Finally. It finally happened.

For a while there, I was worried about Pat Hill and the ̢۪Dogs. I really felt that this was going to turn into a Boise State situation. You know, a so-called rival that the ̢۪Dogs would simply forget how to beat, or even play close.

But instead, the Bulldogs got the monkey or the gorilla or the marsupial or whatever that thing was holding them down off their backs.

For the first time in four years, Fresno State got the best of the Hawaii Warriors – and man, it was sweet.

The ̢۪Dogs beat the Warriors, 42-17, and the score was nowhere near indicative of the thrashing the Bulldogs delivered. Fresno State won convincingly out on the island, up 42-3 at the start of the fourth quarter before putting in the reserves.

It looked like the biggest sixth grader on the playground giving a fourth grader a few wet Willies, a solid shock to the left arm and to top things off, an atomic wedgie. I know, it sounds really, really petty and immature – but the Warriors had it coming.

OK, so rewind to 2006, the year that Hawaii really started to get abrasive. The Bulldogs had just lost four games in a row, starting the season off 1-4 and with quarterback controversy.

That game was a low point of the season. That is really an understatement. Fresno State was defenseless that autumn afternoon and Hawaii took full advantage.

The Warriors put up 68 points on Jim Sweeney field, showing no respect or sportsmanship towards the home team. Hawaii was sticking with their high-octane offense well into the fourth quarter, running up the score as high as they could.

But the lack of humility didn̢۪t end there. The Warriors had the nerve to finish the game with the Haka, a traditional Maori dance, on the Bulldog logo on the 50-yard line after the clock hit zero. Oh, and then they dropped four-lettered words like they just learned them from their uncle, directing their trash talk toward the fans that stayed to the end.

Fast forward to the Warriors next trip to Fresno. The Bulldogs had a real chance for some payback in 2008, but after six turnovers and back-to-back missed field goals in overtime, the Warriors were again celebrating on the middle of Jim Sweeney field.

This time, the Warriors skipped the Haka and chose to roll around all over the Bulldog logo painted on the ground like they were excited to be at recess.

Finally, in 2009, the Bulldogs stood up for themselves and wiped that smug look off the Warriors̢۪ faces. Saturday night̢۪s game was one Fresno State had to win. The ̢۪Dogs couldn̢۪t afford to drop to 1-4 on the season at 0-2 in conference play. Plus, they couldn̢۪t let that pesky fourth grader disrespect them anymore.