Utah State’s defense shut down Heisman finalist Jordan Lynch, holding him to 39 rushing yards and denying him a shot at becoming the first player to rush and pass for 2,000 yards in the same season. Safety Brian Suite forced two turnovers off Lynch — an interception and a fumble recovery — and Joey DeMartino (23 carries, 143 yards, TD) took Offensive MVP in his hometown finale.

A third-quarter Suite interception set up the go-ahead score, and DeMartino’s late touchdown put the game away before Lynch threw a garbage-time TD to make it look closer. Attendance (23,408) was the lowest in the bowl’s nine-year history at the time.