LOGAN – Utah State was staring the end of its losing streak straight in the face late in the fourth quarter.

The Aggies had a 2-point lead with 2:27 to go, and were in position to complete enough plays that could have allowed them to run out the clock.

But on fourth-and-1, the quarterback sneak for Spencer Petras couldn’t get the first down. New Mexico took over at Utah State’s 34-yard line and scored off the turnover. The Aggies tried to get something going, but Petras made the interception.

And that was all she wrote.

“It’s no one’s fault but ourselves,” said graduate linebacker Jon Ross Maye. “That’s who we need to look at in the mirror.”

The Aggies (1-6, 0-3 Mountain West) dropped their sixth straight game in a 50-45 loss to the New Mexico Lobos (3-4, 2-1 MW) on Saturday afternoon. It is the program’s longest losing streak since 2007.

New Mexico could be heard stomping, screeching and yelling in the visiting locker room; and at one point the team sang “Bronco, Bronco,” referring to first-year coach Bronco Mendenhall.

Utah State led 17-0 in the second quarter and seemed the clear favorite. But from that point on, the game became more of a back-and-forth affair, even though the Aggies did a pretty good job of holding off the Lobos until the fourth quarter.

But the Lobos thrived in the fourth quarter. New Mexico scored 21 points to Utah State’s 7.

In some ways, Utah State’s defense did a little better than it has in recent weeks. It forced three punts and intercepted three passes from New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier.

“Very rarely do you lose a game where you win the turnover battle,” interim coach Nate Dreiling said. “We’ve been able to do that, about where we are now. We’re just not ready. We’re not performing at a high enough level, and things are sputtering and we can’t be ready too late.”

Aside from the game-clinching interception, Petras had another notable outing, throwing for 360 yards and two touchdowns on 32-of-47 passing. He eclipsed 300 passing yards in three straight games, becoming the first Utah State quarterback to do so since Chuckie Keeton in 2012.

Offensively, it was Utah State’s highest performance of the season, with most of its points coming on the ground.

Running back Rahsul Faison had a career-high two touchdowns that afternoon, while Herschel Turner and Petras also had one touchdown each. Faison had 24 carries for 79 yards and was visibly emotional, holding back tears as he spoke about the loss.

“It’s definitely frustrating (and) upsetting after all the work we put into it,” Faison said. “We just have to keep working and stick together as a team. Hopefully it will get better.”

Utah State wide receiver Jalen Royals racked up 188 yards on 11 catches, and a 13-yard touchdown reception early in the third quarter gave the Aggies a 38-23 lead. But Royals was limited in the second half, with Dreiling noting that he suffered several injuries.

New Mexico put together back-to-back rushing touchdowns from Javen Jacobs and Eli Sanders to cut Utah State’s lead to 38-36. Turner managed a 43-yard rushing touchdown, giving Utah State a 45–36 lead with 7:43 left in the game.

Dampier, who was elusive for the Aggies all afternoon, scored on a 5-yard run, cutting New Mexico’s deficit to 45-43 with 3:53 remaining.

Dreiling said Utah State needed to win Saturday to “get where we wanted to go.” With five games left in the season, it seems unlikely the team will win and become bowl eligible.

“I am very disappointed with this fan base,” Dreiling said. ‘They deserve so much better. They don’t get it.’