Notebook

By ZACK WALTON

M & M’s in a sack battle
Defensive linemen Garrett McIntyre and Brian Morris continued their assault on Fresno State’s all-time sack list, each recording one sack on Saturday.
In the first quarter, McIntyre sacked SMU quarterback Tony Eckert to tie with Morris at No. 10 on the list. But the tie didn’t even last through the half, as Morris recorded his own sack of Eckert on the final play of the second quarter, regaining his lead over McIntyre with 17 career sacks.

Quarterback turnaround
Fresno State quarterback Paul Pinegar had his best game of the season against the Mustangs Saturday.
Passing for 191 yards and completing 70 percent of his passes, Pinegar returned to his efficient self, tossing three touchdowns and throwing no interceptions for the first time this year.
He also added 49 yards on the ground, including a 46-yard scamper in the opening drive of the third quarter, which ultimately led to the Bulldogs’ final touchdown.

Juggling act, Part I
Senior safety Nate Ray has a knack for picking off passes from SMU quarterbacks.
Ray made his second career interception—both against the Mustangs—during the first quarter. SMU wide receiver Reynaldo Pellerin bobbled Eckert’s pass over the middle and in an attempt to knock the ball back up to him, the ball caromed off his feet and into the air, where an eager Ray made a diving interception.
Ray’s other career interception came in the 2002 season on a pick against the Mustangs, which he returned 100 yards for the touchdown.

Juggling act, Part II
Sophomore receiver Jaron Fairman made his first touchdown reception of the season on a 12-yard pass from Pinegar in the second quarter, his second career touchdown.
Fairman secured the circus catch late in the first half after the bullet from Pinegar was tipped by SMU’s Alvin Nnabuife, and then tipped back up in the air by Fairman before finally hauling in the pass on his knees in the end zone.

Punching it in
After struggling for the past several weeks to score touchdowns in the red zone, Fresno State converted on all five opportunities, racking up 35 points.
The Bulldogs had only been able to manage eight touchdowns in their past 16 trips to the red zone entering Saturday’s game, after crossing the goal line six of the first eight times in the red zone this season.

Turnover battle
Fresno State lasted the entire game without turning the ball over for the first time this season. Before Saturday’s blemish-free performance, the Bulldogs had yet to have a game with less than two turnovers.
The Mustangs offense was a different story, as Fresno State recovered two fumbles and intercepted two SMU passes. The four takeaways by the Bulldogs gave the team 18 on the season against 15 giveaways.

Bag of tricks
Fresno State dug a little deeper into its playbook against the Mustangs and brought out a little trickery on the eve of Halloween.
With about six minutes left in the half, receiver Joe Fernandez took a hand-off on an end around then pitched to a streaking Adam Jennings on a double reverse. Jennings weaved his way through blockers and would-be tacklers, before jetting down the sideline and into the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown.
On the next drive, this time from the SMU 26-yard line, Fresno State called the same play but from the opposite side. The Mustangs defense was ready for the misdirection play but Jennings still managed to cut through defenders and work his way up field for a 14-yard gain.

Touchdown Drives
The Fresno State offense regained moved the ball with authority in the opening 36 minutes of the game.
The Bulldogs scored touchdowns on each of their first six possessions, with drives that combined for 415 yards.
Fresno State opened up its offense with a 70-yard, 10-play drive the ended in a 1-yard touchdown run by Bryson Sumlin.
The Bulldogs followed up with touchdown drives of 30, 80, 80, 83 and 72 yards, to give Fresno State a 42-0 lead.

Moving the chains
Fresno State racked up 23 first downs against the Mustangs, and had a season-high 465 yards of total offense.
A key to the Bulldogs’ ability to sustain drives, was converting on third downs. Fresno State had first downs on eight of its 11 third down opportunities.
“Third down conversions are what keeps you on the field and that’s what kept all the drives long.”

Spreading the ball
The football found its way into the hands of several Bulldogs on Saturday, as 14 Fresno State offensive players touched the ball.
Although the Bulldogs failed to have anyone rush for over 100 yards for only the third time this season, nine Fresno State players carried the ball for a total of 269 yards. Fresno State also had 10 different receivers catch a pass against the Mustangs.