LAS CRUCES, N.M. - When it looked bleakest Saturday night at Memorial Stadium, something clicked in the University of Idaho Vandals.

In Brian Lindgren. In Mike McCoy. In Jeff Stowe. In Mike Anderson. In Kody Kraus ... the list goes on. On and on, coach Tom Cable said after the Vandals near heart-stopping 35-31 victory over New Mexico State, to include the fans, the trainers and the equipment crew.

"This," said a jubilant but spent looking Cable, "is what it's about. It's everybody."

Said senior quarterback Brian Lindgren, who recovered from a dismal three-interception first half to throw for five second-half touchdowns,

"It just feels good to win."

The Vandals, who snapped a nine-game losing streak, did it in the most dramatic fashion. After trailing 28-0 with 13:09 left in the third quarter, Idaho started its comeback - one piece at a time.

Lindgren's arms, the improbably sure hands of his stable of receivers, and the sturdy legs of senior tailback Zach Gerstner brought the Vandals to the brink but it looked as if their dream might die on a steady march by New Mexico State deep into Vandal territory.

Then the Vandals' fortunes changed. Mike Anderson stripped the ball from Tony Joseph and Kody Kraus quickly pounced on it at the UI six-yard line. That left Lindgren and Co. 96 yards to go and 67 seconds in which to do it.

He found senior tight end Mike McCoy for gains of 22 and 47 yards on his first two passes. The next went to Wendell Octave for another 18, which put the ball at the NMSU 7. Lindgren bobbled the ball on the next play and Jake Scott fell on it to keep it in the hands of the Vandals.

With the clock ticking down, Lindgren lofted the ball to Stowe for the game-winning touchdown.

"We knew we didn't have any timeouts left," Lindgren said. "We had to make some big plays early.

"Even when they were using the timeouts, we were preparing on the sideline."

While it made for the most dramatic of finishes, Cable said it was the type of victory the Vandals needed.

"I'm so pleased with the way we won," he said. "We had to fight back through adversity. We had to learn how to win. That was the deal tonight. It's a big step."

While the offense stole the show in the second half, Cable had plenty of praise for the defense - particularly in the final 28 minutes of the game.

"Our defense came up big," he said. "What can you say about our kids. I'm so pleased with the way we won. Tonight we were pretty specular."

Said Lindgren:

"It's finally good to celebrate."