Ryan Mathews couldn't breathe.
Sprinting toward the goal line, Fresno State's running back looked back to his right and got popped in the ribs from his left.
He rose from the grass inside Bulldog Stadium after his 25-yard gain Saturday, but the player for whom Fresno State's band plays the "Superman" theme said he couldn't catch his breath.
He raised his hand and went to the sideline, where he doubled over, and then took a knee.
The nation's leading rusher was still on a knee when backup Lonyae Miller scored a touchdown to pull the Bulldogs within three of Utah State.
Fresno State's Ryan Mathews is congratulated by a teammate after scoring a fourth-quarter touchdown. He finished with 185 yards rushing.
Mathews then lay down on the training table where his ribs were exposed to the cool October air and examined by team doctors. They gave him the OK. They appeared to give him some pills. And Superman was back.
"It was pretty painful," Mathews said, calling it one of the hardest hits he's taken, "But I wasn't going to let that keep me out. I just wanted to make sure everything was intact.
"I just had to suck it up and that's what I did."
Mathews finished with 185 yards rushing, including 63 yards and the winning touchdown on the three-play drive in the fourth quarter that gave the Bulldogs a 31-27 come-from-behind win over Utah State in front of 27,721.
The win was Fresno State's fourth in a row, and the first that wasn't a blowout.
That's because the Bulldogs (5-3, 4-1 Western Athletic Conference) struggled to contain Utah State quarterback Diondre Borel and also committed two turnovers that led to 10 points and a 27-17 halftime lead for the Aggies.
"I didn't know if we could stop those guys the way it was going at halftime," Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. "We really challenged our players at halftime. ...
"This team has worked too hard to let a game get away at this stage in the season with all that we've gone through," Hill continued. "They rose to the challenge, and on offense we made the plays when we had to."
Utah State (2-6, 1-3) squelched Fresno State's running game in the first half, but the ground game opened in the second half because of the work junior quarterback Ryan Colburn did in the first two quarters.
After suffering through a brutal first half against New Mexico State last week, Colburn went 14 of 21 with a touchdown pass and an interception in the first half Saturday.
Colburn hit Seyi Ajirotutu on Fresno State's first play from scrimmage for a 46-yard gain to set the tone for the offense. He connected with him again in the first quarter for an 18-yard score on third-and-8.
"I wanted to come out with a killer instinct," said Colburn, who finished 17 of 27 for 256 yards. "I need to come out firing, and when I do that I feel like I can play as well as anybody."
Colburn's only glaring error in the first half was an interception he threw just before halftime that allowed the Aggies to build a 10-point lead.
Kick returner A.J. Jefferson fumbled a return with 4:52 to play in the second quarter, and the Aggies used it to take the lead 24-17.
Colburn threw his interception on the next drive with 52 seconds remaining and Aggies' kicker Chris Ulinski hit a 23-yarder as time expired to grasp the lead tighter.
After an inspiring speech from defensive coordinator Randy Stewart, the Bulldogs' defense made a 180-degree turn.
The Aggies scored on five of their six first-half drives, with the only non-score being a missed field goal.
But the Bulldogs' defense blanked the Aggies in the second half, with Utah State missing a second field goal early in the fourth quarter.
Ulinski entered the game having made 9 of 11 field-goal attempts.
"We didn't change anything schematically -- we just changed our heart," Bulldogs defensive lineman Chris Lewis said.
Utah State's defense softened to cover the pass in the second half, and that's when Mathews and the Fresno State running game got going.
The Bulldogs rushed for 154 yards in the final two quarters. Mathews had all but 14.
"He got a little banged up today" Hill said. "He was healthy when we needed him though."
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