Final
Fresno State 37, Utah State 32
The Utah State Aggies fell to the Fresno State Bulldogs Friday night in Logan, 37-32, falling to 3-4 on the year and 1-2 in Mountain West Conference play.
The Aggies and Bulldogs were neck-and-neck most of the game, and USU had an opportunity to drive for a game-winning touchdown but quarterback Cooper Legas was intercepted.
4th Quarter
Fresno State 37, Utah State 32
1:00 — Utah State quarterback Cooper Legas is intercepted by Fresno State nickelback Morice Norris Jr., ending the Aggies’ potentially game-winning drive in Fresno State territory.
2:19 — And Fresno State retakes the lead with a 11-yard touchdown run by Malik Sherrod, his third rushing touchdown of the game. The Bulldogs went for the two-point conversion but came up short with a Logan Fife incompletion.
4:42 — The Aggies retake the lead on the back of great individual effort from running back Rahsul Faison. Faison made multiple Fresno State defenders miss tackle en route to a 24-yard touchdown. It is the second career touchdown for the Snow College transfer.
9:50 — The Bulldogs stretch their lead to six points with a 26-yard field goal from Dylan Lynch. The Utah State offense held firm though, as Fresno State had the ball, 1-and-5 from the five yard line, after a roughing the passer penalty on linebacker Anthony Switzer. The Aggies have been heavily penalized in this game, with seven for 68 yards.
14:29 — Utah State wastes little time scoring to start the fourth quarter, with quarterback Cooper Legas finding wide receiver Terrell Vaughn for a 43-yard touchdown. The Aggies have moved the ball well tonight, out-gaining Fresno State 443 to 318, but ill-timed penalties have hurt the Aggies. Not on that drive, though. The Aggies converted the two-point try on the gifts of Jalen Royals, who ran it in after faking a thrown pass.
3rd Quarter
Fresno State 28, Utah State 17
2:54 — The Bulldogs stop a promising USU drive short intercepting a bobbled Cooper Legas pass deep in their own territory. Aggie wide receiver Terrell Vaughn bobbled the catch, which was picked out of the air by FSU defensive lineman Devo Bridges.
4:51 — Fresno State stretches its lead to 11 with a 19-yard touchdown reception by Tre Watson. The Bulldogs went 66 yards on 6 plays, benefiting from a Utah State defensive holding penalty, as well as a missed interception by Aggie linebacker MJ Tafisi.
9:52 — Fresno State wastes little time retaking the lead, courtesy of a 46-yard run by Malik Sherrod. The Bulldogs drove 57 yards in four plays, riding a running game that had been fairly mediocre this season. Sherrod broke multiple tackles on his scoring run, his second of the game.
11:37 — Utah State scores again, via a 37-yard field goal by place kicker Elliott Nimrod. The Aggies drove 55 yards in eight plays, before being stopped just short of the red zone. USU has now taken the lead for the first time tonight, after trailing 7-0 early in the first quarter.
2nd Quarter
Fresno State 14, Utah State 14
1:00 — The Aggies tie things up again with 52-yard touchdown reception by Jalen Royals, his second touchdown of the game. USU appeared to be in pretty bad shape on the drive after a ill-timed hitting-of-a-defenseless-player penalty, but Cooper Legas found Royals who erased it all. Royals has taken a star turn for Utah State with seven touchdown in the last three games, at least two each night.
2:45 — The Bulldogs retake the lead on seven yard touchdown catch by Tre Watson. FSU once again took their time on a scoring drive, running 11 plays to gain 45 yards in nearly 4 minutes. Fresno State has been elite on third down thus far, converting 7 of 10 chances.
12:05 — The Aggies, for a moment, appeared to take a 14-7 lead on a 40-plus yard touchdown run by Rahsul Faison, but a hands-to-the-face penalty and an unsportsmanlike penalty pushed USU back deep into FSU territory, eventually forcing Utah State to punt.
1st Quarter
Fresno State 7, Utah State 7
3:42 — The Aggies are the board, thanks to an impressive contested grab by wide receiver Jalen Royals. The 29-yard touchdown reception was just more of the same Royals, who has really taken off the last few weeks for USU. The Aggies drove 75 yards in 10 plays, much of its on the ground thanks to running back Robert Briggs.
6:19 — Fresno State strikes first with a 5-yard touchdown run by running back Malik Sherrod. The Bulldogs took their time on the drive, going 98 yards in 14 plays, running 5-plus minutes of the game clock. FSU ran the ball nine times on the drive, showing a commitment to the ground game early.
Pregame Prep
Here are a few stories to get ready for Utah State’s game against Fresno State: