FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -Tom Brandstater ran for two touchdowns, including the game winner in the fourth quarter, as Fresno State held off New Mexico State 24-17 on Saturday.
Fresno State (6-4, 3-3) became bowl eligible and halted a two-game Western Athletic Conference losing streak by holding New Mexico State (3-7, 1-5) scoreless in the second half and limiting the Aggies to -9 rushing yards.
Brandstater completed 14 of 20 passes for 146 yards and scored both of Fresno State's offensive touchdowns on quarterback sneaks. Tailback Anthony Harding added 101 yards on 23 carries.
Chase Holbrook completed 27 of 38 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown but was sacked five times. Receiver A.J. Harris caught nine passes for 97 yards and a touchdown.
The Aggies have now dropped five straight since a surprising 3-2 start.
Brandstater's second 1-yard touchdown of the game snapped a 17-17 halftime tie and gave the Bulldogs their first lead since early in the second quarter.
New Mexico State drove to the Fresno State 19-yard line on its final possession before Jon Monga sacked Holbrook on fourth-and-6. The Bulldogs took over and successfully ran out the clock, downing a punt inside the Aggies 5 as time expired.
One of the nation's worst defenses against the run, Fresno State limited the Aggies to 183 yards of total offense. The -9 rushing yards for New Mexico State is a Bulldogs school record.
With two road games remaining, Fresno State finished 2-3 this season at Bulldog Stadium. It was the Bulldogs' first losing record at home since 1994.
Fresno State and New Mexico State were tied 17-17 halftime after the Bulldogs blew a scoring chance in the final seconds.
With 6 seconds left, the Aggies stuffed Harding for no gain from just outside the 1 after New Mexico State coach Hal Mumme called consecutive timeouts to scope out Fresno State's play selection.
Big special teams plays on both sides resulted in first-half touchdowns.
After Brandstater's 1-yard sneak tied the game at 10-10 with 12 minutes left in the second quarter, Sharrod Davis put Fresno State ahead by stripping the football away from Marcus Anderson and returning it for a score.
Davis spun around Anderson, took away the football and raced into the end zone for a 17-10 Bulldogs lead. The 25-yard fumble recovery gave Fresno State 14 points in a nine-second span.
New Mexico State came right back to tie the score at 17-17 on Holbrook's 17-yard touchdown pass to Harris with 6:22 left before halftime.
Chris Williams' 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown put New Mexico State ahead 10-3 with 1:05 left in the first quarter. Williams made a nifty move at midfield to elude kicker Ryan Goessling and scored without getting touched.
Goessling and New Mexico State's Kyle Hughes traded field goals to begin the scoring.
