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5 Utah State players to watch against Iowa football
Many new faces in Logan, Utah, but Vaughn, Motu'apuaka among returning players who could make impact
IOWA CITY — When Utah State arrives at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday for Iowa football’s season opener, it will be a rather unfamiliar foe.
The last matchup between Iowa and Utah State was in 2002 — almost a year before Iowa starting running back Kaleb Johnson was born.
But after an eventful transfer portal season, this Utah State team may even seem a little foreign to its own fans.
Here are five Aggies to watch:
WR Terrell Vaughn
Terrell Vaughn has been a capable weapon for Utah State on offense and on special teams.
The Oxnard, Calif., native caught 56 passes for 624 yards, which were second-best on the Aggies last year. His five touchdown receptions were tied for the team lead.
His returning prowess was on display last year when he returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown against Weber State.
Vaughn is on the preseason watch list for the Paul Hornung Award, which goes to the most versatile college football player in the country. (The group of 53 on the watch list also includes Iowa’s Cooper DeJean.)
He was an all-Mountain West honorable mention in 2022.
“(Vaughn) had a great spring, a great summer, and now, he's having a great camp,” said Kyle Cefalo, USU’s co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, in an article on Utah State’s official website. “He's taking the field with confidence. He knows what to do, knows how to do it, and his effort every day is non-stop. He just goes and goes and goes.”
DL Hale Motu'apuaka
Hale Motu’apuaka will be one of the more experienced players on Utah State’s defense.
The Honolulu native has started in 28 of Utah State’s last 32 games, dating back to the shortened 2020 season. A sixth-year senior, Motu’apuaka had eight tackles for loss and five sacks last season.
Motu’apuaka is one of three Aggies on the preseason watch list for the Polynesian Player of the Year Award, which goes to the best college football player of Polynesian ancestry who “epitomizes great ability and integrity.”
Away from the field, Motu’apuaka is a three-time world champion in fireknife — a Samoan dance involving acrobatics, twirling knives and towels set on fire — according to a 2022 article in the Utah Statesman student newspaper.
QB Cooper Legas
Cooper Legas has a unique claim to fame.
In 2021, he became the first FBS quarterback to score a touchdown on his first collegiate pass in a bowl game, according to his online player bio, after he subbed into the Jimmy Kimmel Los Angeles Bowl.
Now, the 6-foot-1 quarterback is in his second year as Utah State’s starting quarterback.
The first year’s results were not quite on a Jordan Love level.
He completed about 61 percent of his passes, but had only 11 touchdowns versus 10 interceptions. That includes five interceptions in his last three games.
Iowa’s defense also is likely to be much more of a challenge than San Jose State, Boise State or even the Memphis defense he saw in the Servpro First Responder Bowl.
DB Ike Larsen
Ike Larsen is the lone Aggie to earn a spot on the 2023 all-Mountain West preseason team.
It is not hard to see why the defensive back received the preseason honor.
He had a team-high four interceptions in 2022, which includes a 38-yard pick-6 against Hawaii late in the season. Quarterbacks only completed 42 percent of their passes when throwing toward him, according to Pro Football Focus.
Larsen also is on the preseason watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award, which goes to the best defensive back in college football.
Larsen can be a factor on special teams as well. He set the Utah State single-season record with three blocked punts last season.
P Stephen Kotsanlee
If the game goes the way Las Vegas expects it to go — Iowa is a 25-point favorite — Hawkeye fans might be seeing a lot of Kotsanlee.
Fortunately for the Aggies, he is one of the best punters in Utah State history.
The Ray Guy Award watch list honoree ranks fifth in USU history in yards per punt with 42.4 so far in his career. It is the highest for a USU punter who has been there for three-plus seasons.
Kotsanlee averaged 43.3 yards per punt last year and had 24 punts inside the 20-yard line versus eight touchbacks.
The numbers are not quite to the Tory Taylor level Iowa fans have been accustomed to seeing, though. Iowa’s Taylor, a first-team All-American, has a career average of 45.4 yards per punt as he begins his senior season.
Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com
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