SDSU Snapdragon Stadium
Marquez Cooper (No. 15) leaps in for a touchdown early in the 4th quarter, giving the Aztecs a 26-14 lead. Photo credit: Screen shot, CBS Sports Network

San Diego State scored 20 unanswered points for a 26-14 advantage over heavily favored Washington State with 13:39 left to play Saturday.

It wasn’t enough. Quarterback John Mateer threw two touchdown passes and ran for two scores as his Cougars scored the final 15 points to rally for a 29-26 victory over the Aztecs at Snapdragon Stadium.

Washington State (7-1), which has won three in a row, led by two points at halftime, but SDSU, with two touchdowns by Marquez Cooper – sandwiched around one by Nate Bennett – took the lead by the fourth quarter.

But after Cooper’s score, a 1-yard leap into the end zone, Mateer answered almost immediately. He found Carlos Hernandez open for a 34-yard touchdown four plays later and Washington State trailed 26-21 with 12:08 remaining.

San Diego State (3-4, 2-0 Mountain West) drove as far as the Cougars’ 14-yard line, but Taariq Al-Uqdah intercepted a Danny O’Neil pass and returned it 20 yards to the WSU 37-yard line.

Mateer capped the seven-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run and a successful two-point pass left the Cougars with a three-point lead with 5:03 to go.

Six plays into the ensuing drive, the Aztecs, hurt by a 15-yard personal foul call against Ja’Shaun Poke, found themselves pushed back to their own 41. O’Neil, on third down, launched a long pass, broken up by Kyle Thornton, who was all over Michael Harrison.

But no pass interference call was forthcoming and SDSU, forced to punt with 2:19 remaining, never had the ball again.

Head coach Sean Lewis credited his defense with harassing and containing Mateer for three quarters before he cut loose.

“Good players are going to make plays, and unfortunately it came at wrong time for us,” he told San Diego Sports 760.

Washington State grabbed the lead on its first possession when Mateer connected with Cooper Mathers for a 26-yard touchdown on the Cougars’ fifth play from scrimmage. San Diego State answered with 46- and 28-yard field goals by Gabriel Plascencia and trailed 7-6 after one quarter.

The Cougars moved in front 14-6 on a 1-yard plunge by Mateer midway through the second quarter. San Diego State got a 7-yard touchdown run from Cooper with 17 seconds left in the first half, but the two-point run failed and the Aztecs trailed by two.

San Diego State had the lone score in the third quarter — a sparkling 27-yard touchdown pass from freshman wide receiver Jordan Napier to Nate Bennett — to take a 19-14 lead. The score came three plays after Tony Freeman muffed a punt and Jelani Whitmore recovered at the Cougars’ 43-yard line.

Mateer completed 19 of 27 passes for 257 yards for WSU. He was also the Cougars’ leading rusher with 42 yards on 21 carries.

The freshman O’Neil, who missed much of the first half with a shoulder injury, finished with 195 yards on 22-for-34 passing, but had the costly interception. Cooper carried 18 times for 78 yards and two scores. Poke had 10 receptions for 80 yards and Bennett added a touchdown on five catches for 73 yards.

The Cougars’ only loss this season was a 45-24 defeat on the road to then No. 25 Boise State (6-1).

They’re No. 17 now and up next for San Diego State, which has a short week, traveling to Idaho to take on the Broncos and their Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty. Kickoff is at at 5 p.m. Friday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.