Utah State took a hard route to its first victory in the Pac-12 Conference.

The Aggies beat Washington State 17-16 on Friday night in Logan, overcoming a 13-point halftime deficit and three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties to notch the win.

USU improved to 2-4 overall and 1-1 in the new-look Pac-12. WSU fell to 1-5 and 0-2.

Linebacker Asher Cunningham had a starring role in the victory. He notched 17 tackles, including two for loss, and recovered a fumble that he forced.

“We just kept making plays, we just kept fighting every quarter,” Cunningham said.

After trailing 16-3 at halftime, the Aggies narrowed the gap midway through the third quarter when receiver Eli Wood made a one-handed grab on the edge of the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown.

On a third-down play with about 7 minutes left in the game, Cunningham forced and recovered a fumble by WSU tight end Jack Pedersen at the Cougars’ 19-yard line to set up the Aggies’ winning TD.

On first down, USU quarterback Grady Brosterhaus passed to Javon Robinson for a 17-yard gain. Two plays later, Javen Jacobs scored on a 2-yard run.

A two-play sequence with about 4 minutes left in the first half nearly doomed the Aggies.

USU edge rusher Jordan Pendleton sacked WSU quarterback Caden Pinnick on third down, apparently putting the Cougars in a fourth-and-26 situation. But after the play, Utah safety David Kabongo was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for shoving a WSU player in the back.

On the next play, running back Leo Pulalasi broke loose for a 54-yard touchdown, giving the Cougars a 16-3 lead.

But the Aggies would not be denied.

Utah State — which improved to 3-4 all-time against Washington State — has a bye next week before returning to action Oct. 24 (5:30 p.m. MDT, CBSSN) at Texas State.