An FCS team playing an FBS opponent usually smells like a blowout.

The Idaho State Bengals have made a habit of the opposite. In their two FBS games last season, they lost to UNLV and New Mexico by a combined 17 points.

This time they head to Logan, Utah, to face the Utah State Aggies on Saturday at 5 p.m., in the first of four trips to Utah this season — and in the Aggies' first game as members of the Pac-12.

For Idaho State head coach Cody Hawkins, the focus is improvement and consistency.

"You always try to find areas where you can improve," Hawkins said. "From week one to week two is your biggest opportunity, because you finally saw some live bullets. There's a lot of details that we got to fix up, and hopefully we can continue to play well on defense and special teams like we did, and ratcheting a few things up on offense."

They go in without arguably their best offensive player. Fifth-year running back Dason Brooks went down in the first half against VMI, and it was announced earlier this week that his season is over.

"It absolutely changes the offense because you have one of the best players in the conference, maybe the best guy with the ball in his hands, is not going to be playing anymore," Hawkins said.

Hawkins pointed to fifth-year running back Robert Freeman IV and sophomore Carson Sudbury as the players who will take the majority of the reps in Brooks' absence.

"You can't replace Dason with one guy. But I think with that room and the standard that Dason set, those guys will step up to the plate and they'll be ready to go."

Idaho State arrives off a season-opening 38-10 win over Virginia Military Institute.

The defense stole the headlines with a dominant performance from the start, and it will look to keep that going against the Aggies.

Freshman Trehsyn Fesili showed out in his debut with six tackles, two for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He was named the Big Sky freshman defensive player of the week − the first Bengal to earn the award in a debut.

"He's a wonderful young man. I can't say enough good things about him," ISU defensive coordinator Grant Duff said. "His attitude just percolates into everyone. He's one of those together guys for sure that fits the culture that we have. He's just a 17-year-old freshman, but the sky's the limit for him."

The Bengals bring plenty of experience into that room, with the senior trio of Grant Hessler, Collin Lewis and Bronson Childs plus junior Jake East leading one of the most experienced groups on the roster.

Utah State head coach Bronco Mendenhall was impressed by what he saw from the Idaho State front.

"Well the defensive front for Idaho State is experienced and most are returning," he said during his weekly press conference. "In the game of college football, when you get experienced players and players coming back as a unit, it gives each player not only a chance to perform better individually, but collectively."

The defense has been sharp since fall camp, and Duff likes what is behind the starters.

"In my career, this is one of the deeper teams I've been on from top to bottom," Duff said. "The separation between our one and our threes isn't that far, and that's a good problem."

That front meets an offensive line that allowed 42 sacks a season ago.

The offense was another story early. Idaho State struggled to start before catching fire late in the second quarter and scoring 28 points in the third.

Fifth-year quarterback Jordan Cooke went 18-of-29 for 325 yards, four touchdowns and an interception − three of the scores coming in the third quarter.

Freeman IV, an electrifying returner, will step further into an offensive role — and he will do it at a former home. He transferred from Utah State in 2025, as did junior safety Titan Saxton.

For some it would be a revenge game. But for Saxton and Freeman, it is just another Saturday night.

"I'm going in like it's another game, another day, another dollar," Freeman IV said. "It's good to be back at Maverik Stadium. It will be loud, and I'm looking forward to it, I'm ready to get it rocking with the guys."

Saxton, a Logan native who made five tackles against VMI, echoed him.

"I wouldn't say it's personal," Saxton said. "We always talk about it's always about the Bengals. I'm looking forward to going out there and competing and playing."

The Aggies enter 2026 off a 6-7 season − Mendenhall's first − and open the Pac-12 era with a heavily rebuilt roster after adding 41 new players, including 19 Power Four transfers.

They will have to replace captain and starting quarterback Bryson Barnes, who last season went 211-of-356 for 2,803 yards and 18 touchdowns to just five interceptions. He added 740 yards and 10 touchdowns on 189 carries.

His replacement is junior McCae Hillstead, who is back in Logan after two seasons at BYU. He is not new to this matchup. Hillstead started four games for Utah State as a true freshman in 2023, one of them a 78-28 win over Idaho State, He now takes over an offense that averaged 30.2 points and 406 yards per game.

Hillstead comes in with career numbers of 98-of-163 for 1,095 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He threw just five passes last season.

The Aggies also have to replace their top running back and their top two receivers, including leading target Braden Pagen, who transferred to Utah.

Graduate running back Javen Jacobs is the leading returner on the ground with 447 yards and five touchdowns on 65 carries. Graduate receiver Anthony Garcia is the leading returner through the air with 20 catches for 348 yards and two touchdowns.

Utah State loses key pieces on defense as well. So Idaho State's offense and aggressive defense will look to make things difficult on both sides of the ball.

"We're going to face some adversity. I tell the guys that every week," Duff said. "Last week, our adversity that we faced on defense, we were up 38-nothing, we didn't handle it very well. There will be a storm in this game, and we got to weather it, and we can only do that together."

Mendenhall expects a challenge.

"I think it will be a really challenging game. You don't need to look farther than their opener against UNLV last year," he said. "We're preparing for a very difficult game."