Ags finally taste victory

LOGAN — Following a penalty that negated a game-winning touchdown, Utah State freshman quarterback Riley Nelson — making his first career start — stepped out of a huddle where it was decided, "it's going to be sweeter to win the game twice."

Two plays later, Nelson hit Kevin Robinson for a 30-yard touchdown pass with 55 seconds left to lead the Aggies to the 13-12 victory over Fresno State, for their first victory of the year.

"He showed why he was responsible for 84 touchdowns and set the national (high school) record," Utah State coach Brent Guy said.

"That's why he's a Parade All-America ... He showed what it takes to manage a football game and he made plays running when he needed to and threw the ball well enough when we needed it at the end of the football game to win it."

After Fresno State took the 12-7 lead with a field goal with 3:07 left in the game, Nelson, who prior to the drive was just 3-for-13, went 6-for-6 in the 80-yard scoring drive as the Aggies snapped a five-game home losing streak.

"Winning a game and winning one in the fourth quarter against a great opponent like that is what we needed," Guy said.

Robinson, who was called for the pass interference earlier in the drive, hauled in Nelson's pass five yards shy of the goal line but made an acrobatic move to score the game-winning touchdown.

"Personally, I didn't think we was going to be able to get in by the way I threw it. I put him in the corner and he's so athletic he was able to contort his body and get into the endzone."

Robinson finished with three catches for 45 yards.

"I'm really proud about the way the team fought back, especially the offensive group," Guy said. "We got the offensive pass interference and back it up, and we still got the ball in and took the lead."

With the win the Aggies (1-5) improve to 1-1 in Western Athletic Conference play, while Fresno State (1-4) falls to 1-1 after dropping their fourth straight and eighth of its last nine dating back to last season.

"This is painful," Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. "I've been doing this 33 years. This is hard. You put a lot of time and work into a program and then to see us being 1-4, that's very, very hard to stomach."

The Bulldogs are now 2-8 all-time in Romney Stadium, and have lost their last two in Logan by one point each. The last came in 1991 on a last-second Aggie field goal.