BOISE (ABC4 Sports) - It was a rough ending to the 2023 season for the Utah State football team.
Darren Grainger threw three touchdown passes and rushed for two more, as the Panthers cruised past the Aggies, 45-22.
Levi Williams threw for 131 yards and a touchdown for Utah State, while McCae Hillstead came off the bench to throw for a late touchdown pass as the Aggies ended the season with a record of 6-7.
Georgia State ended up a five-game losing skid to finish the season at 7-6.
“I’m frustrated with how we played in all three phrases of the game,” Aggies coach Blake Anderson said. “They manhandled us from beginning to end. It’s not how you want to finish. But there are a lot of things that need to be fixed and things that can be fixed.”
Grainger completed 19 of 22 passes for 257 yards, and also rushed for 111 yards on 24 carries. Freddie Brock led a potent Georgia State rushing attack with 276 yards and a touchdown.
Georgia State racked up 388 yards on the ground, and had 643 total yards.
Davon Booth led USU on the ground with 71 yards on just four carries, including a 65-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Terrell Vaughn caught eight passes for 86 yards and a TD.
In a wild first quarter that saw 35 total points, Georgia State jumped out to a 21-14 lead on two Grainger touchdown runs and a 27-yard TD pass from Grainger to Tailique Williams.
Utah State was able to stay in the game thanks to a 35-yard touchdown strike from Williams to Jalen Royals, and 65-yard TD run by Booth. The Aggies had 161 yards of offense in the first quarter, but just 186 yards the rest of the game.
The Panthers took a 31-10 lead into the half after Grainger threw his second touchdown of the game to Cadarrius Thompson.
Thompson caught another TD pass in the third quarter to blow the game open.
Utah State finished with 347 yards of total offense.
Utah State's starting quarterback Cooper Legas, who announced he is returning for the 2024 season, missed the game with a shoulder injury.