In midst of change, Washington State battles Utah State in Potato Bowl

Washington State Cougars and Utah State Aggies get a head start on their upcoming future as conference mates when they square off Monday afternoon in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at Boise, Idaho.

Utah State is exiting the Mountain West and will join the Cougars in the reconfigured Pac-12. The two teams will be meeting regularly moving forward.

Both teams went 6-6 in the regular season. Washington State has won three of the previous five matchups against the Aggies, including a 49-28 home victory last season.

"I'm really excited about the game," Utah State coach Bronco Mendenhall said of the Potato Bowl. "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."

The Cougars are in a midst of a coaching transition after one-year head coach Jimmy Rogers departed to become the head man at Iowa State. Missouri offensive coordinator Kirby Moore has been hired as next season's coach.

Defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit will serve as interim coach for the bowl game and then depart to become Rogers' defensive coordinator with the Cyclones.

Bobbit said he attitudes of the players have been good despite the coaching upheaval.

"There's been a really good energy," Bobbit said after a recent practice. "I talked about the team being spirited the last time we talked. And there's been a little bit of a lull at certain times. ... Guys were getting after it, competing in a two-minute drill early on, some pass rush stuff."

Bobbit followed Rogers to Washington State from South Dakota State after the latter served for two seasons as the Jackrabbits' head coach.

One player who followed the pair to Pullman is safety Matthew Durrance, who has 55 tackles and one forced fumble this season.

"We're trying to finish it out the right way," Durrance said. "We want to go with a win. It's been a crazy year. I feel we put all this to bed with a win and go out the right way."

The Cougars finished the regular season with a 32-8 thumping of visiting Oregon State.

Utah State fell 25-24 to visiting Boise State in its last game. The Aggies let an 11-point, third-quarter lead get away.

Utah State is making its sixth visit to the bowl on the Blue Turf but the Aggies lost four of the other five.

Quarterback Bryson Barnes has stood out for Utah State. He has passed for 2,687 yards and 18 touchdowns against just four interceptions while also leading the squad with 733 rushing yards and setting a school record for quarterbacks with nine scores on the ground.

"There is a certain style that I play and obviously people don't want to see their quarterback taking those types of hits," Barnes said. "But there is not a fiber in my being that doesn't want to go out there and give every last thing I've got."

Star defensive back Noah Avinger (84 tackles, team-best three interceptions) has started six games at cornerback and six at safety. Avinger and linebacker John Miller (team highs of 109 tackles and 7.5 sacks) are the leaders of the Utah State defense.

The Cougars are playing in their 20th bowl game and ninth in the past 10 full seasons.

Washington State quarterback Zevi Eckhaus will be starting his 10th straight game. He has passed for 1,760 yards and 12 touchdowns against nine interceptions. He is the lone experienced QB on the roster after season-opening starter Jaxon Potter said earlier this month that he will enter the transfer portal.

Defensive end Isaac Terrell spearheads the Cougars' defense with a team-high 12 tackles for loss, including a team-best seven sacks.

--Field Level Media