FORT COLLINS —  A would-be Black Friday black eye at Canvas Stadium turned into a stunning comeback. Colorado State ripped off 29 straight points in the fourth quarter to erase a 17-point deficit and claim a thrilling 42-37 victory over Utah State on Friday afternoon. As a result, CSU heads into the final day of college football’s regular season with its hopes for a berth in the Mountain West championship game still alive. The Rams looked dead in the water following an Aggies’ defensive TD in the final moments of the third quarter. But a few key takeaways, coupled with clutch passes by Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and a huge day by wideout Dane Olson, spurred the Rams to victory. Now, regardless of what happens on Saturday, the Rams head into the postseason with the wind at their backs after clinching the program’s first eight-win season since Jim McElwain went 10-3 in 2014. “This is probably the finest moment that we’ve had as a team this year,” CSU head coach Jay Norvell said. “Being down 17 points and coming back, very similar to the Boise State game (last year) but in different circumstances, and we just never stopped and we never gave up. “… We talk a lot about Ram grit, and having mettle in your veins and not giving up, and this team has that. Nobody flinched tonight.” CSU now needs Nevada to upset rival UNLV on Saturday night in Las Vegas for the Rams to get into the Mountain West title game at Boise State. The Wolfpack are 17.5-point underdogs to the Rebels, who are 5-1 in conference play and own the tiebreaker over the Rams. “Saturday, we’re going to come in and gameplan for Boise State, and we’ll shut it down around 6 o’clock and we’re all going to watch and cheer for Nevada,” Norvell said. The Rams (8-4, 6-1) looked awful early in front of a sleepy, sparse crowd. The Rams eventually woke up after digging themselves a 13-0 hole, but Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes’ legs were an X-factor as he ran for 185 yards and a TD on 24 carries. “(Barnes) is crafty, and he was hard to get down,” Norvell said. “We really struggled with the quarterback run, and that was basically their offense.” Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell hugs Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi (16) after winning against Utah State at Canvas Stadium, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Fort Collins. (Rebecca Slezak/Special to The Denver Post) The Rams’ discombobulation through the first quarter-plus was a repeat of last week’s defeat to Fresno State when the Bulldogs took a 21-point lead into halftime en route to CSU’s 28-22 loss. Utah State missed a 44-yard field goal on its opening possession but then ripped off back-to-back TD drives that featured long runs from Barnes. The QB’s 2-yard TD pass to Otto Tia made it 13-0 late in the first quarter. CSU finally got on the board with Jordan Noyes’ 33-yard field goal at 10:28 in the second quarter, and another on-target kick from Noyes from 40 yards made it 16-6. The Rams defense finally woke up on the following drive, forcing a three-and-out by Utah State that took just 39 seconds off the clock. That forced the Aggies’ first punt of the game, giving the Rams the ball back with 1:05 left near midfield. And with 19 seconds left in the first half, Olson finally gave the Rams offense the jolt it needed. “(Olson) just manages to find a way to get open, a lot,” Fowler-Nicolosi said. “Knowing that he would be open was definitely a factor down the stretch of the game.” On third-and-10 from the Utah State 28, Olson caught Fowler-Nicolosi’s dump-off pass in the middle, then zagged across the field to the left sideline where he got a key block from fellow wideout Armani Winfield to race in for a touchdown and cut the lead to 16-13. Olson finished with five catches for 140 yards. “Getting the score before the half was big for getting the momentum and getting our guys back into the fight,” Norvell said. Late in the third, a 15-play, 79-yard scoring drive capped by Barnes’ 14-yard TD pass to Tia extended Utah State’s lead to 23-13 with 1:07 left in the quarter. Then came the swing that appeared to put away the Rams for good. On CSU’s opening play of the next drive, Fowler-Nicolosi targeted Jamari Person on a short out route. As soon as the pass hit Person’s hands, he was blown up by cornerback JD Drew. The ball popped up in the air, and Jaiden Francois reeled it in and ran back 40 yards for a pick-six. That gave Utah State a 30-13 lead heading into the fourth and a 97.1% win probability. But the Rams had magic up their sleeves. “That was an unfortunate series of events,” Fowler-Nicolosi said. “Credit to them, (their cornerbacks) read it nicely and made a good play out of it. But I knew I just needed to bounce back from that play and stay consistent the rest of the game.” Colorado State’s Henry Blackburn (11) bowls into Utah State’s Bryson Barnes (16) at Canvas Stadium, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Fort Collins. Colorado State won the game 42-37. (Rebecca Slezak/Special to The Denver Post) Related Articles College Sports | CSU Rams vs. Utah State football: How to watch, storylines and staff predictions College Sports | CSU Rams suffer first home defeat in overtime loss to UC Riverside College Sports | CSU Rams vs. Fresno State football: How to watch, storylines and staff predictions College Sports | CSU Rams vs. Wyoming football: How to watch, storylines and staff predictions College Sports | Bronze Boot extended: CSU, Wyoming announce renewal of football rivalry from 2028 to 2035 CSU cut into the deficit on their opening drive of the final frame. Vince Brown made a shoestring catch on a 12-yard TD, then Person’s one-handed catch in the back of the end zone on a two-point conversion made it 30-21 with 13:30 left. Utah State drove into Rams territory and appeared primed for a knockout blow, but a fumble forced by Ayden Hector was recovered by Buom Jock. On the ensuing drive, Olson continued his highlight-reel performance by hauling in a 29-yard catch on fourth down to extend CSU’s drive. “We saw it was man coverage pre-snap, and they can’t cover me,” Olson said. “We were able to take advantage of that.” Three plays later, Jordan Ross’ 22-yard TD reception off a well-blocked screen made it 30-28 with 6:03 left. “Our run game wasn’t as good tonight, and our old Air Raid showed up,” Norvell said. On the Aggies’ next drive, Barnes’ telegraphed pass was intercepted by Dominic Morris to set CSU up in the red zone. That led to CSU’s first lead of the game when Fowler-Nicolosi ran it in from 3 yards out with 2:32 left. CSU’s defense forced a three-and-out, then on fourth-and-2 on the ensuing possession, Fowler-Nicolosi threw a quick pass to Brown for a 26-yard touchdown to ice the comeback. “There was a lot of conversation about what we wanted to do on that (fourth down),” Norvell said. “We’ve been in those situations before in the four-minute drill and we gave the ball back to the other team and it hasn’t ended well for us. But Brayden was convicted that play was going to work. He convinced me to run it.” After Utah State scored with 15 seconds left and then recovered an onside kick, Dom Jones picked off a downfield heave by Barnes. That capped the rally and sealed CSU’s eighth win, with a bowl game at the very least awaiting them. Star wideout Tory Horton, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in mid-October, was on the field for CSU’s final kneel-down. Now, as CSU roots for Nevada on Saturday, they’ll look to Norvell (the Wolfpack’s head coach from 2017-21) for guidance on some cheers, and to former Nevada player Horton for some possible swag to wear. “Hopefully Tory’s got some Nevada gear still,” safety Jack Howell said. Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.