FRESNO - UNLV halted Fresno State's four-game Mountain West winning streak on Saturday night at Bulldog Stadium, taking down the 'Dogs 26-16. "We just made too many mistakes, the dropped punt, the snap over our head, we just made too many mistakes," said head coach Jeff Tedford after the loss.
Fresno State (5-3, 4-1 MW) was held to 292 total yards of offense as junior quarterback Marcus McMaryion went 16-of-27 through the air for 152 yards while five ball carriers combined for 140 yards on the ground. Freshman running back Jordan Mims led the way with 68 yards and his first career multi-touchdown contest scoring both of the Bulldogs' touchdowns on the night.
Six different Bulldogs notched receptions from McMaryion as the trio of Derrion Grim, Da'Mari Scott and KeeSean Johnson each tallied four receptions each. Grim led the way with 68 yards while tallying a game-long reception of 31 in the first quarter.
Defensively, a trio of Bulldogs led the way with eight tackles apiece as reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of Week sophomore linebacker Jeffrey Allison, sophomore defensive back Mike Bell and junior linebacker George Helmuth each had eight stops. The 'Dogs, held without a sack for the first time this season, added seven tackles for loss as seniors Tobenna Okeke and Nathan Madsen had two apiece.
How It Happened
The Bulldogs got off to a good start, taking thier first drive 13 plays for 78 yards, capped by a 3-yard touchdown run by Mims. That drive featured nine rushes for 64 yards, Mims tallied 26 of them on the ground.
Scoring on its first possession for only the second time this season, senior kicker Jimmy Camacho missed his first extra point of his career, leaving the 'Dogs on top early, 6-0.
The Rebels answered with a eight-play, 48-yard drive that was capped by a 38-yard field goal by Daniel Gutierrez. It was the first time an opponent scored on the 'Dogs in the first quarter at Bulldog Stadium this season.
The 'Dogs responded with a 34-yard field goal by Camacho on the ensuing possession to extend the Bulldogs' lead, 9-3. The scoring drive went seven plays for 50 yards.
Edging UNLV 128-93 in total yards after the opening quarter, the Rebels offense controlled much of the second quarter limiting the Bulldogs to only 20 yards of total offense and one possession.
The Rebels held the ball for 11:31 in the second frame, notching a pair of field goals to tie the game at 9-9 by the end of the half, marking the first time since going to Washington the 'Dogs did not hold a halftime lead.
UNLV began the second half with the ball and continued to control the time of possession battle after going on an 11-play, 75-yard drive that took 5:29 off the clock. The Rebels finished their drive with a 7-yard touchdown run by quarterback Johnny Stanton. It was the first touchdown allowed by the Bulldog defense in 11 quarters dating back to the third quarter of the San Jose State contest on Oct. 7.
Responding to the adversity, the 'Dogs went on a season-long 89-yard drive that took 14 plays and was punctuated with a five-yard score from Mims to knot the game at 16-16. That drive saw the Bulldogs rush 11 times for 55 yards and McMaryion connected on three passes for 34 yards.
After forcing the Rebels to punt for the first time with 1:56 remaining in the third quarter, a costly mishandled punt by KeeSean Johnson set the Rebels up on a short field, needing 23 yards for a score. It took them four plays to capitalize, capped by a 2-yard rush by Lexington Thomas to give UNLV a 23-16 lead.
With the 'Dogs starting their next drive at their own 15, having 10:12 left in the game and down seven, the Bulldogs were able to move the ball 40 yards until being stalled at the UNLV 48-yard line with a fourth-and-two. Fresno State took a timeout and elected to punt coming out of it, the snap sailed over punter Blake Cusick's head for a loss of 36 yards. The ball was recovered by Cusick at the Fresno State 19-yard line and the ball turned over to the Rebels.
The Bulldog defense held UNLV to negative six yards, but a 25-yard field goal by Gutierrez put the visitors ahead 26-16.
Notables
• Fresno State continues to lead the MW West Division by one game.
• Head coach Jeff Tedford suffered his first loss at Bulldog Stadium as Fresno State's head coach.
• The Bulldogs, who have compiled a 5-3 record this year, have the nation's best win improvement (+4). Marshall, Michigan State and Virginia have all improved its win total by three games from 2016 to 2017.
• It was the first loss by Fresno State at home to UNLV since 1983, snapping a seven-game winning streak by the Bulldogs.
• Johnson extended his consecutive games with a reception to 30 finishing with four receptions for 21 yards.
Up Next
The Bulldogs take a break from Mountain West play next week to play its final non-conference game of the season hosting BYU (2-7) for a 7:45 p.m. kickoff on ESPN2 at Bulldog Stadium.
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