Outmuscled by their long-time rivalry, the Bulldogs were defeated by Boise State 20-10 Saturday.

In a game that featured two different halves, Fresno State­ (4-3, 2-1 MWC) started off sluggish, but then outscored the Broncos 10-3 in the final two quarters.

“You got to give Boise State credit,” coach Tim DeRuyter said. “They outcoached us, outplayed us. They played smarter. They’re more composed when it comes to coaching.”

The Bulldogs seemed to be out off rhythm on their first four possessions of the game. Boise State was also out of sync, as it couldn’t score until its third possession.

On second and eight, Broncos quarterback Joe Southwick fired a 10-yard strike to receiver Geraldo Boldewin for a touchdown.

Boise State was then able to widen its lead when late in the first half running back D.J. Harper dashed for a 28-yard touchdown. This score put the Broncos up 17-0 heading into halftime and much of the momentum seemed to be in their favor.

Sloppy play was a critical factor in the game for the Bulldogs. Fresno State was flagged nine times resulting in 85 penalty yards.

“We hurt ourselves. We had delay-of-game penalties. We had false starts. Defensively we extended their drives,” DeRuyter said.

“The way you win games is not shoot yourself in the foot with stupid stuff like penalties and that stuff,” quarterback Derek Carr added.

The Bulldogs were able to get on the scoreboard toward the end of the third quarter. Kicker Quentin Bresheares made a 39-yard field goal attempt. This score gave Fresno State some momentum going into the final quarter

However, Boise State regained its 17-point lead with a field goal of its own, making the score 20-3.

Seizing some momentum toward the end of the matchup, the ’Dogs were able to put together a solid drive with running back Robbie Rouse rushing the ball. On third and goal, Carr passed to wide receiver Davante Adams for a 3-yard touchdown.

“We just got to keep them off balance. We don’t want to be one-dimensional, otherwise they’ll just play the pass,” Rouse said.

This score put Fresno State within 10 points of the Broncos and momentum shifted to the ’Dogs. Yet, they were unable to get possession of the ball before the game ended and Boise State ran out the clock.

Carr ended the game with a modest 29 completions for 266 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He seemed to struggle to find his comfort zone as the Broncos consistently brought pressure on him.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t call it a rough day,” Carr said. “When you play a good team, it’s not going to be 600 yards of offense. It’s not going to be like that. It’s not necessarily a rough day because you’ve got to fight for every yard. And as you could tell, they were, too.”

Rouse finished the game with 145 all-purpose yards, and defensive back Derron Smith also contributed to the takeaway battle for Fresno State. The Bulldogs for the first time this season were unable to win the turnover margin.

“We just know that we could play better. And if we come out and execute our game plan from now on, we know we can win games,” safety Phillip Thomas said.

This loss to the Broncos marks the 10th time Fresno State has been defeated by its long-time rival as the Milk Can trophy remains with Boise State. What is also more concerning is that this loss for the ’Dogs drops them to 2-1 in the Mountain West Conference.

“This loss; it sucks, especially to these guys. I don’t like losing to them,” Carr said. “But you just got to keep swinging that ax and keep working hard. That’s all I know how to do. That’s all I can do.”

Fresno State will return home Saturday to face Wyoming (1-5, 0-2 MWC) for Football Fiesta. This matchup for the ’Dogs is the first time that they have faced the Cowboys in conference play.

“All we can do is go back on Monday and go back to work and try to correct the mistakes we made today. Well try to beat a good Wyoming team on Saturday,” DeRuyter said.