Utah State Football caps off historic season with LA Bowl victory
This story will be updated.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The Aggies are Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl champions. They defeated Oregon State 24 to 13 in the first college football game in Sofi Stadium. Utah State finishes the season 11-3, arguably the best Aggie football season in program history, tying total wins with the 2012 and 2018 teams. It’s the first time Utah State has defeated two Power 5 teams in one year in program history.
Nick Heninger tore up the Beavers’ backfield all game. He collected three sacks and five tackles for loss on his way to being named the bowl’s defensive MVP. It was a storybook finish for the sixth-year senior.
Deven Thompkins led the charge on offense for the Aggies. His 115 yards and one touchdown reception earned him LA Bowl offensive MVP honors. Thompkins set a new Utah State record for most receptions in a season with 101. He passed Kevin Curtis’s 100 receptions in 2001.
Quarterback Cooper Legas was a huge factor in the game for the Aggies. Legas had 171 yards, two touchdowns and even caught a 34-yard pass in the third quarter. Legas checked in for quarterback Logan Bonner after he was shaken up in the first quarter. Legsas’s first collegiate pass attempt went for six when he found wide receiver Deven Thompkins for a 62-yard touchdown reception.
Running back Calvin Tyler Jr. performed well against his former team. He ran for 120 yards and a touchdown in the victory. Linebacker Justin Rice added on to a stellar regular season as he forced a fumble and recorded nine total tackles.
Before exiting the game due to injury, Bonner set the Utah State record for most passing yards in a season with 3,628 yards. He passed Jordan Love’s 3,567 yards in 2018.
Aggie fans were thrown for a loop by a 52-second touchdown drive by Oregon State to start the game. The Beavers went 71 yards in three plays scoring on a 20-yard rush by wide receiver Jesiah Irish.
Both offenses went quiet for nearly 15 minutes as they both punted twice, the Aggies threw an interception and the Beavers turned the ball over on downs.
Thompkins and Legas broke the silence when they connected for a 62-yard touchdown pass, tying the game at seven apiece.
After a Beaver field goal, the Aggies put up 17 unanswered points on a Tyler Jr. touchdown rush, a Connor Coles field goal and a Brandon Bowling touchdown reception.
The Aggie defense allowed a field goal early in the fourth quarter but held strong the rest of the game despite two Utah State turnovers.
Utah State finishes the season 11-3, Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl and Mountain West Conference champions.