FRESNO - Clinching a second straight West Division crown and a trip back to the Mountain West championship game, Fresno State overcame a four-point halftime deficit to defeat San Diego State, 23-14, on Saturday evening at Bulldog Stadium.
Holding on to the Oil Can Trophy for a second consecutive season, the Bulldogs rallied from a 14-10 halftime deficit by shutting out SDSU in the second half and limiting them to just 57 yards of offense. Meanwhile, the 'Dogs racked up 178 yards offense and went 4-of-6 on third downs in the second half en route to the comeback.
Overall, Fresno State (9-2, 6-1 MW) tallied 390 yards of offense, passing for 267 yards and rushing for 123.
Bulldog quarterback Marcus McMaryion finished 17-of-24 for 267 yards and tossed an 86-yard touchdown to Jamire Jordan while adding 16 rushing yards. The senior from Dinuba has now thrown for at least 200 yards in all 11 games this season. Senior wide receiver KeeSean Johnson matched his career-high with 10 receptions for 141 yards and sophomore running back Ronnie Rivers had a career-high 22 carries totaling 78 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, safety Juju Hughes led the 'Dogs with nine tackles as the Bulldog defense held the Aztecs rushing attack to 64 yards. SDSU came into the game averaging 166.1 yards per game. The 'Dogs only allowed SDSU to complete eight passes for 218 yards with 145 of those yards coming on 75, and 70-yard touchdowns passes to wide receiver Fred Trevillion.
How It Happened
After Fresno State held San Diego State to a three-and-out, the Bulldogs opened the game on their own 6-yard line after a 55-yard punt. On the third play, McMaryion caught the Aztec defense offside on a third-and-2 and took advantage of the free play, connecting with Jamire Jordan for an 86-yard touchdown down the left sideline to open up the scoring 12:08 into the game.
San Diego State leveled the game in the first quarter, 7-7, with a deep ball of their own, a 75-yard touchdown pass from Christian Chapman that found Fred Trevellion in stride with 6:21 on the clock in the first.
The 'Dogs regained the lead with 6:40 remaining in the second quarter as they put together a 10-play, 63-yard drive that ended with a 25-yard field goal from Asa Fuller. It was quick lived though, as the Aztecs went to the air again, this time with different quarterback under center in Ryan Agnew. Agnew connected with Trevellion for a 70-yard touchdown pass on their first play following the Bulldogs' field goal to regain the lead, 14-10. The Aztecs took that lead into the half to mark the second time this season the 'Dogs trailed at the break.
For the fifth straight game, Fresno State took its first possession of the second half in for points. Aided by a 32-yard reception from KeeSean Johnson, the Bulldogs worked the ball 75 yards down the field as Ronnie Rivers ran it from two yards out on a pitch to give the 'Dogs a 17-14 lead. San Diego State looked to tie up the game with just over two minutes remaining in the third, but John Baron's 47-yard attempt stayed left of the upright with 2:16 remaining in the third quarter.
Fresno State went right to work on its ensuing drive. Keyed by a 37-yard reception by Johnson inside the Aztec 5-yard line, the Bulldogs moved the ball 70 yards on 10 plays to extend its lead to 23-14 on a one-yard touchdown plunge from Jordan Mims with 12:40 left in the game.
The 'Dogs forced a three-and-out on SDSU's next possession and Isaiah Johnson ended the Aztecs final drive with a sack on fourth-and-nine.
Notables
- Fresno State captured its second consecutive MW West Division title and fourth in six years.
- Fresno State has won 18 of its last 22 games overall.
- Fresno State extended nation-leading streak to of limiting opponents under 30 points to 22 games.
- In six season since the inception of the Mountain West Championship game, the winner of the Bulldogs-Aztecs game has represented the West Division in the championship game.
- Fresno State earned its ninth win on Saturday; the Bulldogs have won at least nine games in four of their seven seasons as a member of the Mountain West.
- Fresno State shut it opponents out in the second half for the fourth time this season.
- San Diego State registered 57 total yards in the second half after posting 225 yards in the first half.
Quotables
Coach Tedford's opening statement…
"It was a real team effort through four quarters tonight. We knew going in that it was going to be a battle. San Diego State is a good football team and they have a good program. They made some big plays on us early in the game but our guys found a way to fight back in the second half and make some of our own. Our defense stiffened up and we started to win the field position battle a little bit more in the second half. Blake punted down deep a couple of times again. It is so awesome for our kids and for our staff who work so hard and have so much invested in this. I am very proud of them."
Tedford on making it to the championship game two years in a row…
"It is our goal going in, all the time. There is a lot of hard work that goes into it. We told the team all week this week that we only get one opportunity to do this and all the time we have invested in this, all the 5:30 a.m. workouts and all of the investing we have in this, to have an opportunity like this doesn't come around all the time. We were fortunate to be in the position we were going into this game but we knew it was going to be a really hard fought game and sure enough, it was. It was a four quarter battle with two good football teams. We were fortunate enough to come out on top of this one."
Quarterback Marcus McMaryion on the discussions at halftime…
"At halftime, we just talk about missed opportunities and execution. There's not any magical play calls. I might need to be better with my reads or a couple blocks here and there. It's just talking about the details of execution.
Linebacker James Bailiey on clinching the West to go to the Mountain West Championship…
"It's awesome. It's a great feeling to know we have another chance at a Mountain West Championship. It doesn't matter to me who we play, I just want to play and win.''
Next Up
Fresno State will host San Jose State in its last home game of season on Nov. 24. The Bulldogs will honor the team's 27 seniors prior to the game. Kickoff is schedule for 4 p.m. and will broadcast on ESPNU.
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – 940 AM ESPN Radio and 1600 AM ESPN Deportes is the official home of the Fresno State Bulldogs.
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All Photos by Jack W Porter, Jr.