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Everything you need to know about the Aggies and their game Saturday against the Commodores.

Utah State Aggies quarterback Bryson Barnes (16) talks to teammates during a timeout against McNeese State Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Logan. | Eli Lucero/Herald Journal

Utah State (3-1, 1-0 MWC) at No. 18 Vanderbilt (4-0, 1-0 SEC)

Kickoff: Saturday, 10:45 a.m. MDT
Venue: FirstBank Stadium (Capacity: 40,350)
TV: SEC Network
Livestream: WatchESPN
Radio: Aggie Sports Network (KZNS 1280 The Zone)/Sirius XM Ch. 382
Series: Utah State and Vanderbilt have never played

The trends

For Utah State: The Aggies are 3-1, with wins over UTEP, Air Force and McNeese State, none of which were very close contests. USU’s only loss so far came at No. 9 Texas A&M.

The Aggies have outperformed preseason expectations and are now viewed as something of a dark horse to contend in the Mountain West Conference in their first year under Bronco Mendenhall.

Most encouraging for Utah State is that it is playing complementary football for the first time in years, with all three phases regularly contributing to wins.

For Vanderbilt: The Commodores are undefeated with convincing wins against Charleston Southern, Georgia State, Virginia Tech and South Carolina.

Vanderbilt’s offense has been a revelation at times, scoring at least 31 points in every game this season, topping out at 70 last weekend in the win over Georgia State.

There is an argument to be made that Vanderbilt is primed for the best season in program history, with Clark Lea’s team on par with any team that came before, including those under James Franklin before he went to Penn State.

What to watch for

Is a program-altering upset upcoming for Utah State?

Don’t be mistaken, the Aggies will be serious underdogs when they take the field against Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt is a program that is operating at a very high level, well enough to be considered a threat in the SEC. The Aggies have surprised with a strong start to Year 1 under Mendenhall but his program is still in its earliest stages.

Can the Aggies take another step forward and pull a major upset of a top-25 team? Can it pick up a signature win this early in the Mendenhall era?

To do that, Utah State has to do a few things, and hope that Vanderbilt makes a few mistakes.

First and foremost, the Aggies need Bryson Barnes to continue to play at the level he has this season, but especially the last two weeks. Barnes is the engine that makes Utah State go. And his command of the Aggies offense has become readily apparent.

In order for his continued success, and Utah State’s as a result, the Aggies need their offensive line to play well, perhaps better than at any point this season, and the skill position players have to be ready to play. Utah State has talent on offense, but it will need more than talent to have success against Vanderbilt. Elite execution is what’s going to matter.

The same is true defensively. Vanderbilt’s offense isn’t going to be stopped, at least not frequently, but the Aggies will need to limit Vanderbilt at the right times. Force a three-and-out when it is desperately needed, create turnovers that can change momentum in the game. Making Vandy QB Diego Pavia uncomfortable will be important too, with his dual-threat ability presenting a real challenge.

If Vanderbilt is comfortable Saturday, then Utah State will not pull off the upset. If the Commodores are off kilter, then the Aggies have a chance.

Key player

Jake Eichorn, senior, offensive lineman, Utah State: Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia could have been here. As could any number of Commodore players, including running back Sedrick Alexander, tight end Eli Stowers, safety CJ Heard or linebackers Nick Rinaldi and Bryan Longwell.

And when it comes to Utah State, quarterback Bryson Barnes will always be a key player, while defenders like John Miller, William Holmes and Noah Avinger are all integral to any success USU has.

So why Eichorn? Well, in this case he is a placeholder for the entire USU offensive line.

In the Aggies only other matchup this season against a top-25 SEC opponent, the offensive line struggled mightily to protect Barnes, Eichorn in particular.

Those early struggles put Utah State in a bind and an improved second-half performance still wasn’t enough for the Aggies to catch A&M.

If Utah State is going to have any chance at upsetting Vanderbilt, it will need another standout performance from Barnes, who in turn will need a great day from his O-line. If Barnes has time, Utah State’s offense should be able to move the ball, use up time of possession and score. If Barnes is hurried, though, and under duress, it could be a long day for the Aggies.

Quotable

“Really looking forward to the upcoming matchup. ... I have an existing relationship with Clark Lea, the head coach of Vanderbilt. We became friends when I was coaching at Virginia, and as he became the head coach at Vanderbilt. So it’s been fun to have a great relationship and to see the progress and the growth of their program and the successes they’re having.” — Utah State coach Bronco Mendenhall

“Got a tough opponent coming in. First of all, just a ton of respect for Bronco Mendenhall. He’s a guy that has actually been a mentor to me over the years, and a friend. Particularly in the early stages with this program, was a guy that I got in touch with to learn. He’s been a program builder over his time.” —Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea