David J. Phillip / AP Photo

Pat Hill and Fresno State made a big statement on Saturday in College Station.

Facing a 19-0 deficit at halftime, the Bulldogs showed resilience, pushing the No. 23 Texas A&M Aggies to triple overtime.

However, the end result would not favor the Bulldogs as they lost a heartbreaker 47-45 at Kyle Field.

“I have to give our kids credit for bouncing back,â€Â Hill said, whose record is now 10-20 versus BCS Conference teams in his coaching tenure. “They got in a hole in the first half, but battled back. We have a good young football team and hopefully we can learn from this.â€Â

The Bulldogs were only able to muster up 78 total yards of offense in the first half to go along with 5 first downs. The defense was dumbfounded by an option-oriented offense that gained 191 total yards in the first half.

The second half however was a different story altogether.

On the Aggies’ first possession of the second half, Fresno State linebacker Quaadir Brown sacked quarterback Stephen McGee and forced a fumble. This was a huge momentum change for the ‘Dogs.

David J. Phillip / AP Photo

Fresno State quarterback Tom Brandstater would capitalize on the turnover and hit tight end Bear Pascoe on a 16-yard touchdown pass to put the score at 19-7.

The Bulldogs’ rally continued with touchdown runs from running backs Ryan Mathews and Anthony Harding, which tied the score at 22-22.

Another Aggie touchdown late in the fourth quarter made the score 29-22. But Fresno State would not be denied.

Brandstater played like there was ice in his veins with 1:52 left in the game. He found freshman wide receiver Devon Wylie on a crossing route for a 44-yard gain to put the Bulldogs at the Aggie 20-yard line. Brandstater then found Pascoe for the 3-yard score to tie up the game at 29-29.

This dramatic drive proved to be tame compared to what was to come in the overtime periods, with each team having a 25-yard field to operate on.

The Bulldogs̢۪ defense was able to force the Aggies to kick a field goal in its first overtime possession.

The Bulldog offense appeared to have won the game on its first play.

Brandstater connected with wide receiver Marlon Moore on a 24-yard pass. Moore stretched over the goal line to break the plane of the end zone but fumbled the ball, which in turn was recovered by Texas A&M.

“The ball just slipped out of my hand,â€Â Moore said. “Next time I would run the ball straight out of bounds.â€Â

Moore made a nearly identical mistake last weekend against Sacramento State.

After reviewing the play, officials spotted the ball at the 1-yard line. A second review however, said Moore fumbled the ball. Fresno State retained possession due to a penalty on Texas A&M for roughing the passer.

“They say our receiver tried to stretch it over the goal line,â€Â Hill said. “That was the call and we’ll live with it. I’ve never seen anything like that, but that’s how it goes. That’s the way football is sometimes.â€Â

After the controversy, the Bulldogs would kick a field goal to even the score at 32-32.

In double overtime, Harding would lead the Bulldogs running attack on an 8-play drive and plunge into the end zone to put the ‘Dogs up 39-32.

The back-and-forth game continued though as Texas A&M̢۪s powerhouse running back Jovorskie Lane punished Bulldog defenders, running straight up the middle.

His 2-yard run would tie up the score again. Lane continued his dominance in triple overtime with another touchdown, and added a two-point conversion to put the Aggies ahead 47-39.

Lane wound up with 121 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns.

“This is every running back’s dream,â€Â Lane said. “I give my o-line all the credit for my touchdowns. They did a great job.â€Â

Of the 397 yards Texas A&M gained on Saturday, 318 of them were on the ground.

“(Lane) is a tough guy,â€Â Hill said. “When they went to pound the big guy on us, I knew we were in trouble.â€Â

With the ball in their corner now, the Bulldogs had to score and make a two-point conversion to stay in the game.

On third-and-five, with the game on the line, Brandstater found his security deposit Pascoe for a 9-yard score.

Pascoe finished the day with 7 receptions for 70 yards and 3 touchdowns.

“I thought we had the game won on the first play of overtime,â€Â Pascoe said. “Sometimes things don’t go your way. You get knocked down, you get up and come back at them. Texas A&M is a great team.â€Â

Needing a two-point conversion to force a fourth overtime period, Brandstater dropped back to pass and threw the ball to Moore on a post-corner route to the back of the end zone. But his efforts were to no avail.

“I’m tired of getting so close and coming about with a heartbreaking loss,â€Â Brandstater said. “We could have come out with a victory, but it’s unfortunate the way things turned out. We are so close to becoming a great football team.â€Â

Brandstater was 21-31 passing in his gutsy performance for 260 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The Bulldogs will travel to Eugene, Ore. to take on the Oregon Ducks Saturday.

“It was a heck of a football game for both teams, there was a lot of fight, â€Â Hill said. “It came down to a final two-point play. We’ve got a great young football team and hopefully we can build on this.â€Â