WHO: Utah State Aggies (0-0)
WHEN: 11:03 AM CT (Saturday, September 2, 2023)
WHERE: Kinnick Stadium (Iowa City, IA)
TV: FS1 (Jeff Levering and Mark Helfrich)
RADIO: Hawkeye Radio Network (Gary Dolphin, Ed Podolak, Rob Brooks) | Sirius/XM 83
MOBILE: foxsports.com/mobile
ONLINE: foxsports.com/live
FOLLOW: @IowaAwesome | @HawkeyeFootball | @IowaonBTN
WEATHER: high in the mid-90s, mostly sunny
LINE: Iowa -23.5
SP+: Iowa -32.5

Utah State enters 2023 as a team in transition. The Aggies went 17-10 in head coach Blake Anderson's first two seasons in Logan, UT, including an 11-3 campaign in 2021. The Aggies fell to 6-7 last season and this year's squad features a host of new faces, both on the staff and the roster.

Utah State has 59 new players on the roster this season, which is a lot of new faces to integrate before Week 1.

The Aggies bring back their starting quarterback from 2022, Cooper Legas, though many of his most productive teammates have departed. Legas, 6'1", 215 lbs, completed 61% of his passes for 1499 yards in 2022, with 11 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. He added 303 yards and two scores on the ground as well.

Legas will also have a lot of new faces protecting him -- the offensive line is set to return only one starter from last season, LG Wade Meacham (6'5", 310). The Aggies have new faces at the other four OL positions, led by graduate transfer Ralph Frias III (6'6", 340) at LT. Frias arrived at Utah State from Arizona State, where he played sparingly. The right side of the line could feature a pair of redshirt freshmen, Tavo Motu'apuaka (6'5", 330) and Teague Andersen (6'5", 295). The ability of Utah State's young line to hold up to the pressure from Iowa's defensive line figures to be a key battle in the game.

Utah State's top options at RB are sophomore Robert Briggs, Jr. (5'6", 185) or juco transfer Davon Booth (5'10", 205). Briggs ran for 4.8 yards per carry in 2022 and finished with 353 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Booth ran for 1442 yards and 8 touchdowns for Cerritos College last season.

Two of Utah State's top three receivers from a year ago (Brian Cobbs and Justin McGriff) are gone, leaving senior Terrell Vaughn as the top returning option. Vaughn, 5'7", 175 lbs, operates out of the slot and 56 receptions for 624 yards and 5 touchdowns last season. Jaylen Royals (6'0", 195), Otto Tia (6'4", 215), Colby Bowman (6'2", 195), and Micah Davis (5'11", 185) are their other top-listed options at receiver.

Bowman, a grad transfer from Stanford, played sparingly for the Cardinal during his career in Palo Alto, but was a high 3* star recruit coming out of high school. Davis, another juco transfer, had 33 receptions for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns for Iowa Western last season, while also serving as a weapon in the return game (11.2 yards per punt return).

Utah State was forced to hire a new defensive coordinator, Joe Cauthen, in the spring, shortly before spring practice got underway. Cauthen has had limited time to implement a new defensive scheme -- while integrating a host of new faces as well.

Just like the offensive line, the Aggie defensive line has also experienced a lot of turnover since 2022; Utah State is set to return just one DL starter, DT Hale Motu'apuaka (6'1", 290). Motu'apuaka is a multi-year starter who had 8.0 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks in 202 and earned preseason All-Mountain West honors, but he's going to be working with some very inexperienced teammates on the line -- the Aggies' other starters are all listed as freshmen or sophomores. If the Iowa OL is able to control the line of scrimmage, Kaleb Johnson could have a very productive day against the Aggies.

At LB, Utah State returns a few faces. Max Alford (6'1", 235) is the starter at WILL; he had 40 tackles in 2022, including 4.0 tackles for loss. MJ Tafisi Jr. (6'0", 250) is the starter at MIKE; he had 69 tackles (9.0 TFL) in 2022 before injury ended his season after 8 games.

