BOISE, Idaho -- Akron no longer has a zip in the bowl victories column.

Senior weak-side linebacker Jatavis Brown had 1 1/2 sacks and forced a fumble and senior nose tackle Cody Grice also posted 1 1/2 sacks as the Zips won a bowl game for the first time by registering a 23-21 victory over the Utah State Aggies in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Tuesday.

Akron (8-5) rode a strong defensive effort that included five sacks and three takeaways while notching its fifth consecutive victory. Brown's forced fumble set up a key field goal and he finished the season with school records for sacks (12) and tackles for loss (20).

The end result is that the Terry Bowden-coached squad finished with the school's best record since becoming a Division I program in 1987.

"It's not what I did, it's the trust of the players that we were always going in the right direction," said Bowden, who suffered through a 1-11 campaign in his first season in 2012. "You know, I'm just pleased with what these players have done.

"I don't need to qualify it to anybody. I'm proud of what they've done, and I'm proud of the success that they've had, and it'll be theirs to take with them for a long, long time. Forever."

Utah State (6-7) completed the season with four losses in five games. Junior running back Devante Mays was a bright spot by gaining 124 yards on 12 carries -- the highest individual yardage all season against the Zips, who ranked third nationally in rushing defense (89.8) entering the game.

The Aggies were driving at the end of the first half when Brown forced sophomore quarterback Kent Myers to fumble and senior defensive tackle Rodney Coe recovered it and ran 56 yards to the Utah State 12-yard line with four seconds left. Game MVP Robert Stein promptly ended the half with a 29-yard field goal -- one of his three successful boots -- to give the Zips a 13-7 advantage.

The running ability flashed by the 6-foot-3, 305-pound Coe -- a former junior-college running back -- provided big-time entertainment value for Brown.

"Oh man, it was amazing to see Rodney finally get what he's been asking for all season," said Brown, "a chance to run the ball."

The Aggies appeared to be over the shock when they traveled 64 yards on seven plays to start the second half to take their only lead.

Myers rushed for 27 yards on a third-and-17 keeper as Utah State maintained possession. Myers then connected with senior receiver Hunter Sharp for a 19-yard scoring pass in the left corner of the end zone to give the Aggies a 14-13 advantage.

The Zips went back ahead on their next drive as senior running back Donnell Alexander scored on a 2-yard run to culminate an eight-play, 40-yard drive.

Stein, a senior who was stripped of his scholarship by Bowden for shaky kicking earlier in his career, added a field goal from 46 yards with 8:15 remaining to give Akron a 23-14 advantage.

"I was shocked when I got the MVP because we've got so many great players on our team that it could have literally gone to anybody on offense and defense because they played a heck of a game," Stein said. "But this just pretty much epitomizes my career and the fact that I was able to end on this note as a fifth-year senior was really special."

The Aggies attempted to mount a late comeback as senior quarterback Chuckie Keeton tossed a 2-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Brandon Swindall with 1:12 to play. Zips junior cornerback DeAndre Scott covered the ensuing onside kick to help seal the victory.

"You've got to go make plays to win games at the end," Utah State coach Matt Wells said. "We didn't do that. We didn't do that early enough, and we didn't obviously do it late enough, all the way down to the onside kick. We don't even give ourselves a chance to recover it."

Keeton completed 14 of 25 passes for 109 yards and one interception in his final college game. He split time with Myers, who was 14 of 20 for 123 and two touchdowns, and Sharp caught 11 passes for 93 yards.

Zips sophomore quarterback Thomas Woodson passed for 168 yards and was intercepted once. Senior receiver Andrew Pratt had a career-high nine receptions en route to 94 yards.

Akron struck first with a trick play as junior receiver Tyrell Goodman received a pitch and tossed a 14-yard scoring pass to Woodson in the right flat with 10:38 remaining in the first quarter.

The Zips increased the lead to 10-0 on a 33-yard field goal by Stein with 2:53 remaining in the half. Utah State responded with a three-play, 71-yard drive in which Mays exploded on a career-long 61-yard run around left end on the first play and Myers connected with Swindall from 9 yards for the touchdown with 1:32 left.

"Really don't mean anything to me, honestly," Swindall said of catching two touchdown passes in his final collegiate game. "We didn't get the win, and that's what I wanted, to finish my senior season."

NOTES: Akron's lone previous bowl appearance came in the 2005 Motor City Bowl, which ended with a 38-31 loss to Memphis. ... Utah State made its fifth straight bowl appearance -- with three of them coming in the Potato Bowl. ... Aggies redshirt freshman P Andrew Dalton set a bowl record with a 69-yard punt in the first quarter. ... Akron senior K Robert Stein had three field goals and two extra points to become the school's career scoring leader with 268 points, surpassing Zac Derr (266, 1998-2001). ... The announced attendance was 18,876, third lowest in bowl history.