Mike Howells / The Collegian

FOURTH QUARTER Fresno State 25, Illinois 23 (final)

BREAKDOWN: Illinois made it a 25-23 Fresno State lead on the first play of the fourth quarter as quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase darted in from 21 yards out. It was Scheelhaase’s second touchdown of the game. After Fresno State was forced to punt on its ensuing drive, despite great field position provided by Isaiah Burse’s 49-yard kick return. After the ‘Dogs forced Illinois to punt, Fresno State was able to chew up 9:13 to preserve the win.

BIG PLAY: Facing a fourth-and-one situation with three minutes left to play, head coach Pat Hill elected to go for it from near midfield. The call paid off as A.J. Ellis pounded up the middle to keep the chains moving and the clock ticking.

INTERESTING STAT: Fresno State’s most critical drive yielded no points, but chewed up 9:13 off the clock and preserved a two-point win. Fresno State holds a 2-0 series lead over Illinois, but has only outscored the Fighting Illini by a total of three points.

THIRD QUARTER Fresno State 25, Illinois 17

BREAKDOWN: The Fighting Illini took the opening kickoff and went right to work, mounting an impressive 17-play, 92-yard drive that resulted in a Nathan Scheelhaase touchdown pass. The score narrowed the Fresno State lead to 19-17 but chewed up more than half of the third quarter. But Fresno State answered back quickly, scoring in just four plays on Colburn’s third touchdown pass of the night, this time to Rashad Evans. Just like in the second quarter, however, the offensive spark died out. Through three quarters, Colburn was 13-of-18 with 270 yards passing and three touchdowns. No Fresno State players are over 25 yards rushing, but Illinois’ dual-threat quarterback had 117 yards on the ground through three quarters.

BIG PLAY: On the fourth play of Fresno State’s opening drive of the second half, Colburn found a wide open Rashad Evans on a crossing route. The sophomore fell into the end zone, giving Colburn his third touchdown pass on the night and the Bulldogs a 25-17 lead.

INTERESTING STAT: It was the third straight time Fresno State held the lead through three quarters in Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs split the other two games, losing to Nevada and narrowly beating Idaho.

SECOND QUARTER Fresno State 19, Illinois 10

BREAKDOWN: Fresno State opened up a 19-3 lead early in the second quarter when Kevin Goessling hit a 52-yard field goal. But just when the Bulldogs looked in complete control, Illinois all-conference running back Mikel Leshoure broke free for a 35-yard touchdown to cut into Fresno ­State’s lead 19-10 with 7:25 left in the half. After Leshoure’s touchdown, neither offense could get much of anything going as Fresno State’s two ensuing drives resulted in a fumble and punt while Illinois’ drives ended with a punt and missed field goal. The Bulldogs’ defense held Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase to just 41 yards through the air in the first two quarters.

BIG PLAY: Kevin Goessling lined up a 47-yard field goal, but was forced to move back after a false start penalty. The coaching staff kept the junior kicker on the field, and he connected from 52 yards out to give Fresno State a 19-3 lead.

INTERESTING STAT: The Fresno State defense held All-Big Ten running back Mikel Leshoure to just 52 yards in the first half, 35 of which came on one play.

FIRST QUARTER Fresno State 16, Illinois 0

BREAKDOWN: After back-t0-back weeks of suspect offense, the ‘Dogs came out firing early. Quarterback Ryan Colburn engineered scoring drives of 72, 78, and 21 yards on the Bulldogs’ first three possessions to open up a 16-0 lead on Illinois. The first scoring drive was capped off by a 27-yard screen to running back A.J. Ellis to open up a 6-0 lead. Kevin Goessling also booted a 45-yard field goal, his 18th on the season and 48th of his career. After a quarter of play, Fresno State racked up 181 yards of offense to Illinois’ 67. All of Illinois’ yards came in the rushing column. The Fighting Illini came into the contest averaging 385 yards per game, but are last in the Big Ten in passing with 149 yards per game through the air.

BIG PLAY: On Fresno State’s second possession of the first quarter, senior quarterback Ryan Colburn connected on a bomb to a wide open Jalen Saunders for a 78-yard touchdown. It was the longest play of the year for Fresno State and extended its lead over Illinois to 13-0.

INTERESTING STAT: Illinois has only been shut out in the first quarter once all season. The Fighting Illini went on to beat Penn State on the road 33-13.