Utah State football: Aggies let another one slip away

FRESNO, Calif. — Once again, the Utah State Aggies left the football field thinking they should have won a football game — but they couldn't close the deal.

The Aggies, 31-27 losers to Fresno State, produced plenty of offense and were on the verge of a breakthrough road win, only to go cold and allow the Bulldogs to pick up their fourth win in a row.

USU has not won in California since 1992 and is again asking itself what it must do to win down the stretch.

The Aggies were dominant statistically through the first three quarters and used a second-quarter offensive explosion to seemingly take control of the game.

But an offense that posted 503 yards of total offense went silent for most of the fourth quarter as Fresno State stormed back.

FSU's Ryan Mathews, the nation's leading rusher, scored a pair of touchdowns and had 185 yards on the ground. His 10-yard TD run with 4:53 to play gave the Bulldogs the go-ahead score.

The loss drops Utah State to 2-6 overall and 1-3 in the WAC. FSU is now 5-3 and 4-1.

Powered by running back Robert Turbin, who finished the game with 138 yards and a TD on 19 carries, the Aggies scored first on a field goal by Chris Ulinski. But that was only the beginning of the fireworks.

Fresno State scored quickly to reclaim the lead and pushed its advantage to 17-10 early in the second quarter.

But a pair of turnovers by the Bulldogs allowed Utah State to score the final 17 points of the half to take a 27-17 lead at the break. Despite the big first half, Utah State was unable to sustain the momentum and was shut out in the second half.

And the Aggies missed a pair of field goals — from 31 and 32 yards — that could have given them the win.

Utah State visits Hawaii next week.