Utah State vs. UConn
- Kickoff: Saturday, 2 p.m. MDT.
- Venue: Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium (25,513 capacity).
- TV: FS1.
- Livestream: FoxSports.com/live.
- Radio: 1280 AM/97.5 FM.
- Series: This is only the second meeting between the two schools. The first came in 2001.
- Weather: Mostly sunny with temperatures in the mid 80s at kickoff, with 10-plus mile-per-hour winds out of the southwest.
THE TRENDS
For Utah State: The Aggies are the reigning Mountain West Conference champions and were picked by media to finish third in the Mountain Division of the MW this season. ESPN’s Football Power Index projects Utah State to win six or seven games in 2022.
For UConn: The Huskies are coming off a dismal 1-11 campaign in 2021. An independent, the Huskies have turned to former UCLA head coach Jim Mora Jr., after moving on from long time coach Randy Edsall. ESPN projects UConn to win two or three games in 2022.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Everything is an unknown at this point.
The first week of the season is always something of an unknown, as teams have new coaches, new schemes and new personnel. As Utah State head coach Blake Anderson put it, “Week 1 is every defensive coordinator’s nightmare.”
UConn comes into Logan as an even greater mystery, though. Since the arrival of Mora, the Huskies have brought in 40 new scholarship players, which means nearly half of UConn’s 82 scholarship players weren’t on the team last year.
UConn added numerous transfers from P5 programs and heading into Saturday’s game hasn’t named a starting quarterback, with any of four different players being an option to start.
The Huskies were one of the worst teams in the country last season, but no one has any idea what they’ll look like this season. Not yet at least.
As for Utah State, the Aggies have to replace 11 starters from last season, many of whom were All-American or All-Mountain West caliber players. The Aggies believe they have found suitable replacements, both on offense and defense, but only live action play will truly tell.
KEY PLAYER
Logan Bonner, QB, Utah State: Bonner might not the be first player people think of when they picture a Utah State quarterback, but with apologies to Jordan Love and Chuckie Keeton, he might go down as the greatest in program history.
In his first season with the Aggies, Bonner broke five program records, while throwing for 3,628 yards and 36 touchdowns, completing 61% of his passes.
Most of the receivers Bonner threw to last season are gone — some, like Deven Thompkins and Derek Wright are competing for jobs in the NFL — but if Utah State is to be successful this season, Bonner will have to be elite again.
QUOTABLE
“We don’t really know what to expect. We are going to have to adjust very quickly. ... We will have to rally to what they (UConn) are. We will find out early how they are going to play defensively. What to expect. Offensively, what it is going to look like. We are going to have to do a great job adjusting.” — Utah State head coach Blake Anderson, on UConn.
“I’ve never been a 27-point underdog in my life and I’m not real happy about it. ... I don’t necessarily like it. I understand it. (Utah State) is a top 25 team, man. They were 11-3, they lit it up on offense last year. They kicked the dog out of some really good teams, they were in the (Jimmy Kimmel LA) bowl game and played Oregon State — a good Pac-12 team — and got after them.” — UConn head coach Jim Mora Jr, on facing Utah State.
NEXT UP
Utah State travels to Tuscaloosa to battle SEC power Alabama — the No. 1-ranked team in the country — on Sept. 3. UConn will host the Central Connecticut Blue Devils the same day.
UTAH STATE SCHEDULE
Aug. 27 — Utah State vs. UConn
Sept. 3 — Utah State at No. 1 Alabama
Sept. 10 — Utah State vs. Weber State
Sept. 17 — BYE
Sept. 24 — Utah State vs. UNLV
Sept. 29 — Utah State at No. 25 BYU
Oct. 8 — Utah State vs. Air Force
Oct. 15 — Utah State at Colorado State
Oct. 22 — Utah State at Wyoming
Oct. 29 — BYE
Nov. 5 — Utah State vs. New Mexico
Nov. 12 — Utah State at Hawaii
Nov. 19 — Utah State vs. San José State
Nov. 25 — Utah State at Boise State
All times MT