Utah State football beats Wyoming on Tanner Cragun kick – Deseret News

The Utah State football team has been searching for a victory and finally got it Saturday night in one of the toughest venues in the Mountain West Conference.

As time expired, Tanner Cragun kicked a 40-yard field goal to lead the Aggies to a 27-25 victory over the Wyoming Cowboys in front of a nearly full crowd at War Memorial Stadium Laramie.

Cragun said he did not observe the ball in flight. He knew the distance was enough after successfully hitting four field goals from 50 or more yards in practice before the game due to the thin air at Laramie's 7,000-foot elevation.

The win ended a six-game losing streak and lifted USU out of the league cellar. While the Aggies are still a long way from reaching a bowl game, they have improved their record to 2-6 overall and 1-3 in the league in a year full of drama, including this week's news that star receiver Jalen Royals is out for the season with a foot injury.

Wyoming has its own problems, falling to 1-7 and 1-3.

“The altitude here makes such a big difference,” first-year USU coach Nate Dreiling said. “Months ago we would have messed this up, but our players found a way to keep competing. Despite these adversities, we finally beat them again and got the victory.”

Cragun, a Texas native who signed with the University of Utah and later transferred to Logan, said the walk-off field goal was the first of his career.

“I had people in the stands trying to talk to me, but I had faith in my team and trusted the snap,” he said. “On the sidelines you always think you’re going to get a chance. I was just trying to control my breathing and prepare for 'walking time.'

“We expected a win and it definitely feels good,” said quarterback Spencer Petras, who rushed for 194 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. “Just a great feeling.”

The Aggies led for much of the game. They scored 10 points in a minute late in the second quarter, thanks largely to an interception by Jordan Vincent and a 36-yard one-two pass from Grant Page to Rahsul Faison, giving them a 17-10 halftime lead.

However, Wyoming stymied USU's offense for much of the second half and took a 25-24 lead with 1:57 left thanks to a short 31-yard field goal by John Hoyland.

USU took over and managed 54 yards in 12 plays. The big play came when the Aggies faced a 4th-and-3 at their own 32-yard line. Dreiling used another Utah transfer, Bryson Barnes, at quarterback and kept USU's hopes alive with a 6-yard run.

The Aggies moved the ball with a combination of runs and passes. Petras returned and completed a few key passes to Kyrese White and Otto Tia to eventually get the ball to the Wyoming 26-yard line, and Cragun became the hero with his powerful kick.