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Logan • Utah State's chance to play in the Mountain West championship game has ended, but the opportunity to reach a school-record fifth straight bowl game remains.

According to Matt Wells, that's a big deal.

"We want to be in a bowl game, there's no question about it," the Aggie coach said Monday. " … I think it continues to reinforce what we're trying to build — a very consistent, winning program that gets to November and plays games that mean something."

Utah State's next chance for its sixth win of the season and bowl eligibility comes Saturday against Nevada at Maverik Stadium.

Coming off last-minute defeats at New Mexico and Air Force, the Aggies hope to avoid their first three-game losing streak since 2010 against the Wolf Pack.

"We can't go back and change the last two weeks," Wells said. "But we can control our attitudes, our effort and our mindset. … As players and coaches, we don't want to cheat this program one bit. We don't want to cheat each other. … We've got to give everything we've got."

Another motivation?

Referring to his seniors, Wells said, "We want to send these guys out right. … They deserve it."

Utah State finds itself needing a victory to clinch at least a .500 season after last Saturday's 35-28 loss at Air Force. The Aggies drove to the 11-yard line in the final minute but could not force overtime.

Two weeks ago, Utah State missed a 41-yard field goal with 59 seconds left in a 14-13 loss at New Mexico.

"When you find a way to win a couple of close games, you're going to have a good season," Wells said. "… [If] we make a couple of plays here and there — maybe four or five [over] the last couple of weeks — we're sitting here with a pretty good season, too. But that's the way it is."

One month ago, Utah State was rolling.

The Aggies had beaten Colorado State (33-18), Fresno State (56-14) and Boise State (52-26) to go to 3-0 in the Mountain West Conference. They seemed headed to the conference title game as the Mountain Division champion, but three losses in their next four games doomed those aspirations.

It appears Utah State's best football ended with the rout of Boise State, although Wells doesn't see the connection.

"There will be a lot of people say that," he said. "But we've had big wins in the middle of the season before and didn't have letdowns. We beat BYU on the road last year in Provo — a top-25 team — and came back and beat Air Force the next week.

"It's a fair question. … [But] I don't think our preparation has been any less and I don't think there's been any less focus. We had two games on the road [and] didn't make enough plays. We've made them the last couple of years. We just didn't make them the last two weeks."

Email: luhm@sltrib.com

Twitter:@sluhm —

USU update

P Utah State plays its final Mountain West Conference game of the season Saturday against Nevada.

• The Aggies can become bowl-eligible for a school-record fifth straight year with a victory.

• Utah State hopes to avoid its first three-game losing streak since 2010 by defeating the Wolf Pack. —

Nevada at Utah St.

P Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

Online • ESPN3