Utah State vs. Georgia State: How to watch, listen to or stream the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Trent Wood
·5 min read
Georgia State receiver Robert Lewis (1) congratulates Georgia State receiver Tailique Williams after scoring a touchdown during game on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, in Atlanta. The Panthers will face Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Saturday in Boise.
Georgia State receiver Robert Lewis (1) congratulates Georgia State receiver Tailique Williams after scoring a touchdown during game on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, in Atlanta. The Panthers will face Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Saturday in Boise. | Jason Allen, Associated Press

Utah State (6-6) vs. Georgia State (6-6)

Kickoff: Saturday, 1:30 p.m. MST.
Venue: Albertsons Stadium, Boise, Idaho.
TV: ESPN.
Livestream: WatchESPN.
Radio: Aggie Sports Network.
Series: The Aggies and Panthers have never played. USU is playing in its fifth Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, while Georgia State is making its first appearance.
Weather: Partly cloudy with a slight chance of precipitation, 12 mph winds out of the southeast and temperatures in the high-40s at kickoff.

The trends

For Utah State: The Aggies finished the season 6-6 (4-4 in Mountain West Conference play) thanks to a thrilling 44-41 double overtime win at New Mexico in the regular-season finale. Utah State had an up-and-down season but managed to get six wins for a second straight season, qualifying for a bowl game for the 11th time in 13 seasons.

For Georgia State: The Panthers started the season 6-1 after winning four straight to open the year. Everything fell apart after that, however, as Georgia State lost its next five games, four of which were by at least three scores.

What to watch for

Georgia State will not look like the same team that finished 6-6 in the Sun Belt when it takes on Utah State.

The Panthers have been hit hard by transfer portal defections, losing their top running back, wide receiver, starting right tackle, plus multiple defensive backs.

And those are only some of the losses.

When things were going well, the Panthers rode a strong rushing attack and mobile quarterback Darren Grainger to the No. 50-ranked rushing attack in all of college football, averaging 171.6 yards on the ground each game.

The difficulty for Georgia State came on the defensive side of the ball, where the team ranked 102nd in scoring defense, surrendering over 30 points per game.

The Panthers are stout against the run, giving up less than 150 yards per game, but have proven vulnerable in the secondary, yielding nearly 300 yards per game.

The Aggies normally would feel good about their chances to attack Georgia State’s weakness, but quarterback Levi Williams is known more for his legs and power than for his passing, even though he has the biggest arm of any of USU’s quarterbacks.

Like Georgia State, Utah State struggled defensively and was actually worse than the Panthers, allowing 33 points per game and ranking much worse against the run, surrendering nearly 200 yards per contest.

If Utah State can find success on the ground, the Aggies should run away with the win. If Georgia State can slow the game down and limit possessions for USU, however, things could get interesting.

Key player

Utah State QB Levi Williams prepares to throw during game, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Williams will not return for his senior season in 2024, intending to apply for Navy SEAL training following the Aggies’ bowl game. Williams revealed in a radio interview with a Salt Lake City radio station on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023, that he intends to forgo his final year of collegiate eligibility with the goal of becoming a SEAL officer in 2025. | Vasha Hunt, Associated Press

Levi Williams, quarterback, Utah State: The Aggies’ third-string quarterback for the majority of the season, Williams was the hero in the regular-season finale against New Mexico. And if his past performances in the postseason are any indication, he could be again.

Before transferring to Utah State, Williams played for Wyoming and had standout performances in two bowl games. He was named the most valuable player of the 2021 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl after he rushed for 200 yards and four touchdowns and passed for 127 yards and another score in a 52-38 win against Kent State.

He also led the Cowboys to a 38-17 win against Georgia State in the 2019 NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl.

Quotable

“I have always just felt like Shawn (Elliott) does a great job being physical, having his teams play physical football. And regardless of guys in the portal or not, I just assume they’re gonna step up and it’ll be very difficult to run the ball against them. We have to protect (the quarterback) to throw and catch well, and we’ve struggled with that at times during the last few weeks of the season. They have the ability to be dynamic off the edge. We can’t just assume that we can’t run the ball. We have to take the approach we have all year. It may be tough early, but with the way they’re built and how they think, how they prepare their team, we have to be patient and consistently continue to try to run ball.” — Utah State coach Blake Anderson.

“I think everybody is aware of who’ve we’ve lost in that portal. And what we have to do. ... We’ve got to prepare to win the game. (Utah State is a) good offensive football team, struggled a little bit defensively. Their coach was in the Sun Belt, played him a few times and he always has had a well-prepared football team. We have to go out there and play really, really well. I expect it to be a real good competitive football game.” — Georgia State coach Shawn Elliott.

Utah State schedule