Utah State’s Dominik Eberle watches his game-winning field goal against Fresno State during an NCAA college football game in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. Gary Kazanjian, AP
Trent Wood
By Trent Wood
Trent Wood is a sports writer for the Deseret News.

SALT LAKE CITY — With their season on the line, their hopes and dreams for 2019 hanging by a thread, the Utah State Aggies had everything to play for Saturday night.

A loss to the Fresno State Bulldogs would’ve all but quashed the Aggies’ hopes for a Mountain Division title, let alone a Mountain West Conference championship.

“All three phases found a way to contribute. I am proud of this team and their resolve and toughness with what they’ve gone through the last couple weeks.” — Utah State coach Gary Andersen

Bowl eligibility would’ve been in doubt, too.

There was simply no way Utah State could afford to leave Fresno, California without a victory.

After a thrilling back-and-forth offensive affair that included 944 yards of total offense, 129 total plays and 11 trips into the red zone, they didn’t.

Senior placekicker Dominik Eberle kicked a game-winning 30-yard field goal as time expired to give Utah State a 37-35 victory over Fresno State.

“We knew we had to leave with a win,” Eberle told 1280 The Zone postgame. “There was no other way we were going to leave.”

Eberle’s kick was merely the finishing touch on what was Utah State’s most complete offensive performance since an Oct. 19 victory over Nevada.

USU’s offense recorded 525 total yards, including 388 passing yards and 152 rushing yards. Quarterback Jordan Love played his best game of the season, completing 30 of 39 passes for 388 yards and two touchdowns.

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Utah State running back Gerold Bright celebrates a touchdown with his teammates during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Fresno State in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) | Gary Kazanjian, AP
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Fresno State running back Ronnie Rivers heads in for a touchdown past Utah State safety Shaq Bond during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) | Gary Kazanjian, AP
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Utah State running back Gerold Bright pushes Fresno State linebacker Arron Mosby out of the way for touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) | Gary Kazanjian, AP
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Utah State quaterback Jordan Love tries to avoid Fresno State linebacker Arron Mosby during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) | Gary Kazanjian, AP
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Utah State tight end Caleb Repp catches a pass as Fresno State safety Chris Coleman defends during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) | Gary Kazanjian, AP
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Utah State wide receiver Jordan Nathan catches a pass over his shoulder to set up a touchdown as Fresno State defensive backs Chris Gaston, left, and Jaron Bryant defend during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) | Gary Kazanjian, AP
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Utah State wide receiver Savon Scarver is stoppped by Fresno State defensive back Jaron Bryant tries to stop him during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) | Gary Kazanjian, AP
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Utah State quaterback Jordan Love throws a pass as Fresno State defensive back Kwami Jones pursues during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) | Gary Kazanjian, AP
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Fresno State wide receiver Jalen Cropper heads on end around against Utah State during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) | Gary Kazanjian, AP
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Fresno State tight end Cam Sutton stiff-arms Utah State safety Shaq Bond for a long gain during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) | Gary Kazanjian, AP
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Utah State's Dominik Eberle watches his game-winning field goal against Fresno State during an NCAA college football game in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) | Gary Kazanjian, AP
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Utah State's Dominik Eberle yells after hitting the game-winning field goal against Fresno State at the end of an NCAA college football game in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) | Gary Kazanjian, AP
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Utah State kicker Dominik Eberle left, celebrates his field goal with quarterback Jordan Love against Fresno State during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) | Gary Kazanjian, AP
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Utah State's Dominik Eberle hits the game-winning field goal against Fresno State during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) | Gary Kazanjian, AP
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Utah State running back Gerold Bright hits a hole on the way to a long gain that helped set up the game-winning field goal against Fresno State during an NCAA college football game in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) | Gary Kazanjian, AP
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Utah State running back Gerold Bright runs over Fresno State defensive end Kwami Jones for a first down during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) | Gary Kazanjian, AP
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Utah State quaterback Jordan Love steps up in the pocket for a pass in front of Fresno State defensive lineman Ricky McCoy during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) | Gary Kazanjian, AP
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Fresno State quaterback Jorge Reyna gets away from a Utah State defender during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) | Gary Kazanjian, AP
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Fresno State wide receiver Jalen Cropper reaches for the end zone, but is ruled down during the second half of the team's NCAA college football game against Utah State in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) | Gary Kazanjian, AP
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Utah State defensive lineman Kevin Meitzenheimer tries to grab Fresno State running back Ronnie Rivers during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Fresno, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian) | Gary Kazanjian, AP

Siaosi Mariner hauled in 11 of those completions for a game-high 103 yards and two touchdowns.

Tight end Caleb Repp (five catches for 75 yards) and wide receivers Deven Thompkins (four catches for 79 yards) and Jordan Nathan (four catches for 68 yards) were hardly less impactful in the passing game, while running backs Gerold Bright and Jaylen Warren combined for 109 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

“The offense was fantastic tonight,” Utah State coach Gary Andersen said. “Jordan was fantastic. He kept his composure and his receivers picked him up when they had opportunities to make big plays. Unbelievable team effort. It was great to see that.”

“We came out and did what we had to do,” added Love. “Everybody on offense.”

The same could not be said for the USU defense, which acted as a sieve for much of the contest.

Fresno State racked up both yards (419) and points (35), led by running back Ronnie Rivers, who finished with 102 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

When needed most in the fourth quarter, though, Utah State’s defense managed to force consecutive three-and-outs, the latter of which set the stage for Eberle’s game-winner.

“We didn’t play great on defense, but we played good enough to win,” Andersen said. “The defense stepped up when they had to. They’ve had adversity for a couple of weeks and they got punched in the mouth, but kept on fighting.”

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It was the first game-winning field goal of Eberle’s storied career, and the first game-winner by a Utah State kicker since Brad Bohn hit a 30-yarder himself to lift Utah State to a 28-27 win over North Texas in 1998. 

“Back then I didn’t even know football existed,” Eberle said.

Utah State is glad he does now.

“All three phases found a way to contribute,” said Andersen. “I am proud of this team and their resolve and toughness with what they’ve gone through the last couple weeks. To come out here and fight together like that, it is so rewarding to see them have success. I love ‘em. It is fun to see them play like that and get the win.”

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