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Logan • Utah State linebacker Kyler Fackrell didn't know how the football got on the ground, dribbling around in the Nevada end zone with 6:55 remaining Saturday at Maverik Stadium.

Fackrell just wanted to beat Wolf Pack quarterback Tyler Stewart to it.

"I was trying to dive inside," he said. "I didn't see what happened, but one of the D-linemen told me it was a low snap. I just saw he fumbled it and it was right there in front of me. So I hit him to get him off the ball and dropped on top of it."

Fackrell's recovery for a touchdown proved to be the critical play in Utah State's 31-27 victory. It gave the Aggies a 28-27 lead and helped them snap a two-game losing streak.

Another key factor in the win?

Utah State's defense turned rock-solid in the second half, when Nevada managed only five first downs and 111 total yards. Sixty of those came on James Butler's touchdown run on the second play of the third quarter.

After the Wolf Pack opened a 27-7 lead, however, they could not move against the Aggies.

"It wasn't anything different," said Fackrell, who has recovered five fumbles this season. "It was just on us as a defense. I mean, I was like everybody else. We were poking out heads into the wrong gap, trying to do everybody else's job in the beginning. So we just shored that up. It was the same defense were playing. We just played it better. We played with more discipline."

Utah State's defense was one reason coach Matt Wells decided to punt one play before Fackrell's fumble recovery. On fourth-and-nine from the Nevada 38-yard line, Aaron Dalton's kick was downed inside the one, setting up the go-ahead touchdown.

"You always have to take into account how you are playing on that side of the ball, if you don't get it on fourth down," Wells said. "Had the defense not been playing very well, I might have said, 'Yeah, go for it on fourth-and-nine.' But the percentage of making it on fourth-and-that long is not very good. The fact we had three time-outs and our defense was playing pretty good, I thought, "Let's back them up.'"

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USU defense

Utah State's defensive leaders Saturday against Nevada:

Player Solo Assisted Tackles Sacks Fumbles

Nick Vigil 3 10 13 0 1

Marwin Evans 4 7 11 0 0

Kyler Fackrell 3 7 10 0 1

LT Filiaga 0 9 9 0 0

Torrey Green 1 7 8 1 0