The dust is still settling. Every coach who has worked on a staff with Kirby Moore has endorsed him as the next big thing in the industry. Players are entering the transfer portal, recruits are flipping to Iowa State with Jimmy Rodgers, and uncertainty surrounds nearly every corner of the program. With all of that unknown, the one thing I do know for certain is this: a team wearing Washington State across their jerseys will take the field in Boise on Monday, with free French fries waiting for fans outside the stadium.
At this point, it’s unclear exactly who will and will not suit up for the Cougs in the bowl game. As of this writing, 15 players have entered the transfer portal. The most notable departures include Kirby Vorhees—by far our best running back this season—Carter Pabst, the true freshman receiver who made several big-time plays and was widely praised as the team’s best blocking wideout, Jaxon Potter, the original starting quarterback this year, and Tony Freeman, a breakout receiver who finished with 51 catches for 557 yards. At minimum, Vorhees, Pabst, and Potter do not appear to be with the program at this point.
Defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit has been running practices in preparation for the game but is set to depart for Iowa State immediately afterward, which naturally raises questions about continuity and focus. That said, this roster is filled with senior leaders who will be ready to put the pads on one final time for the crimson and gray.
Utah State (6–6)
Rankings: #95 CBS Sports | #88 CFB Professor | #80 PFF
Wins:
vs. UTEP 28–16
vs. Air Force 49–30
vs. McNeese State 48–7
vs. San Jose State 30–25
vs. Nevada 51–14
@ Fresno State 28–17
Losses:
@ #7 Texas A&M 22–44
@ #13 Vanderbilt 35–55
@ Hawaii 26–44
@ New Mexico 14–33
@ UNLV 26–29
vs. Boise State 24–25
Offense (Per Game, All Division I):
31.2 Points (T-35) | 422.4 Total Yards (30) | 251.4 Passing Yards (44) | 171 Rushing Yards (54)
Defense (Per Game, All Division I):
28.25 Points Allowed (89) | 424.4 Total Yards Allowed (119) | 249.3 Passing Yards Allowed (117) | 175.1 Rushing Yards Allowed (98)
Utah State ended up with a brutally difficult schedule. All six of their losses came against teams that finished with at least eight wins. They went 5–1 at home and 1–5 on the road, though every road game came as an underdog. On the flip side, outside of a quality late-season win at Fresno State, the Aggies don’t have many marquee victories.
Takeaways
Aggies head coach Bronco Mendenhall is 7–7 in bowl games.
Utah State is 1–3 all-time in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
Utah State has been relatively unaffected by the transfer portal; their only major loss is top wide receiver Braden Pegan (60 catches, 926 yards, 5 TDs).
The Aggies’ offense has consistently produced yards and points. Without a Jimmy Rodgers game plan in place, there are real concerns about whether the Cougs’ defense can hold up.
Standout Players
QB: Bryson Barnes | 5th Year
2,687 Passing Yards | 18 TDs | 4 INTs | 60% Completion
176 Rushing Attempts | 733 Yards | 9 TDs
The Utah transfer has delivered an efficient, low-turnover season and has doubled as the Aggies’ leading rusher. Barnes will look to cap his college career with a win.
RB: Miles Davis | 6th Year
126 Carries | 724 Yards | 8 TDs
The sixth-year grad transfer from BYU has made the most of his opportunity, though he hasn’t topped 42 rushing yards in a game since October as Barnes has taken on a larger share of the rushing load.
LB: John Miller | 6th Year
101 Tackles | 9.5 TFLs | 7.5 Sacks
Another super senior, Miller is the defender the Cougs must account for. Keeping him out of the backfield will be critical for Zevi and the offensive line.
CB: Noah Avinger | 4th Year
78 Tackles | 3 INTs
The highest-graded defender on Utah State’s roster per PFF, Avinger has allowed just 32 receptions on 62 targets while recording three interceptions and seven pass breakups.
Final Thoughts
Bowl games in the NIL and transfer portal era are notoriously difficult to predict, and few fan bases understand that better than Washington State’s. Both teams are filled with seniors playing their final organized football game. Anyone who says these games don’t matter has never competed—if you’re a competitor, you want to dominate every time you step on the field.
Utah State will be without its top receiving threat. The Cougs will certainly miss Kirby Vorhees. Maybe those losses cancel each other out. Both teams largely won the games they were supposed to win and lost the ones they were supposed to lose, which is reflected in the narrow Utah State -1.5 spread.
I give the game-planning edge to the Aggies with Bronco Mendenhall on their sideline and a staff in transition on ours. Beyond that, it’s cliché but true: the team that wants it more will probably walk away with the win.