College Station, Texas » Utah State had the momentum and the resolve needed to pull off a comeback against Texas A&M.

It just didn't have enough time.

Utah State was overwhelmed by Texas A&M in the second and third quarters after a fast start, but made things interesting with two late fourth-quarter touchdowns before falling 38-30 in front of a crowd of 73,599 Saturday at Kyle Field.

Utah State (0-2) gave itself a shot to tie the game after recovering an onside kick at its own 42-yard line with 25 seconds remaining. However, the comeback bid ended abruptly when quarterback Diondre Borel was pressured into a fumble on a third-down attempt, and Texas A&M defensive tackle Lucas Patterson recovered the ball at the Utah State 30 with three seconds remaining.

The finish left Utah State with a moral victory of sorts, though not the result it had hoped for.

"This was a hard-fought football game," coach Gary Andersen said. "It was a game of momentum swings, up-and-down, back and forth. We had an opportunity on the last drive, but couldn't make a play.

"I'm proud of the way my kids played. Our goal was to get the game in the fourth quarter and give ourselves the opportunity to win the game. To get down and keep fighting was a great accomplishment for us because that's your identity as a team."

Texas A&M (2-0) took a 38-17 lead early in the fourth quarter, and it wasn't long before it started working to kill the clock. Utah State, however, was far from done.

Borel (24-for-47 passing, 334 yards, one TD, two rushing TDs) hit Omar Sawyer for a 19-yard touchdown pass with 5:30 remaining. Utah State attempted a two-point conversion and failed, leaving it trailing 38-23.

Texas A&M marched to the Utah State 24 on the next possession, but Utah State's defense held. Texas A&M's Randy Bullock attempted a 41-yard field goal that would have put the game away, but a Utah State player got a hand on the ball and it missed wide left.

Borel took over from there, marching Utah State 76 yards in 12 plays and ending the drive with a 2-yard run that reduced Texas A&M's lead to eight. The magic ran out shortly after that.

"This leaves us dissatisfied," running back Robert Turbin, who finished with 182 all-purpose yards and a rushing touchdown. "We know we have to make plays. Part of the reason we came up short is so many little big plays."

Utah State led 14-7 early in the second quarter.

"It is difficult," USU linebacker Bobby Wagner said. "We have confidence and know that we can compete with anybody, but just to see that we lost by only eight points is tough."