
2023 Utah State
6–7 (4–4 Mountain West Conference), coached by Blake Anderson. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Idaho State 78–28Sep 9
By 50 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat New Mexico 44–41Nov 24
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | at | L 14–24 | 27% |
| Sep 9 | vs | W 78–28 | 89% |
| Sep 15 | at | L 21–39 | 24% |
| Sep 23 | vs | L 38–45 | 40% |
| Sep 30 | at | W 34–33 | 57% |
| Oct 7 | vs | W 44–24 | 64% |
| Oct 13 | vs | L 32–37 | 34% |
| Oct 21 | at | L 21–42 | 44% |
| Nov 4 | at | W 32–24 | 40% |
| Nov 11 | vs | W 41–24 | 77% |
| Nov 18 | vs | L 10–45 | 43% |
| Nov 24 | at | W 44–41 | 59% |
| Dec 23Bowls & playoff | vs | L 22–45 | 48% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Georgia State 45–22 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 6th in the Mountain West Conference.
In program history: The 71st-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 120 on file).
- Record
- 6–7
- Conference
- 4–4 tied for 6th in Mountain West Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 431–451
- Coach
- Blake Anderson
- Elo
- 1425 −54 this season
- SP+ rating
- -10.9 No. 106 of 133; offense No. 54, defense No. 131, special teams No. 91
- SRS
- −6.7 No. 97 of 133 in FBS
- Returning
- 47% of last season’s EPA, No. 75 of 131
- Recruiting class
- No. 100 roster talent No. 104 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Kyle Cefalo
- Defensive coordinator
- Joe Cauthen
- Offense
- Spread option
- Defense
- 4–2–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.09 | 40% | 1.34 | 68th of 133 |
| Defense | 0.17 | 45% | 1.20 | 97th of 133 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.07 off 0.18 def | 40% off 45% def | — | 87th off 120th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.3 | own 29 | 19% allowed |
| Defense | 4.2 | own 31 | 17% caused |
CORE rating -0.8, 69th of 133 (offense 4.4, defense 5.3).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Cooper Legas QB | 1,815 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Cooper Legas QB | 19 TD |
| Rushing yards | Davon Booth RB | 805 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Davon Booth RB | 6 TD |
| Receiving yards | Jalen Royals WR | 1,080 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Jalen Royals WR | 15 TD |
| Tackles | M.J. Tafisi LB | 142 tkl |
| Sacks | Paul Fitzgerald DE | 7 sacks |
| Interceptions | Ike Larsen S | 4 INT |
Top recruits in the 2023 class
| Taliafi Taala OT | ★★★ | No. 734 |
| Chase Davis S | ★★★ | No. 836 |
| Jr Sia OT | ★★★ | No. 1113 |
| McCae Hillstead QB | ★★★ | No. 1636 |
| Jaydon Bailey RB | ★★★ | No. 1704 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2023 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.843 |
| Running backs | 2 | 2.5 | 0.814 |
| Receivers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.807 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 2.7 | 0.832 |
| Defensive backs | 2 | 3.0 | 0.846 |
| Whole class | 10 | 2.8 | 0.827 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Roster 110
The 2023 roster110 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2023 line; 60 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 7
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Transfers out 21
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And 9 more, lower-rated or unrated.
2023 Mountain West Conference standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6–2 | 9–5 | ||
| 6–2 | 8–6 | ||
| 6–2 | 7–6 | ||
| 5–3 | 9–4 | ||
| 5–3 | 9–4 | ||
| 4–4 | 9–4 | ||
| 4–4 | 6–7 | ||
| 3–5 | 5–7 | ||
| 3–5 | 5–8 | ||
| 2–6 | 4–8 | ||
| 2–6 | 4–8 | ||
| 2–6 | 2–10 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.