The No. 14 Fresno State Bulldogs (9-0, 6-0 Mountain West Conference) kept their undefeated streak alive and moved up in the BCS rankings with a 48-10 victory over the Wyoming Cowboys (4-5, 2-3 MWC).
“Wyoming came out with a lot of energy,” said Fresno State coach Tim DeRuyter. “They had a new defensive coordinator that the kids really rallied around and did different things that we had to get a bead on.”
On their second possession of the game, the Cowboys were the first team to get into the red zone. Running back Tedder Easton broke through the Bulldog defense for a 79-yard run that ended at the Fresno State 1-yard line. Afterward, Shaun Wick caught a pass from quarterback Brett Smith in the end zone to score.
“It was a third and long, and we called a blitz,” DeRuyter said. “We weren’t anticipating them running the ball in that situation.”
After a Colin McGuire field-goal attempt was blocked, Fresno State was down 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. This was atypical for the Bulldogs, who averaged 13 first-quarter points heading into the contest.
It was also the first time Fresno State was held scoreless in the first quarter since the 2012 Hawaii Bowl against Southern Methodist University.
“I don’t know if it was the cold or the altitude,” DeRuyter said, “but we had a couple of uncharacteristic drops.”
The Bulldogs found their rhythm down 10-0 in the second quarter, when Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr completed a 9-yard scoring pass to tight end Marcel Jensen to cut Wyoming’s lead to three.
In their next possession, the Bulldogs took the lead. On a first and 10 at the Wyoming 19-yard line, Carr stepped back and lobbed a pass to his right, intended for Isaiah Burse. Fighting off his defender, Burse jumped up, caught the throw and landed in the end zone for the Fresno State score.
“I knew [based on the Wyoming defense] that if I put it in a certain spot, Burse can have a chance to go up and get it,” Carr said. “You have to give credit to the offensive line, because on plays like that, they take time.”
Now up 14-10, Fresno State took control of the game.
“At halftime, we said that it was all on us,” DeRuyter said. “If we execute, catch balls and avoid penalties, we can win this one.”
Fresno State shut out Wyoming for the rest of the contest and added 34 more points behind an established ground presence.
In the game, the Bulldogs had 234 rushing yards, the most since Oct. 5’s 61-14 rout of Idaho. Seventeen of 39 first downs were made on the ground. Josh Quezada led with 105 yards and a touchdown.
Week 11 will be a bye for Fresno State. After, the Bulldogs will host New Mexico on Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPNews.