“Awesome,” said Fresno State Interim Head Coach Tim Skipper. “I feel like I haven’t smiled in a while so it feels good.”
After dropping back-to-back games, the Fresno State Bulldogs were able to hang on in their road victory over the University of Nevada, Reno Wolf Pack on Friday night.
The 24-21 win got them back to above .500 with hopes of a Mountain West championship game still in sight.
After a back-and-forth first half, the defense for the Bulldogs took over, shutting out the Wolf Pack in the second half.
Solid performances on the ground from running backs Elijah Gilliam and Bryson Donelson helped the Bulldogs remain in control late in the game.
“We’re bigger and we have some speed to us,” Gilliam said. “I feel like that’s our superpower.”
How it happened
The Wolf Pack struck first, going 75 yards downfield for an opening drive touchdown.
Nevada Quarterback Brendon Lewis found his receiver Jaden Smith, deep downfield for a 55-yard reception. Running back Savion Red finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run to give Nevada a quick 7-0 lead.
But the Bulldogs responded with points of their own. Quarterback Mikey Keene found receiver Mac Dalena three times on their opening drive which got them to the Wolf Pack’s 26-yard line.
After failing to convert a long third down, the ‘Dogs opted for a field goal attempt. Kicker Dylan Lynch bounced back from his last outing, where he missed two field goals in last week’s game, and nailed the 44-yard field goal making the score 7-3.
Fresno State’s next offensive drive went for 86 yards with a trip to the end zone. After Keene found Dalena for 16 yards and receiver Raylen Sharpe for 27 yards, the ‘Dogs went to the ground game utilizing three different running backs.
A Gilliam 10-yard rushing touchdown gave the Bulldogs a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter.
Nevada only took four plays to take back the lead. Lewis heaved a deep shot connecting with wide receiver Nate Burleson II in the end zone for a 46-yard touchdown.
With that reception, Nevada led 14-10 with just under 10 minutes to go in the first half.
The big plays continued. After forcing a quick punt attempt on Nevada’s next drive, Fresno State defensive back Kosi Agina tackled punter Guy Gillespie before he could get rid of the ball, giving the offense excellent field position.
The Bulldogs were able to capitalize on the turnover. Gilliam secured his second rushing touchdown of the first half, giving the ‘Dogs a 17-14 lead.
Nevada scored on its next drive leaving just 10 seconds left in the half. The drive was full of runs from Red and Lewis.
Lewis finished the drive with a 2-yard rushing touchdown, giving Nevada a 20-17 lead heading into halftime.
The first half was back-and-forth with both quarterbacks leading their team with efficient play.
Keene ended the half with just two incompletions and connected on six different players.
Lewis had just three incompletions through the first two quarters, with two passes going for over 40 yards.
Fresno State opened up the scoring in the second half. Keene found Gilliam on a screen pass that went for 71 yards, deep into Nevada territory.
“I just seen the middle open, took it and tried to get down there as fast as I could,” Gilliam said. “And it worked out perfectly.”
Bulldog’s backup quarterback Joshua Wood finished the drive with a 7-yard rushing touchdown, giving them a 24-21 lead.
The Bulldogs’ next drive saw Mikey Keene’s ninth interception of the year. Keene overthrew running back Bryson Donelson and into the hands of linebacker Drue Watts.
“He’s going to correct it,” Skipper said. “We keep on slinging it and it’s complete confidence in him.”
Despite the turnover putting the Wolf Pack on the Fresno State 48-yard line, their defense forced a quick three and out.
The defense took over in the second half, with three of their four sacks coming after halftime.
For the second time in the game, the special teams for the Bulldogs tackled the punter before he could get the ball out on fourth down.
With the turnover, Keene and the offense took over on the Nevada 27-yard line.
Six straight runs by Gilliam got the ‘Dogs to the Wolf Pack’s 5-yard line.
On fourth and goal, the offense stayed on the field to try and get six.
The gamble didn’t pay off as Keene’s pass intended for wide receiver Jalen Moss was tipped away.
The Bulldogs got the ball back with three minutes to go in the fourth looking to wind the clock down.
“We called it a fist fight and that’s what it was,” Skipper said. “We knew it would come down to the fourth quarter.”
Following the two-minute timeout, the Bulldogs had a 4th and 1 on the Nevada 46-yard line and a gamble play came again. Keene took the snap and went for 2 yards, getting the first down and keeping the clock working.
Keene ended his quiet night with 190 yards passing and an interception.
Multiple runs by Fresno State forced Nevada to use its last timeouts. The Bulldogs punted the ball away with 16 seconds left in the game.
Punter Clay Lawrence was able to pin the ball down to the Nevada 6-yard line.
Backed deep into their own territory and with no timeouts, Nevada ran out of time.
Fresno State was able to hang on and win 24-21.
“I’m just proud of those guys in that locker room,” Skipper said. “We’ve dealt with a lot of adversity.”
For the second week in a row, Gilliam ended with over 100 total yards. On Friday night, Gilliam finished with 66 yards rushing and two touchdowns while also adding 74 yards receiving.
The Bulldog defense held strong allowing 21 points in the first two quarters. Fresno State blanked Nevada in the second half.
The defense ended the night forcing two turnovers on downs and 7 tackles for loss.
What’s next
Fresno State (4-3) returns home to face off against conference rival San Jose State (4-3) on Saturday, Oct. 26.
The game at Valley Children’s Stadium will be Homecoming night as well as a blackout game where the team will be debuting their all-black uniforms.
