Tom Brandstater said it after last weekend̢۪s 13-10 loss to the Wisconsin Badgers.

“I’m tired of regretting things. I’m just tired of losing games like this we should win.â€Â

Fresno State has a recent history of having a huge meltdown following big games against BCS opponents.

In 2005, after almost defeating No. 1 USC, the Bulldogs went on to lose their next three games, including a bowl game, to end the season.

In 2006, the Bulldogs were defeated by a ranked Oregon team on a fourth-quarter, fake field goal that resulted in a touchdown for the Ducks.

Fresno State lost six straight games after that and missed a bowl game.

So, when Fresno State lost a heartbreaker to Wisconsin last week, many feared the worst against Toledo Saturday night. And for a second, it looked like it was going to happen all over again.
But this time, Brandstater didn̢۪t let it happen.

The senior quarterback was able to put together two scoring drives in overtime and the defense was able to break up a two-point conversion to give Fresno State a 55-54 win on the road.

“We had a tough loss last week, a tough week and came in here to a great environment against a team that was really ready to play,â€Â said coach Pat Hill. “This was a big win for our program.â€Â

Last season, the Bulldogs were in a similar situation in College Station, Texas, against the Texas A&M Aggies and went to triple overtime, but fell just a little bit short.

But, maybe this season things are starting to go the Bulldogs̢۪ way.

As the old mantra goes, ‘it’s better to be lucky than good,’ and that was plain to see Saturday night against Toledo.

On the Bulldogs̢۪ first defensive stand, linebacker Ben Jacobs picked up a backward pass that bith teams thought was ruled dead and he took it in to the end zone for a touchdown.

Tailback Lonyae Miller fumbled the ball in the third quarter, but five Toledo players couldn̢۪t pick up the ball and wound up kicking it another 30 yards.

And to top it off, Brandstater threw the ball into quadruple coverage to Isaac Kinter and Marlon Moore, who ended up with a touchdown catch after it deflected off of four different people.

There was more than 1,000 yards of offense combined from the two teams and the Bulldogs gave up more than 50 points for the first time since playing Oregon in 2007.

You think Hill cares about any of that?

He was jumping around like a little kid on Christmas morning when his team made that defensive stop in the second overtime and called his team̢۪s effort one of the best he̢۪s ever coached.

“I don’t care about the score, I don’t care about the stats, I care that we got the win on the road and the heart that [the Bulldogs] played with,â€Â Hill said.

The Rockets played Saturday night̢۪s game like they were Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl back in 2007.

Coach Tom Amstutz pulled out all the stops – two fake punts (one worked), an onside kick and in the first play of overtime, he called a double-pass and the Rockets got the ball to the one-yard line.

Then, he had the audacity to go for the two-point conversion in the second overtime. Who does this guy think he is, Houdini?

“We had a two-point play we’ve been working on all year,â€Â Amstutz said. “I would do it again just the same way, other than we would catch it.â€Â

And if Fresno State could do it any other way, they would have liked to win the game by 40, but the Bulldogs aren̢۪t out of the woods by any stretch.

The Bulldogs are now headed to Pasadena for a date with UCLA this Saturday.

“That’s a great experience for them,â€Â Hill said. “Now we have to get back home and get ready to go down to the Rose Bowl and play the Bruins.â€Â

Let̢۪s just hope this time we don̢۪t have to go through four hours and two overtimes, because Bulldog fans can̢۪t afford anymore ulcers.