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Logan • For Utah State, there aren't many tangible rewards riding on the outcome of Saturday night's season finale at BYU.
No winning season.
No bowl eligibility.
Instead, the Aggies finish a terribly disappointing season by trying to avoid their longest losing streak since 2007 — and defeat their in-state rival for the second time in three years.
Utah State center Austin Stephens will make his 39th straight start in the last game of his career. Like the other 24 seniors in the program, he wants to taste victory one more time before leaving.
"I know this team has a bunch of fighters," Stephens said. "The guys are going to fight their butts off until the very end. That's what we're going to do — go back to work and see what we can do."
Senior defensive end Ricky Ali'ifua, who will be playing his 51st game for the Aggies, also believes his teammates will play with effort, focus and determination.
"There's no doubt in my mind that every guy on this team will be giving their best because that's what's expected of them," he said. "… That's a reflection of the kind of guys that we have in this program."
Utah State comes off a 38-37 loss at Nevada, which rallied from a 13-point deficit in the final seven minutes and scored the game-winning touchdown with five seconds remaining.
In all, the Aggies have lost four Mountain West Conference games by 18 points, turning a possible sixth consecutive bowl season into one filled with frustration.
"It's not the season that any of us dreamed of, anticipated or set goals for," coach Matt Wells said. "But the one thing that these players have learned to do is persevere. … For them to continue to come back to work and invest and put it all out there [after] losing those close games is very commendable."
Despite the fact the Aggies have won exactly once since Sept. 24, Wells claims a "tremendous amount of respect" for this team.
"They continue to fight and that speaks well for them individually," he said. "It also speaks well for moving forward as we go through the offseason and into next year. It's an example for our younger kids — to know that winning is precious, it's fragile and it's hard. There are a handful of plays every game that can tip it either way."
Utah State scored a season-high 37 points against Nevada. It had won 35 straight games — going back to 2011 — when scoring at least 30 points. But the Aggies went three-and-out on their last two possessions, when a couple of first downs might have clinched a victory.
"Believing in ourselves — that we can execute and run the ball — that's what we have to do this week," Stephens said.
The Aggies must also avoid turnovers. They are a minus-5 through 11 games. On the other hand, BYU is a plus-12, including 18 interceptions.
"They are very aggressive and they do a good job," Wells said. "They've been around the ball. It's like one of our coaches always says, 'Luck follows effort.'"
Twitter: @sluhm —
Aggie update
• Utah State tries to snap a four-game losing streak at BYU on Saturday night.
• The Aggies have lost seven of their past eight games.
• The last time Utah State played in Provo, it rolled to a 35-20 win in 2014.
Utah State at BYU
Saturday, 8:15 p.m.
TV • ESPNU