Utah State pulled off nothing less than a dramatic mid-season turnaround this season — the Aggies started the year 1-4 but finished 6-6 — becoming bowl eligible in the process.
The Aggies’ reward?
A berth in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl.
Utah State will play Memphis in the First Responder Bowl — held on the campus of SMU in Dallas, Texas — the school announced Sunday. The game will be played on Tuesday, December 27 at either 1:15 p.m. or 4:45 p.m., and will be televised on ESPN.
Memphis, a member of the American Athletic Conference, finished 6-6 this season. Quarterback Seth Henigan threw for 3,287 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while the Tigers were lead on defense by linebacker Xavier Cullens, who finished with a team-high 104 tackles, to go along with four fumbles recoveries, three interceptions and two sacks.
The Tigers went 3-5 in conference play, but outside of their season opener against Mississippi State, never lost a game by more than 10 points. Memphis has struggled lately, though, losing five of its last seven games.
Utah State, by comparison, won five of its last seven games.
The Aggies have played in 15 bowl games in program history — soon to be 16 — and have won six of the those games (the victories are listed below), with all but one of those wins coming since 2012.
- The 2021 LA Bowl against the Oregon State Beavers.
- The 2018 New Mexico Bowl against the North Texas Mean Green.
- The 2014 New Mexico Bowl against the UTEP Miners.
- The 2013 Poinsettia Bowl against the Northern Illinois Huskies.
- The 2012 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl against the Toledo Rockets.
- The 1993 Las Vegas Bowl against Ball State.
Utah State has now made a bowl appearance in 10 of the last 12 seasons, missing out on the postseason in only 2016 and 2020.