The strength of the Utah State defense looks to be the secondary, where they return two starters: S Ike Larson (5'10", 185) and CB Michael Anyanwu (5'9", 180). Anyanwu led the team in passes broken up with 11, while Larson led the team in interceptions with four. Utah State has new faces at the other secondary positions, including RS freshman JD Drew (6'0", 165) at cornerback.

Special teams should be a strong point for Utah State, especially the punting game. The Aggies have their own Aussie punter, Stephen Kotsanlee (6'1", 205), who averaged 43.4 yards per punt on 67 attempts in 2022. Kotsanlee earned Honorable Mention All-Mountain West honors in 2020 as well as preseason All-Mountain West (third team) consideration ahead of the 2023 campaign. He's no Tory Taylor, but he's good enough to potentially force Iowa's offense to cover long distances after a change of possession.

At placekicker, the Aggies have Italian native William Testa, who transferred from New Mexico Military Institute. Testa converted 65% (34/52) of his field goal attempts and 98% on extra points (130/133) at NMMI. As noted above, Micah Davis, another juco transfer, could be an effective weapon for Utah State in the punt return game — although Iowa gave up just 92 yards on 21 punt returns in the 2022 season.

Utah State has often been an above-average Group of 5 program over the last 10-15 years, and Anderson is a coach who has had success in the past -- in addition to his 11-win campaign with the Aggies in 2021, he went 51-37 at Arkansas State and took the Red Wolves to six bowl games in seven seasons and won two Sun Belt conference titles. But the Aggies experienced a lot of turnover between the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and that's
going to make it hard for Utah State to contend on Saturday.

The conditions may not do the Aggies any favors, either -- if the heat is as significant as projected, fatigue is likely to become a significant issue and Utah State's lack of depth could get exposed against a bigger, deeper team like Iowa. Couple that with matchups that don't favor Utah State in the trenches and it all looks like the recipe for a bad day at the office for the Aggies.

Even with the question marks around Cade McNamara's condition, this should be a game where Iowa is able to exert its will on offense and defense. The offense establishes the run game, the new-look receiving corps make a few big plays in the passing game, and the defense smothers Utah State while forcing a few turnovers as well.

IOWA 34, UTAH STATE 3

The UI has provided a few additional notes regarding traffic on gameday and the possibility for extreme heat conditions as well.

1st AVENUE (CORALVILLE)

Fans traveling to or from I-80 should avoid 1st Avenue (Coralville). The ongoing major construction at I-80 exit 242 will persist all season long. During this time, 1st Avenue will remain one lane in each direction over I-80. This has the potential to create significant delays both pregame and postgame. Signage will be placed along I-80 and on Highway 6 to discourage fans from using 1st Avenue.

Fans who need to access I-80 after football games from Kinnick Stadium surrounding parking lots are encouraged to continue straight through the Hawkins Drive/Hwy 6 intersection onto Rocky Shore Drive/Park Road, which ultimately connects to Dubuque Street (turn left to travel north approximately one mile to I-80). Alternatively, fans may access I-80 from Highway 6 via Coral Ridge Avenue.

SOUTH RIVERSIDE DRIVE/MYRTLE AVENUE (IOWA CITY)

Traffic is expected to be reduced to two lanes (one lane in either direction) on South Riverside Drive just south of Myrtle Avenue for the season opener on Sept. 2. Fans are encouraged to use an alternate route to avoid delays. It is hopeful all four lanes on South Riverside Drive will be open for Iowa’s home game against Western Michigan on Sept. 16.

* Fans will be permitted to enter Iowa's Kinnick Stadium on Saturday (Sept. 2) with multiple sealed water bottles of any size.

* Concession stands will sell bottled water inside the stadium at a reduced price.

* For fans needing a break from the heat, an expanded rest area is available outside the First Aid Station at the southeast corner of the stadium. This space will provide shelter, cool air and hydration.

* Johnson County Homeland Security & Emergency Management Agency has provided an air-conditioned tent in Krause Family Plaza.