Previewing Utah State football’s 2026 schedule: Utah Utes

LOGAN, Utah – Week 3 for the Utah State Aggies features an in-state matchup with one of the program’s longest-running rivals.

The Aggies travel 90 minutes south to Rice-Eccles Stadium on Sept. 19 to face a Utah program operating under new leadership — but stocked with some very familiar faces. Former USU offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven now calls plays for the Utes, and he brought Aggie wideout Braden Pegan with him.

It’s a storyline tailor-made for rivalry week.

𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℕ𝕖𝕨 𝔼𝕣𝕒 𝔸𝕨𝕒𝕚𝕥𝕤 👀

Updated game times & network selections for the season are here! 📅⏲️

🎟️: https://t.co/ogxb0J9CUS pic.twitter.com/pLBnyKlnQw

— USU Football (@USUFootball) May 27, 2026

Utah State’s rebuild under Bronco Mendenhall will collide with a Utah team ranked 31st in ESPN’s FPI and coming off an 11-2 season — one now partially built by a coach and a playmaker who helped shape the Aggies’ offense a year ago.

The Aggies enter with a 29-80-4 overall record in the series and have lost three straight to the Utes, but this isn’t about history. It’s about whether Mendenhall’s new-look roster can go toe-to-toe with a Big 12 program that dismantled Nebraska 44-22 in the Las Vegas Bowl and narrowly missed the College Football Playoff.

The series dates to 1892, when USU prevailed 12-0 in the inaugural meeting. The Aggies haven’t been nearly as successful since, but Utah State earned one-score wins in 1996 and 1997 before a 12-game losing streak was snapped with a 27-20 overtime victory in 2012.

The Aggies have dropped three straight since, including a 38-21 loss at home in 2024.

Previewing the Utah Utes

Utah enters with a new-look coaching staff that includes a familiar face for Aggie fans.

Longtime defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley takes the reins of the program following Kyle Whittingham’s departure to Michigan after 21 seasons at the helm. Scalley won his Las Vegas Bowl head-coaching debut and has spent the offseason building what he calls the program’s “RSNB” culture — relentless, smart, nasty, ballhawks.

Just your average summer lawn care work! 🏡🔨

It’s all starting to come together now! 👀

🎟️: https://t.co/ogxb0J9CUS pic.twitter.com/0f3I3EjoI8

— USU Football (@USUFootball) July 18, 2026

Jason Beck, the 2025 offensive coordinator, followed Whittingham to Ann Arbor and was replaced by McGiven, who spent last season orchestrating USU’s offense. McGiven figures to open the playbook for senior quarterback Devon Dampier.

ESPN’s FPI ranks Utah 31st nationally and third in the Big 12 during the preseason.

Utah Utes Offense

Utah State’s defense figures to get a massive test against Utah’s three-headed backfield monster of Dampier, fellow quarterback Byrd Ficklin and running back Wayshawn Parker.

Parker earned a spot on the Big 12 All-Conference Third Team alongside Dampier after rushing for 981 yards and six touchdowns. His 88.6 all-purpose yards per game led the team, and he ranked fifth in the Big 12 with 75.5 rushing yards per game.

Late night Devon Dampier love 🙌
pic.twitter.com/ZgSYjoMcFe

— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) March 13, 2026

Ficklin offered a change of pace under center as a true freshman, scoring 13 touchdowns while appearing in 12 games. A tremendous athlete, he threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 513 yards and 10 scores.

Pegan followed McGiven to Salt Lake City, giving the Utes a first-team All-Mountain West receiver. He recorded 60 catches for 926 yards and five touchdowns during his only season in Logan and has positioned himself as Utah’s No. 1 target heading into fall camp.

“Braden Pegan gets a lot of talk about coming with McGiven, and I think he’s been handling the role pretty well,” Dampier said at Big 12 media days. “He’s showing that leadership. I’m very proud of him and that group. They’ve gotten better by the day.”

Utah quarterback Devon Dampier is ready to showcase his true abilities this #cfb season after dealing with injuries throughout his first year with the Utes.#utahfootball #goutes #big12 pic.twitter.com/wL0HTDWPry

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 17, 2026

A pair of in-state transfers highlight the top of the tight end depth chart in former Utah State tight end Will Monney and former Weber State tight end Noah Bennee.

Monney played 12 games for the Aggies in 2023 but transferred to Oklahoma State for 2025, catching three passes for 39 yards. Bennee had 23 catches for 264 yards with the Wildcats in 2025.

Hunter Andrews returns from an injury to challenge for snaps. He caught 10 passes for 65 yards and carried the ball 13 times for 113 yards, flashing terrific versatility in the season’s first four games.

Utah’s traditionally stout offensive line will be replacing two 2026 NFL draft first-round picks in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu. The addition of five-star freshman tackle Kelvin Obot may give the Utes their answer at one starting spot.

Utah Utes Defense

Utah put a stout defense on the field last season with Scalley as the coordinator, and the tenacious attitude the Utes have become known for figures to continue with Colton Swan now leading the unit.

Senior linebacker Johnathan Hall and junior safety Jackson Bennee return as the team’s two leading tacklers. Hall had 67 stops and recorded 6.5 tackles for loss. Bennee added 64 tackles, and the duo combined for three sacks.

Behind them, the Utes don’t return a top-10 tackler from last season, meaning plenty of new faces will need to step up.

🔟 Utes on the 𝗦𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁-𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗕𝗼𝘄𝗹 𝟭𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁‼️#GoUtes | #RSNB | @ShrinersBowl pic.twitter.com/NuQL9zRUJ5

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) July 22, 2026

Cornerback Elijah Davis is back after starting 11 games and recording two interceptions last season. Transfer defensive back Elijah Reed is the odds-on favorite to start opposite Davis. Reed started 12 games for Akron last year, finishing with 47 tackles, one forced fumble and two interceptions.

The defensive line features a cast of characters looking to become key contributors for the first time. Lance Holtzclaw and Paul Fitzgerald will anchor the edge, with Pupu Sepulona and Jireh Moe seeking first crack at the interior spots.

Safeties Rabbit Evans and Nate Ritchie both return from injuries to play alongside Bennee on the back end.

The bottom line

Utah is the most complete team Utah State will face in the nonconference slate — talented, well-coached and driven by a quarterback in Dampier who has already proven he can dominate on the big stage.

Mendenhall will stand on the opposite sideline from Kevin McGiven, the offensive coordinator he hired to help reshape Utah State’s attack. McGiven spent a season learning what the Aggies do, how they practice and what makes them tick — and now he’s scheming against them with a more talented roster at his disposal.

For Mendenhall, it’s the kind of chess match that makes rivalry week different. McGiven doesn’t need to scout the Aggies from scratch. He built part of what they are. The question is whether what Mendenhall has built since is enough to beat the Utes.

Week 3 | Utah State Aggies @ Utah Utes

Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026

Venue: Rice-Eccles

Location: Salt Lake City, Utah 

Kickoff: 1:30 p.m. MT

What channel is Utah State football on?

The USU football game at Utah is available on FOX.

Listen to the Utah State Aggies on KSL Sports Zone

Following Utah State football with KSL Sports Zone

The Aggies open the 2026 season against Idaho State on Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium on September 5. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. MT.

Find Utah State football’s entire 2026 schedule here.

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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.

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