Fresno State mounted a fourth-quarter comeback behind a late touchdown from Jayden Mandal to Ezekiel Avit, but the Bulldogs fell to Utah State 17-10 on Saturday night at Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium in Logan, Utah.
Fresno State held Utah State to 269 yards of offense and outgained the Aggies 278-269, but was limited to 16 rushing yards and did not reach the end zone until the final two minutes.
After a scoreless opening quarter, Utah State broke through on the third play of the second period. Sesi Vailahi finished an 80-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Aggies a 7-0 lead early in the second.
Utah State doubled its advantage on its next possession. McCae Hillstead capped an eight-play, 46-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run, putting the Aggies ahead 14-0 with 9:47 remaining in the first half.
Fresno State's defense kept the Bulldogs within two scores before halftime, stopping Utah State on fourth down at the Fresno State 37-yard line with 1:04 left in the second quarter.
Fresno State opened the second half with a 66-yard, 14-play drive, which Manaki Watanabe completed with a 32-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 14-3 with 7:14 left in the third quarter.
Utah State later extended its lead to 17-3 with 4:21 left in the fourth quarter following a 10-play, 57-yard drive that ended with a 43-yard field goal from Kian Afrookhteh.
The Bulldogs responded with a 75-yard touchdown march, including seven passes from Jayden Mandal. Mandal completed a 12-yard scoring strike to Ezekiel Avit with 1:30 remaining, and Watanabe's extra point brought Fresno State within seven at 17-10.
Fresno State is scheduled to face Texas State on Saturday, Nov. 14. The kickoff is set for 1 p.m. PT on The CW.
