LOGAN, Utah (AP)—Freshman quarterback Riley Nelson threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Robinson with 55 seconds remaining Saturday to lead Utah State to its first victory, 13-12, over Fresno State in the Western Athletic Conference.
Nelson, who graduated from Logan High School, made his first start for the Aggies (1-5 1-1).
The winning touchdown came after Clint Stitser’s 29-yard field goal gave Fresno State (1-4, 1-1) a 12-7 lead with 3:56 to play.
Nelson marched the Aggies to Fresno State’s 18 with 1:28 left. He hit Robinson in the end zone for what appeared to be the go-ahead score, but the touchdown was scratched when the receiver was called for pass interference.
But Nelson got another chance, hitting Robinson on a third-and-22 play to win the game.
In the first quarter, he threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Cross on a screen play, giving the Aggies a 7-0 lead.
Fresno State tied the score in the third quarter on a 60-yard pass from Tom Brandstater to Chastin West. The Bulldogs also got a safety when Utah State’s Ryan Wilson snapped the ball over the head of punter Leon Jackson III, who kicked the ball out of the end zone.
Stitser missed two field goals for Fresno State, from 42 yards and 27 yards.
Head to Head - Week 6
| Team | Total Yds | Pass Yds | Rush Yds | First Downs | 3rdD% | Pen./Yds | Turnovers | Time of Poss. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno State | 319 | 155 | 164 | 15 | 25.0% | 6/49 | 0 | 32:41 |
| Utah State | 267 | 120 | 147 | 11 | 35.7% | 6/75 | 0 | 27:19 |