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FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Senior wide receiver Aaren Vaughns caught the go-ahead touchdown with 43 seconds to go and No. 14 Utah State survived a wild finish to beat Colorado State 29-24 on a snowy and cold Saturday afternoon at Canvas Stadium.
 
After Vaughns hauled in sophomore quarterback Jordan Love's 33-yard touchdown pass, the Rams took over on their own 25. Quarterback Collin Hill, aided by a personal foul call on the Aggies, moved CSU down to the USU 30 with 15 seconds to go.
 
Following a sack of Hill by Utah State senior defensive end Adewale Adeoye, the Rams had one more play left in them to try pull off the miracle – and they did.
 
Almost. On third-and-five from the Aggies' 34, Hill threw a Hail Mary to the right corner of the end zone, where CSU wide receiver Preston Williams answered the prayer. As Utah State players and coaches looked on in stunned disbelief, the Rams celebrated their 29-24 upset victory.
 
CSU's celebration was short-lived, though. The touchdown was negated by penalty, allowing the Aggies to win their school-record 10th consecutive game. Utah State's 10-1 start to the season is the best in school history and its unblemished 7-0 record in the Mountain West is the best start the Aggies have ever had in league play.
 
"Survive and advance, just like in the NCAA Tournament," said sixth-year Utah State head coach Matt Wells. "I'm going to celebrate after a win like this. I'm going to let the players celebrate all the way until Monday. We have a special season going."
 
Williams was flagged for illegal touching after it was determined he had stepped out of bounds and was the first to touch the ball when he came back in bounds.
 
"I have never been a part of something like that," said senior linebacker Jontrell Rocquemore. "I've never seen something like that. I went from my all-time low, to, 'Oh, my gosh. I just won!' Sometimes, winning is ugly."
 
Rocquemore was one of two Aggies to return an interception for a touchdown on Saturday. His 32-yard pick six gave the visitors a 20-10 lead with 2:37 left in the third quarter. Senior safety Aaron Wade returned an interception 95 yards for a score early in the second quarter.
 
Vaughns' touchdown reception was the lone offensive score of the day for Utah State, which finished with just 310 total yards and possessed the ball just 17:55 of the game.
 
Love was 15-of-24 for 169 yards on the day, while junior running back Gerold Bright led the ground attack for Utah State with 89 yards on 13 carries. Senior wide receiver Ron'quavion Tarver caught six passes for 69 yards.
 
Hill was 24-of-37 for 296 yards and two touchdowns – both to Williams. The Rams' Olabisi Johnson led all receivers in the game with seven catches for 107 yards. The 506 total yards gained by Colorado State (3-8, 2-5 MW) are the most allowed by Utah State this season.
 
USU sophomore linebacker David Woodward racked up a game- and career-high 20 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry. It was the most tackles by an Aggie since Nick Vigil had 20 against Air Force during the 2015 campaign.
 
Utah State scored the first 10 points of the game as junior placekicker Dominik Eberle kicked a 23-yard field goal, followed by Wade's pick-six. Eberle accounted for 12 total points on the day as he also kicked field goals of 26 and 37 yards, respectively, and made all three of his extra points.
 
The 95-yard pick-six by Wade is tied for the fifth-longest in school history. The Aggies now have 10 non-offensive touchdowns this year, which leads the nation.
 
After Wade's TD, Colorado State answered right back on its ensuing drive. Izzy Matthews capped a five-play, 80-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown run to pull the Rams within 10-7 with 9:51 left in the second quarter.
 
Those were the final points put up on the board by either team in the first half. Utah State held the ball for just 8:49 during the first 30 minutes of play and was outgained by CSU 276-124.
 
After the Rams forced the Aggies to punt on the opening possession of the second half, they marched 61 yards in 13 plays to tie the game at 10-all courtesy of a 22-yard field goal by Wyatt Bryan.
 
USU regained the lead on Eberle's 26-yard field goal with 4:03 left in the third, and the Aggies made it 20-10 less than two minutes later thanks to Rocquemore's TD.
 
A successful fake punt set up Williams' first touchdown catch of the day early in the fourth, a 9-yarder from Hill that pared the deficit to 20-17. Eberle then connected from 37 yards out to make it 23-17 with seven minutes left.
 
With less than three minutes to go and Utah State looking to get the ball back, the Aggies fumbled the punt and CSU recovered on the visitor's 20. Three plays later, the Rams had their first lead of the game following a 17-yard touchdown pass from Hill to Williams, making it 24-23.
It marked the first time Utah State had trailed in the second half since the first game of the season at then-No. 11 Michigan State.
 
UP NEXT
 
Utah State will wrap up the regular season with a road game at Boise State on Saturday, Nov. 24, at Albertsons Stadium. The game, which is set for an 8:15 p.m. kickoff, will be televised live on ESPN, and determine the Mountain Division champion in the Mountain West.
 
BOWL ELIGIBLE
 
Utah State is bowl eligible for the seventh time in the last eight years. Sign up to receive bowl game and ticket updates at utahstateaggies.com/bowlgameinfo18.
 
Fans can follow the Aggie football program at twitter.com/USUFootball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.