Fresno State Bulldogs 24, Rutgers Scarlet Knights 7

John Pena / The Daily Targum

Second half surge, stingy defense key in opener.

The first half of the Bulldogs̢۪ matchup against Rutgers did not turn out exactly how coach Pat Hill planned.

Since the end of last season, the Bulldogs have been advertised as a team with a high-powered offense and the ability to score points on any team they faced.

Going to the locker room at halftime tied 0-0, the Bulldogs needed to make adjustments if their trip to New Jersey to face the Scarlet Knights was going to be worth the trouble.

“I was not pleased with our level of effort and intensity in the first half and we had a chat about that at halftime,â€Â Hill said. “We were not playing Bulldog football.â€Â

But, with a second half surge from the offense, the Bulldogs (1-0) were able to pull out a 24-7 victory over Rutgers in Piscataway, NJ, Monday.

In the first half, the offense was unable to convert a third down play and quarterback Tom Brandstater completed only a third of his passes.

The offensive struggle left the Bulldogs without any points at the half, but the second half was a different story.

“We were not in-sync in the first half but played better in the second half,â€Â Brandstater said. “The line made some real good adjustments and really took over the game.â€Â

The offensive line was able to give Brandstater more time to complete reads and make more accurate throws in the second half.

Brandstater got on track, completing 6 of 11 passes for 163 of his 216 total yards in the second half, including a 77-yard completion to Seyi Ajirotutu that set up a 4-yard touchdown run by Ryan Mathews.

John Pena / The Daily Targum

Mathews exploded and carried the load for Brandstater and the offense in the game running for 163 yards and three touchdowns.

“Ryan Mathews had a great game,â€Â Brandstater said. “It’s nice to be able to hand the ball off with someone like him and watch him go.â€Â

It took a spirited halftime speech from Hill to get the offense on track for the second half, but the Bulldog defense was able to keep the Knights in check.

The defensive unit played strong throughout the game, forcing two turnovers, making a strong fourth down, goal-line stand in the second quarter and keeping the Scarlet Knights scoreless until the fourth quarter.

Two unlikely players led the defensive unit.

Junior free safety Marvin Haynes forced both turnovers by intercepting two passes from Rutgers quarterback Mike Teel.

Freshman linebacker Kyle Knox led the team with seven tackles, two of those tackles stopping Rutgers on fourth down conversions attempts.

Both Knox and Haynes did not start the game, but came up big when the offense left the defense with a short field and in tough situations.

Rutgers was unable to capitalize on opportunities in the game, including two missed field goals and Teel threw one of his interceptions in the end zone.

With the win over Rutgers, Fresno State is now ranked No. 21 in both AP and USA Today polls and will have almost two weeks to prepare for the home opener against Wisconsin.

The week off will allow the team ample time to rest and get healthy for the game.

Wisconsin is currently ranked No. 11 in both polls and should draw a full crowd for the game. Only 2,000 tickets remained for the game as of Tuesday.