'Dogs go over the Rainbow Warriors

By MAGGIE THACH

The announced 38,956 fans at Bulldog Stadium on Friday night started clearing out by halftime—not because of Fresno State’s inevitable loss, but because of its inevitable win.

The score at halftime: 49-0, in favor of Fresno State.

Final score: Fresno State 70, Hawaii 14.

The defense set the tone when freshman Marcus Riley forced a fumble by Hawaii’s West Keliikipi that was recovered by senior Claude Sanders at Hawaii’s 10-yard line just a minute and a half into the game.

Junior running back Bryson Sumlin capped a five-play drive to make the score 7-0 two minutes later, paving the way for a relentless Fresno State offensive attack that scored on seven of its first eight possessions.

Looking to exploit a rushing defense that was ranked next-to-last in the NCAA, Fresno State recorded 347 rushing yards in the first half and set a school record with 503 yards on the ground for the game.

“Our game plan was to keep the ball away from Hawaii’s offense,” coach Pat Hill said. “I thought the players really executed the plan well. They knew they had to run the football, and they went out and ran the football.”

Quarterback Paul Pinegar, who was 8 for 11 for 176 yards, compiled 160 of those in the first half. But Pinegar’s main concern was establishing the running game.

“We kept pounding the ball,” Pinegar said. “We’re coming in with a different mentality. We know we have to execute.”

Sumlin and Wendell Mathis alternated big runs in the first half. With 2:27 left in the first quarter, Sumlin rushed for 89 yards to the Hawaii 1-yard line, setting up a Pinegar touchdown sneak. With that run, Sumlin surpassed his career high with 168 yards. Sumlin finished with 220 yards and three touchdowns, while Mathis added 176 yards and three touchdowns.

Along with Sumlin and Mathis, junior Matt Rivera and sophomore Robbie Dubois contributed to the offensive output. Rivera totaled 61 yards and Dubois finished with 22.

The defense shut down the NCAA’s all-time leader in passing yards, limiting Timmy Chang to 26-for-43 passing for 167 yards, 144 below his average. In the first half, Hawaii recorded more rushing yards (71) than passing (63).

“We had a great week of practice,” said strong safety James Sanders, who finished with nine tackles.

“We studied their routes in past games and we executed.”

Fresno State totaled 679 yards of offense in Friday’s win.

The victory broke a three-game losing streak against the Warriors, and also clinched bowl eligibility.
The game also marked the third blowout win in a row for the Bulldogs.

Fresno State has outscored Southern Methodist, Rice and Hawaii by a total score of 164-35. Over the past three games, Fresno State has totaled 1,454 offensive yards, as opposed to 885 in their three losses.

“This was a must-win for Hawaii and we were 0-3 against them,” Hill said. “It was a job well done in all phases tonight. I couldn’t ask for better executions.”