FRESNO - Posting multiple shutouts in a season for the first time since 1988 and improving to 3-0 in Mountain West play for the first time since 2013, Fresno State blanked New Mexico 38-0 on Saturday evening at Bulldog Stadium on Homecoming. "Our defense played excellent tonight," said head coach Jeff Tedford after the 'Dogs first-ever shutout over a MW opponent. "That is a hard offense to stop. Our defense did an awesome job with the game plan. We had the guys in the right position and they played really hard."
With another stingy defensive outing for the 'Dogs, Fresno State's (4-2, 3-0 MW) deep passing game ruled the day offensively. Junior quarterback Marcus McMaryion, making his third-straight start, finished 13-of-23 through the air for 299 yards, spreading the ball around to six receivers in the contest.
Junior KeeSean Johnson had his third 100-yard receiving game of the season totaling 105 yards on five receptions while scoring his fourth touchdown of the season. Fellow junior wideout Jamire Jordan added his first 100-yard contest of the season with a team-high 108 yards on three catches, including a pair of touchdowns, for his first career multi-touchdown game of his career. It was the first time since Oct. 28, 2016 against Air Force that the 'Dogs have had two 100-yard receivers as Johnson and Jordan each went over 100 yards in that contest.
On the defensive side of the ball, reining Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week Juju Hughes had another standout game in the defensive backfield finishing with a career-high 11 tackles (nine solo) and added two tackles for a loss and two pass breakups. Sophomore safety Mike Bell making his first start of the season and second of his career, finished with a career-best 10 tackles (eight solo), his first career interception and a pass breakup.
The 'Dogs offense totaled 526 yards of offense, including 299 yards through the air and 227 yards on the ground, while limiting New Mexico to 322 yards, including only 109 yards on the ground for the Lobos' fewest rushing yards since Sept. 15, 2012 when they were held to 84 yards at Texas Tech.
How It Happened
After the teams started off the game trading a pair of punts, the Lobos' offense picked up a bit of steam on its third drive, getting as far as the the Bulldogs' 26-yard line before being stopped on a third-and-4. Jason Sanders' 43-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left and a quick two-play drive ensued as McMaryion connected on a 70-yard touchdown with Jordan to give the 'Dogs an early 7-0 lead.
On the Bulldogs' next drive, McMaryion again connected deep, finding Johnson for a career-long 75-yard catch-and-run down to the UNM 12-yard line, and after a quick timeout, McMaryion found Johnson in the corner of the endzone for his fourth touchdown of the season.
With the 'Dogs leading 14-0 after the first quarter, the fourth time this season Fresno State has shut out its opponent in the opening frame, and third week in a row, the Bulldogs accounted for 171 yards through the air in the opening quarter.
Forcing another punt by the Lobos, the Bulldogs took over at their own 18-yard line with 12:51 left in the half, and after the Lobos lone sack of the game brought McMaryion down to the five, a six-yard strike to Jordan set up a third-and-17. A career-long 57-yard rush by the junior quarterback brought the ball to the New Mexico 32-yard line. A pair of rushes by freshman running back Ronnie Rivers, a 28-yard scamper followed by a four-yard touchdown run, pushed the 'Dogs lead to 21-0.
The 'Dogs added a 37-yard field goal by senior kicker Jimmy Camacho to make it 24-0, set up by a forced fumble by junior linebacker James Bailey and recovered by Bell, and a 32-yard scoring strike from McMaryion to Jordan increased the lead to 31-0 after the three quarters.
A 12-yard touchdown run by Hokit, his fourth score of the season, completed the scoring on the night as the 'Dogs shut out a conference opponent for the first time since blanking San Jose State 30-0 in 2007.
Notables
• Fresno State won its Homecoming game for the ninth time in the last 11 seasons dating back to 2007.
• The Bulldogs own six-straight wins in their series with the Lobos, the longest win streak they own against any Mountain West team.
• Fresno State is 3-0 in Mountain West play for the first time since 2013.
• It is the first time the 'Dogs have posted more than one shutout in a season since 1988.
• The 'Dogs improved to 12-4 all-time against the Lobos and 7-1 at home.
• Fresno State entered the game against New Mexico with a rushing defense that ranked 19th in the FBS, allowing just 107.2 yards per game, while the Lobos, known for its ground attack, entered the game averaging 266.8 yards per contest with its option offense. The 'Dogs held the Lobos to 109 yards on the ground as it was the fewest amount of yards New Mexico has rushed for since Sept. 15, 2012 at Texas Tech (84).
• It was the largest margin of win in a Mountain West contest since Nov. 23, 2013 when the 'Dogs defeated New Mexico by 41 points, 69-28.
• Camacho made his 11th field goal of the season and 13th of his career.
• It was Johnson's fourth career 100-yard receiving game and Jordan's fifth.
Up Next
The Bulldogs hit the road next week traveling to No. 19 San Diego State (6-1, 2-1 MW) for a 7:30 p.m. PT kickoff at SDCCU Stadium.
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All Photos by Jack W Porter, Jr.