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Logan • Next up: Boise State.
Utah State made sure its upcoming showdown with Boise State will have championship implications late Saturday night, when the Aggies remained unbeaten in Mountain West Conference play with a 56-14 win at Fresno State.
Two years ago, Utah State and Fresno played in the Mountain West championship game.
Things are a little different these days.
While the Aggies continue to look like one of the top teams in the league, the Bulldogs have fallen on hard times.
Exhibit A?
Junior running back Devante Mays rushed for a career-high 92 yards and three touchdowns, leading Utah State to a 56-14 rout of Fresno State at Bulldog Stadium.
The Aggies improved to 3-2 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain West Conference, while Fresno slipped to 1-5 and 0-2 after its fifth straight defeat.
The victory set up a showdown with Boise State on Friday night at Maverick Stadium. The Broncos, coming off a 41-10 win at Colorado State, are 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain Division of the MWC.
The Broncos have won four straight games. During the streak, they have outscored Idaho State (52-0), Virginia (56-14), Hawaii (55-0) and Colorado State (41-10) by a combined margin of 204-24.
Boise coach Bryan Harsin, however, believes Utah State poses a severe test for the 21st-ranked Broncos.
"We know what we're getting into," he said Sunday. "We're excited to play them but we have to play them down there. It will be a tough environment."
Asked what he sees when watching video the Aggies, Harsin said, "Offensively, they are very creative. They take what the defense gives them. They continue to fight an injury situation at quarterback, but they don't let that affect them."
Defensively, Harsin mentioned Utah State senior linebacker Kyler Fackrell.
"They fly around and they are physically tough," he said. "... In Fackrell, they might have one of the best players on the edge that I've seen in college football."
The Aggie defense certainly made life miserable for Kilton Anderson — Fresno State's redshirt freshman quarterback — who started his first game in the lopsided loss to Utah State. He finish 10-for-23 passing for 112 yards, but he also threw three interceptions, meaning the Aggies forced nine turnovers in the last three games.
Asked why be started Anderson against one of the top defenses in the Mountain West, Fresno coach Tim DeRuyter said, "We felt like we needed a quick start and thought Kilton's energy would give us a chance."
Utah State's offense piled up a season-high 482 total yards against the Bulldogs, who have allowed an average of 48.4 points per game during their five-game losing streak. The Aggies won in Fresno for the first time since 1980 and finished with their highest point-total in a road game since 1997.
Sophomore quarterback Kent Myers, in his second straight of the season after replacing injured Chuckie Keeton, completed 18 of 25 passes for a career-high 260 yards and one touchdown. He helped Utah State snap a seven-game losing streak against Fresno, which won the 2013 Mountain West title game over the Aggies, 24-17.
Twitter: @sluhm —
Storylines
• Devonte Mays rushes for a career-high 92 yards and three touchdowns as Utah State defeats Fresno State, 56-14.
• Kent Myers throws for 260 yards and one touchdown. His record as USU's starting quarterback improves to 7-1.
• Utah State is 3-2 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain West Conference going into Friday's showdown with Boise State.