Big-play Robinson powers Aggies to victory

LOGAN — It was only a matter of time before the football skills of Utah State's Kevin Robinson would resurface.

After being held in relative check for the first month of the season, Robinson had the type of game that made him a freshman all-American last season.

Three of the first six times Robinson touched the ball in Saturday's 24-17 victory over San Jose State, he scored a touchdown.

And Utah State needed every one of them.

For the third game in a row, the game was decided in the final two minutes, and for the second time the Aggies held on.

After a turnover on a bad punt snap put the Spartans inside the Utah State 20, the Aggie defense held SJSU which missed on a 27-yard field goal attempt with 8:28 to play.

The Spartans later scored on a 46-yard field goal by Jared Stubreck to cut the lead to seven points with 1:05 left in the game.

San Jose State converted the onside kick and marched inside the Utah State 35 before losing the ball on downs with nine seconds left.

"We held on," Utah State coach Brent Guy said. "It was team win. There were places in all areas that we could have won or lost the ball game and we held up when we had to. We made plays when we had to in the end."

Robinson's first score got the Aggies going early. It especially helped because the Aggie offense hadn't scored in nearly two quarter.

Late in the first quarter Robinson took a punt 87 yards for a touchdown for the Aggies' first score.

Five minutes later, Robinson hauled in a 39-yard pass from Leon Jackson III to increase the Aggie lead to 14-0.

Just before the half, Jackson found Robinson again for a 27-yard score.

"It was good to see him break out," Guy said. "The punt return was huge and I think it set the tempo."

Robinson agreed.

"The punt return was big," he said. "We always knew we were a couple of blocks (away), and when you get all the blocks good things happen."

The 14-point second quarter was the most points the Aggies' have scored in a quarter this year, and it could have been 17 points, but Justin Hamblin, who took over the place-kicking duties from Jarrod Jakubiak, missed a 29-yard field-goal attempt as time expired in the second quarter.