Anderson said of Bohl. “He’s got me two years in a row, and I hate the fact that it’s going to take a little longer to get to that.”