Paul connects with Paul to make history
Joseph Vasqeuz / The Collegian
Eight different players were on the receiving end of Paul Pinegar’s passes. He completed 22 passes for 307 yards and with the performance, secured a place in school history. |
By Chhun Sun
The Collegian
It’s a recurring theme for Paul Williams.
Drop the first pass and then make up for it by making big plays.
It happened five days ago in the game against San Jose and the same theme occurred in Thursday’s ESPN-televised 27-7 victory over Boise State, snapping the Broncos’ 31-conference game winning streak.
Paul Pinegar’s first pass to Williams slipped through the junior receiver’s fingertips, just like the first pass in the San Jose State game, which could have been a touchdown.
“At first, it discouraged me,” Williams said after Saturday’s game against San Jose. “Then I went to the sidelines. I went to talk to my coach, offensive coordinator John Baxter, and from then on I pushed it out of my mind.”
Perhaps, in the game against Boise State he took his own advice and pushed it out of his mind. When asked about his first dropped pass against Boise State, he said: “I didn’t drop my first pass.”
On the ensuing play, Paul Williams caught the ball for a 4-yard gain.
But it wasn’t until the second quarter that the Paul-to-Paul connection took center stage, when Pinegar threw a pass to Williams in the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown to put the lead 14-7.
But the touchdown wasn’t just a score to cushion an early lead. The pass secured Pinegar in the record book, earning him the top spot over David Carr in Fresno State’s career passing touchdowns with 71.
“He’s definitely one guy who showed up and played,” said Pinegar about Williams. The junior receiver matched his single-game career high of six catches and surpassed his single-game career high of total receiving yards to 149 yards and two touchdowns.
In the past two games, the duo has connected for three touchdowns for 286 yards.
But the duo wasn’t done after the touchdown.
Throwing from the end zone, Pinegar connected with Williams at midfield, where he proceeded to dodge defensive back Orlando Scandrick to run for a few more yards before making safety Marty Tadman miss a tackle.
The pass was the longest passing touchdown play in school history.
But to head coach Pat Hill, the 98-yard pass in the second quarter was nothing new.
“It was a typical pass from the two-yard line,” he said.
Pinegar saw it a bit differently. “I knew [Williams] had a one-on-one and I’ll take him one-on-one any day.
He had a good catch and he had a good run after the catch, running away from the defense. It was pretty freakish if you ask me,” he said.
Williams said: “Once I caught the ball, my eyes were on the end zone. I got the ball in my hands, and I’m kinda fast.”
Fast he was, sprinting his way to the end zone to put the lead 21-7. And the Bulldogs cruised on from there.
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