Utah State’s first year under Bronco Mendenhall has had its ups and downs, but the general feeling around the team is that it’s certainly moving in the right direction.
The Aggies had two sobering losses to Hawai’i and New Mexico, but in their final three games of the regular season, they beat Fresno State and played tightly with Mountain West title game opponents Boise State and UNLV.
Utah State extended its season with its sixth win against Fresno State, and it announced Sunday that it had accepted an invitation to play in Boise in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl against Washington State.
This will be the fifth time since 2011 that the Aggies have played in the Potato Bowl. Kickoff will be at noon MST on Dec. 22 and will be televised on ESPN.
“I love how close it is to Logan and for our fans to be able to get to the game without a giant disruption of their calendar,” Mendenhall said.
“I like the extra chances for our team to prepare and practice and for our program to keep developing, but more importantly, I’m just really thankful to be able to be with this particular team more.”
The Aggies (6-6) will get a sneak peek at what the new Pac-12 football might look like as it will face the Cougars (6-6) in Boise.
Washington State faced two Mountain West opponents in its regular season in San Diego State and Colorado State and won both games convincingly.
“I’m really excited about the game,” Mendenhall said. “The regional flavor of the game, I think, is really good for not only Utah State, but also Washington State. I like the matchup. I think there’s a lot of intrigue. I think (it’s) two really good football teams that are motivated.
“I think they’re a good football team. When you look at the schedule, the teams they played, and if you look at the Mountain West matchups, they beat San Diego State, I wouldn’t say fairly handily, but convincingly.”
However, Washington State is in a tumultuous time, having become a victim of the Penn State coaching search.
Penn State signed Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell to an eight-year deal, and the Cyclones then filled their coaching vacancy with Washington State head coach Jimmy Rogers.
Rogers will not coach the Cougars in the bowl game against Utah State. However, Washington State interim athletic director Jon Haarlow said the rest of the coaching staff is sticking around to finish out the season.
Cougars’ defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit will be the interim head coach for the bowl game.
“Rarely have I seen (pre-bowl game coaching changes) affect the team in a manner that’s noticeable,” Mendenhall said. “Sometimes they play almost in defiance of the departures, and sometimes they’re more motivated ...
“I think about the players, especially, and the context that they’re in. I think that makes it really, really a tough experience, knowing that bowl games are usually a chance to celebrate and enjoy your team and the accomplishments, and I still think that can happen. This just makes it a little bit harder.”
The last time Utah State played in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl was also the last time it was bowl eligible, in 2023. In that game, the Aggies were beaten convincingly 45-22 by Georgia State.
In fact, in the entire bowl’s existence since 1997, Utah State is 1-5 in its six total appearances. Its single win in the bowl was a 41-15 victory over Toledo in 2012.
In all, the Aggies have only won six of their 17 bowl appearances in school history. The last time they won a bowl game was a 24-13 win over Oregon State in the 2021 LA Bowl.
The betting odds say Utah State could get its seventh bowl victory in school history as the Aggies are currently a 4-point favorite to beat Washington State.
“I love this team,” Mendenhall said. “I’m grateful for all their hard work, the way they’ve competed, the way they’ve battled and the reception of me in the first year taking over this program.
“I think they’ve represented our community and this institution at a really high level in a lot of different ways, and I would love to see them have success.”