Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Louisiana Tech
No. 10 Football Handles Louisiana Tech 38-28
9/29/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept 29, 2001
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
FRESNO, Calif. - Paris Gaines learned the importance of team support while recovering from major knee surgery. Accordingly, he deflected the credit for his outstanding performance toward everyone but himself.
Gaines rushed for a career-high 203 yards and two touchdowns, and also caught a 37-yard scoring pass with 4:35 left as No. 10 Fresno State beat Louisiana Tech 38-28 on Saturday night.
Fresno State (5-0, 2-0 WAC) rolled up 568 total yards while earning its 17th straight home victory - the third-longest streak in the nation.
But it wasn't an easy night at Bulldog Stadium, which was packed with a school-record 42,881 fans who never sat comfortably while watching the highest-ranked team in school history fight off an inspired opponent.
Gaines was indefatigable, however. He pounded away at Louisiana Tech's defense for several long runs - including a 58-yard TD run on the second play of the second half - while David Carr recovered from a slow start to complete 26 of 42 passes for 319 yards and two scores. He also rushed for a TD.
"The guys who did this were the offensive line, the other receivers, and the defense, which made a bunch of big stops," Gaines said. "It was a total team effort. You don't beat a team that good without everybody playing a role."
Louisiana Tech (1-2, 1-1), using every skill and trick in its considerable store, hurt Fresno State with everything from strong defensive stops to two halfback option TD passes.
"It was a grind," Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. "People are going to look at that score and not realize how well we had to play to win this game."
In the Bulldogs' first home game since a 44-24 win over Oregon State that catapulted them into the national spotlight and the AP Top 25 earlier this month, Fresno State got much more than it expected from Louisiana Tech's inventive offense.
Louisiana Tech tailback/receiver John Simon threw two touchdown passes to Ahmad Harris, including a 19-yarder with 9:00 left in the game that cut Fresno State's lead to 31-28.
"That was amazing," Louisiana Tech coach Jack Bicknell said. "We just felt like we could get it. When you're playing a real good team, you might take a few more chances."
"We're a very aggressive team, and they exploited it," Hill said. "Two touchdowns off halfback passes - I've never seen it in a game."
Luke McCown was 30-of-58 for 313 yards and two scores. D.J. Curry, in his first game back from a broken collarbone, caught nine passes for 98 yards and a score, though Curry fumbled at the end of a long reception with 3:25 left, killing Louisiana Tech's last chance.
Tied 21-21, the Bulldogs opened the second half with an outstanding open-field run by Gaines, who earlier scored on a 1-yard run. Gaines, a senior, rushed for just 375 yards last season after his knee surgery.
Hill thinks that Gaines still is learning to trust his knee, but Gaines gives the credit for his improved performances to the Bulldogs' line.
"It was just a great push by my offensive line," Gaines said. "They were great. If I could take them out to eat, I'd take them anywhere they wanted right now."
Fresno State's struggle to earn the victory didn't help its unlikely bid for a BCS berth. Those chances also were hurt earlier in the day when Oregon State lost to UCLA 38-7.
Louisiana Tech (1-2, 1-1), which routed Southern Methodist and lost a squeaker to Oklahoma State earlier this season, made three long scoring drives in the first half, quieting the crowd and keeping Fresno State's offense off the field for long stretches.
Simon, who had never thrown a pass, made a perfect 36-yard throw late in the first half to Harris, who scored his first career touchdown to give Louisiana Tech a 21-14 lead.
"We aren't satisfied with just playing close," Simon said. "It's not a matter of who they are or what they're ranked. We've just got to finish. We're playing everybody close."
Delwyn Daigre and Curry also caught TD passes for Louisiana Tech in the first half. Bernard Berrian caught a 1-yard TD pass for Fresno State.
Fresno State's high-powered offense opened the game in miserable form. Carr missed open receivers and bounced passes off the hands of several others as the Bulldogs gained just 61 yards in the first quarter.
But Fresno State tied it up with a 64-yard scoring drive capped by Carr's 1-yard TD keeper shortly before halftime.
The two schools, which are separated by more than 1,800 miles, met for just the third time in Louisiana Tech's first conference road game since joining the WAC this fall.
