Fresno State’s longshot hopes of reaching the Mountain West title game were steamrolled by Bryson Barnes, the Utah State quarterback who might be the toughest college player in America.

Barnes rushed for 113 yards on 23 carries and passed for 150 as the Aggies overcame a 10-point deficit with an overpowering second-half performance in a 28-17 victory Saturday night at in front of an announced crowd of 37,551 at Valley Children’s Stadium.

“Kudos to Utah State, especially their quarterback — about as tough a player as I’ve seen all year,” Fresno State head coach Matt Entz said in his postgame interview.

The Aggies (6-5, 4-3 Mountain West) won on the road for the first time since last season and sent the Red Wave home early when Javen Jacobs ran 32 yards for a touchdown with 6 minutes, 5 seconds left.

A smattering of boos echoed through the stadium late in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs (7-4, 4-3) were dominated after playing a nearly flawless first half.

Not only did the Bulldogs fail to corral Barnes — who gained much of his yardage between the tackles — they converted just 3 of 14 third-down opportunities.

The Aggies also converted three trick plays, two of which produced touchdowns, and the Bulldogs were plagued by inopportune penalties.

Conversely, Utah State capitalized on 8 of its 16 third-down plays.

Entz called it a “frustrating night.”

“Too many errors … we got in our own way too much,” Entz said.

A Fourth Quarter Comeback

Utah State scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to take the lead for good. Fresno State had its chances, forcing two turnovers in the second half. But the Bulldogs answered with a turnover of their own and two failed fourth-down conversions.

Two of the three second-half touchdown drives went for 13 and 15 plays, tiring out the Fresno State defense, Entz said.

E.J. Warner got the surprise start at quarterback but could not pull off the comeback. Many of the play calls during the desperate attempt to get back in the game were throws short of the first-down marker.

Another pass on a third-and-2 at the Fresno State 30 was tipped away by Utah State’s Ike Larsen, forcing a punt.

Rayshon Luke carried the ball only four times for 81 yards, and the team attempted just 27 rushing plays for 180 yards.

“I’m not going to sit here and second-guess what we were doing. We ran for 180 yards. We had a solid game plan. We just didn’t execute very well in the second half,” Entz said.

Reporters asked Entz at least three times about Warner returning to the starting lineup. He did not give a direct answer.

The defense held Barnes in check early. He had no gain or lost yards in four of his first six rushing attempts. But, he broke through in the second quarter and kept on running.

Bulldogs Forge 17-7 Halftime Lead

When Luke can break through the line, watch out!

“Speedy” lived up to his nickname on the first play of Fresno State’s second drive, racing 69 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

Utah State tied it later in the first quarter. First, it stuffed the Bulldogs on a fourth-and-1 at the Fresno State 40. Three plays later, the Aggies scored on a trick double pass, with wide receiver Anthony Garcia throwing a 24-yard pass to Brady Boyd.

Warner looked like a new man — until the problems that caused him to get benched two weeks ago reemerged. He went 12-for-15 for 129 yards in the first half, including a 43-yard touchdown pass to Jahil McClain with 39 seconds left that gave the Bulldogs a 17-7 halftime lead.

On the play, Warner rolled right to avoid the rush and hit the wide-open McClain at about the 5-yard line. The sophomore wideout evaded a couple of Aggies and flipped into the end zone for the score.

The offense struggled both running and passing. The Bulldogs failed to score, punting three times, throwing one interception, and turning the ball over on downs twice.

Mathematically, Fresno State still has a chance — a Lloyd Christmas “chance” — at the Mountain West title game — but not realistically. It would need a win and a five-way tie with Boise State, New Mexico, Utah State and UNLV — meaning four of those teams must lose in the final regular-season week — and somehow hope a four-computer poll average favors the Bulldogs. Based on the rankings entering the game, jumping to the front is nearly impossible.

Bulldog Bites

Fresno State concludes the regular season next Saturday, Nov. 29, at San Jose State. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.

Utah State joins Fresno State next season in the rejuvenated Pacific-12 Conference.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner and wife Brenda Warner were in attendance to watch their son, quarterback E.J. Warner.

Former Bulldog wide receiver Henry Ellard advanced to the semifinals of the Pro Football Hall of Fame seniors category. In his pro career, mostly with the Los Angeles Rams, Ellard caught 814 passes for 13,777 yards and 65 touchdowns. Enshrinees will be announced during Super Bowl week in San Francisco.