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Logan • Utah State coach Matt Wells has been waiting all season for his special teams to win a football game.

It finally happened.

The Aggies snapped a three-game losing streak late Saturday night with a 38-20 victory over Fresno State at Maverik Stadium.

The key play?

A blocked punt.

Utah State was locked in a 7-7 tie with Fresno midway through the second quarter. The crowd of 15,067 was uneasy, knowing the Aggies had come up just short in consecutive losses to Air Force (27-20), Boise State (21-10) and Colorado State (31-24).

Hello, Jentz Painter.

A senior cornerback from Riverton, Painter followed his quarterback sack on third down with a blocked punt that teammate Austin Cheney recovered in the end zone for a touchdown.

Utah State took a 14-7 lead on the play and Fresno State never caught up.

"Jentz Painter is one of the all-time greatest special teams player at Utah State," coach Matt Wells said. "This is my 11th year as a coach and a player and that kid throws his heart and soul into everything. To see him block that punt and see Austin recover it — those guys are warriors. It was awesome to see."

According to Painter, the Aggies watched video of the Fresno punt team during the week and thought they had a chance to block a kick during the game. After the Bulldogs' first punt, he told the coaching staff on the sideline it was going to happen.

"When we get things going, the team gets going," said Painter. "Making a play on special teams is always huge, especially in a game where you're going back-and-forth. When you can make a play on special teams, it really rejuvenates the team and the crowd."

Asked about Wells' praise, Painter said, "That's a pretty big compliment. But I don't look at it like that. I look at it as going down there and being able to be with my boys out there and playing as a unified team.

"That's why I love football. You get to be with people that you can have close relationships with. ... I just try and go out there and have fun. [But] getting a compliment like that is huge. The Aggies mean a lot to me and I try to help out where I can."

Said quarterback Kent Myers: "That was big for us. This week we talked about feeding off each other's juice. He got the block, then the touchdown and then we came right back out and scored on the next drive as well."

Utah State's special teams played well in other areas, too.

Brock Warren kicked a career-long 43-yard field goal to give the Aggies a 17-7 lead late in the first half. He is now 8-for-10 this season.

"I was so proud of Brock," Wells said. "Into the wind and he just drilled that thing."

Punter Aaron Dalton, behind flawless protection, also dropped two of his four kicks inside the Fresno State 20-yard line.

"I thought our punt protection was good," Wells said. "… Nobody cares too much about that but we knew they would be coming after a block and it was good all night."

On offense, Myers had his best game of the season. He completed 17 of 29 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns. Seven different receivers caught passes, led by tight end Wyatt Houston with five receptions.

"We're just taking what the defense gives us," Myers said. "We had a good game plan and we came in and executed. It doesn't matter who we play, it's about us executing. We did that in the second half, especially. … It feels good, like we got our mojo back."

Twitter: @sluhm —

Storylines

• Jentz Painter's blocked punt helps spark Utah State to a 38-20 victory over Fresno State.

• The Aggies improve their record to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the Mountain West Conference.

• Utah State seeks its second straight win Friday night, when it plays host to San Diego State.