'Dogs rain on Aggies' parade

The Bulldogs' 37-7 blowout victory over New Mexico State keeps the Aggies winless as Fresno State takes conference opener in less than desirable conditions

By Lance Crenshaw

The Round Up (New Mexico Staet U.)

Neither Mother Nature nor the Aggie defense could stop the running back tandem of Bryson Sumlin and Wendell Mathis Saturday night, as the two combined for 210 yards rushing as Fresno State beat the Aggies, 37-7.

The Aggies held Fresno St. (3-1, 1-0 WAC) quarterback Paul Pinegar in check for the majority of the game, as he finished 10-of-19 for 112 yards, but both Sumlin and Mathis had 105 rushing yards each.

“It was a pretty bad night for us all around tonight,” Aggie coach Hal Mumme said. “Our kids are pretty young and I think Fresno State kind of got the best of us there in the first quarter. We were our own worst enemy tonight and we turned the ball over way too much.”

Just minutes before kickoff, rain started to pour and the wind picked up. The rain lasted the duration of the game, but it did not seem to bother the running game of the Bulldogs.

Fresno State used the weather to their advantage as it ran the ball 49 times.

“The rain was coming down a lot harder and a lot steadier than you think,” Bulldog coach Pat Hill said. “The balls were really soaked. We had to turn it into that kind of game and keep the ball away from them.

The ball was wet for them too; they couldn’t get down the field. The conditions really favored a team like ours. I’ve been in a lot of rainy games but never when the ball was that heavy. It was like a shot put.”

The Aggies (0-6, 0-2 WAC) fumbled on their first possession of the game, and the Bulldogs took advantage of the good field position. Pinegar hit Adam Jennings for a 20-yard touchdown pass as the Bulldogs took an early 7-0 lead.

Fresno State bolstered its lead to 17-0 before the Aggies got on the board.

Royal Gill connected with A.J. Harris for a three-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter. The Bulldogs tacked on a field goal and led 20-3 at the half.

Fresno State dominated the second half, thanks to another Aggie turnover. The Bulldogs recovered a fumble at the Aggie 23-yard line, and scored later on a Pinegar run.

Mathis ran it in from six yards out late in the fourth quarter for the final score of the game.

“The running game was really good,” Hill said. “They loaded the box, but that just proved that when we had to mash them we mashed them. So it’s a good win for us. I thought we played hard in all phases. It was a good road win for us.”

The Bulldogs stuck with the running game but Pinegar did complete 10 of 19 passes for 112 yards. Sumlin and Mathis each tallied 105 rushing yards for Fresno State, the first time this season the duo has gone for 100-plus yards in the same game.

Aggie linebacker Jimmy Cottrell, who leads the nation in tackles with 14.3 a game, finished with 15 tackles before leaving the game in the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs’ next game will be at home against the Utah State Aggies (2-2, 1-1 WAC).

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