Utah State (10-3) vs. Oregon State (7-5)
- Kickoff: Saturday, 5:30 p.m. MST
- Venue: SoFi Stadium (70,240 capacity)
- TV: ABC
- Livestream: WatchESPN
- Radio: 1280 AM/97.5 FM (Salt Lake City), 92.3 FM (Logan)
- Series: Oregon State leads 3-0
- Weather: Domed stadium
THE TRENDS
For Utah State ... The Aggies blew out San Diego State in the Mountain West championship game to win their first-ever Mountain West title.
For Oregon State ... The Beavers beat Stanford and Arizona State to set up a key matchup against Oregon, but lost to the Ducks in their regular season finale. Oregon State is playing in its first bowl game since 2013.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
This is the Aggies’ second bowl game against a Power Five team, with the other coming in 1961 when Utah State lost to Baylor in the Gotham Bowl.
A win would give Utah State its first-ever bowl victory over a Power Five opponent.
The Aggies’ first priority will be stopping Oregon State’s run game, which produced 217.4 yards per game — first in the Pac-12 and 12th in the nation — and was led by B.J. Baylor.
When Utah State has the ball, the Beavers’ first priority will be slowing down Utah State quarterback Logan Bonner and wide receiver Deven Thompkins.
Bonner has thrown for 3,560 yards and 36 touchdowns, with Thompkins catching 96 passes for 1,589 yards and nine touchdowns.
Bonner is on the verge of breaking the Aggies’ single-season passing yards record, set by Jordan Love. Bonner needs just 8 yards to do it.
KEY PLAYER
BJ Baylor, RB, Oregon State: Baylor has rushed for 1,259 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 6 yards per carry. Baylor’s rushing output ranks 14th nationally.
Running is Oregon State’s strength on offense, and an experienced offensive line has been key in Baylor’s success.
UTAH STATE SCHEDULE
Sept. 4 — Utah State 26, Washington State 23
Sept. 10 — Utah State 48, North Dakota 24
Sept. 18 — Utah State 49, Air Force 45
Sept. 25 — Boise State 27, Utah State 3
Oct. 1 — BYU 34, Utah State 20
Oct. 9 — BYE
Oct. 16 — Utah State 28, UNLV 24
Oct. 22 — Utah State 26, Colorado State 24
Oct. 30 — Utah State 51, Hawaii 31
Nov. 6 — Utah State 35, New Mexico State 13
Nov. 13 — Utah State 48, San Jose State 17
Nov. 20 — Wyoming 44, Utah State 17
Nov. 26 — Utah State 35, New Mexico 10
Dec. 4 — Utah State 46, San Diego State 13 (Mountain West championship game)
Dec. 18 — Oregon State (LA Bowl, 5:30 p.m., ABC)