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Logan • Nothing will change, but the Mountain West Conference apparently agrees with most of Aggie Nation about a late penalty that prevented a game-winning touchdown in Utah State's 24-21 loss to New Mexico last Saturday night.
With 16 seconds remaining, quarterback Kent Myers lofted a pass into the end zone. Ron'Quavion Tarver came down with the ball. The play was nullified, however, when Tarver was called for offensive pass interference.
Asked at his weekly news conference if he had heard anything from the league about the play, coach Matt Wells said, "I had a couple of discussions with them [Sunday] and let's leave it at this: you saw what I saw. And they know that."
After the penalty — on first-and-25 from the New Mexico 34 — Myers scrambled for 9 yards.
Out of timeouts, Myers could have spiked the ball on second down, killed the clock and set up a 42-yard field goal to force overtime. Instead, Utah State's field-goal team rushed into the field, the offense rushed off and, in the chaos, time expired before the ball could be snapped.
"It's a tough loss for our kids, our program," Wells said. "The way that game ended was tough, emotionally. To see our kids fight and be resilient … and not be able to come out with a win is tough."
The loss was Utah State's sixth in the last seven games.
The Aggies are 3-7 overall and 1-6 in the Mountain West heading into Saturday's game at Nevada. They have lost three conference games by less than a touchdown. They have lost four by 28 points.
While disappointed, Wells believes the Aggies will bounce back against Nevada and, in their final game on Nov. 26, BYU.
"As the days and weeks go by, this is a team I have grown to respect more and more," he said. "To see the way they persevere, to see their resiliency — from the texts I get at 1:30 in the morning to the kids I saw in the office [Sunday] — they just keep coming back. They believe in the process and the program and I am probably more convinced than I've ever been that we're doing things right."
Like Utah State, Nevada has struggled this season.
The Wolf Pack are 3-7 overall and 1-5 in league play. They come off a 46-16 loss to San Diego State — their fourth straight defeat.
"Nevada is a team, I think, that is similar to us," Wells said. "They are very talented and they've had some close losses. They are searching for a win — fighting and scratching at the end of the year — and I know we will get a very good game from them. … [But] we have to go on the road and find a way to win."
Twitter: @sluhm —
Utah State at Nevada
P Saturday, 2 p.m.
TV/Live stream • ESPN3
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Aggie update
• Struggling Utah State tries to snap a three-game losing streak Saturday at Nevada. Kickoff is 2 p.m. MST.
• The Aggies, 3-7 overall and 1-6 in the Mountain West Conference, come off a last-second 24-21 loss to New Mexico.
• Utah State had a potential game-winning touchdown nullified by a penalty with 16 seconds remaining against the Lobos.