The Bulldogs played their most complete game of the season and will
have to use that momentum going into their matchup with Mississippi
this Saturday.
Amrah Canul / The Argonaut
Saturday’s game was just what head coach Pat Hill ordered with Fresno State playing the closest thing to a complete game the Bulldogs have produced so far in 2011.
Fresno State played four quarters of Bulldog football, mixing a steady dose of the ground game with a downfield aerial assault to win in dominating fashion, 48-24 inside Idaho’s renovated Kibbie Dome.
The Bulldog offense made strides through the air for the second consecutive week with sophomore quarterback Derek Carr using Fresno State’s first Western Athletic Conference contest as a showcase of what kind of player he can be.
The Bulldogs’ first scoring drive consisted of a Carr air show as he found sophomore wide receiver Jalen Saunders in the back of the end zone for a 16-yard scoring strike. Carr turned his best performance of his career, connecting on 24-of-37 passes for 371 yards and five touchdowns.
Early on the Vandals gave Fresno State the tough game that many expected as the score at the end of the first quarter was a narrow 10-7 Fresno State lead.
Carr again found Saunders in the second quarter, but this time it was of the 50-plus-yard variety. Saunders’ second touchdown catch of the game gave Fresno State a 17-14 lead.
The Carr-to-Saunders two touchdowns on Saturday gave the duo four touchdowns over the past two weeks. Saunders finished the game with five catches for a game-high 142 yards.
Idaho’s senior quarterback Brian Reader led the Vandals down the field on the next possession, finishing the drive with a 23-yard field goal by junior kicker Trey Farquhar to tie the score 17-17 just before halftime.
With only a couple minutes remaining in the first half, Carr went to work to lead his team down the field for a score before the break. On the drive, Carr found multiple receivers to put Fresno State is scoring position. On fourth down, Carr threaded the needle and connected with tight end Marcel Jensen to give the ‘Dogs a 24-17 lead heading into the second half.
In the second half, the ‘Dogs showed improved play in all phases of the game, starting on the offensive side of the ball with Carr hitting junior wide receiver Rashad Evans for a 33-yard touchdown, giving the Bulldogs their biggest lead to that point in the game, 34-17. Evans finished the game with seven receptions for 81 yards.
On the following drive, sophomore defensive end Nat Harrison picked up a Reader fumble after the Idaho signal caller lost it, and rumbled 40 yards for the second Bulldog defensive touchdown this season. The score gave Fresno State a commanding 41-17 lead. The defense made adjustments after allowing 228 yards in first half and limited the Vandals’ offense to just 55 yards in the second half.
Fresno State special teams play stayed consistent with senior kicker Kevin Goessling making two more field goals to add to his total of five on the season. Senior wide receiver Devon Wylie helped the ‘Dogs maintain good field position all game with five punt returns for 79 yards.
Little could over shadow Carr’s show, however, as he found freshman wide receiver Josh Harper with only a couple minutes remaining in the game for his fifth touchdown to cap off a stellar performance. The overlooked man on Saturday was running back Robbie Rouse, who finished with 112 yards on 25 carries. He also became the 15th Bulldog running back to rush for over 2,000 yards in his career. After the game, Hill talked about his team’s performance.
“I think we were very balanced with 37 passes and 34 runs,” Hill said. “Derek [Carr] had an outstanding game. We got to give a lot of credit to the offensive line. We picked up the blitz really well this week. Robbie [Rouse] had tough sledding in there because they were blitzing every down, but he still had over a 100 yards. Derek threw for close to 400 yards and five touchdowns. Defensively, we shut them down completely in the second half. I thought it was a great team effort.”
With the win, Fresno State improved to 2-2 and now its full attention will be on its next opponent, Southeastern Conference member Mississippi, who will be at Bulldog Stadium next Saturday for the Bulldogs’ second home game of the season. Hill gave some thoughts on the next few games on the Bulldogs’ schedule.
“The next two games in Fresno are on national TV against a team from the Southeastern Conference and a top-five team in the country,” Hill said. “We have three big home games coming up, so come out and watch these kids play. If you want to be on the national stage you got a chance to be on the national stage as a city Saturday night against Mississippi.”