Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Boise State
Football Falls To No. 20 Boise State 31-17
11/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 21, 2003
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
FRESNO, Calif. - Ryan Dinwiddie passed for 273 yards and two touchdowns, and Tim Gilligan caught six passes for 149 yards and a score in No. 20 Boise State's eighth straight victory, 31-17 over Fresno State on Friday night.
At the site of the biggest win in school history two years earlier, the Broncos (10-1, 6-0) clinched at least a share of their second straight WAC title with their 16th consecutive conference victory.
T.J. Acree, one of the three walk-on receivers who lead the school in catches, also caught a TD pass as the impressive Broncos took a 21-point lead in the first half. They never were threatened by Fresno State (7-5, 5-2), which had its four-game winning streak snapped.
As a sophomore in 2001, Dinwiddie led Boise State to a monumental upset victory over then-No. 8 and unbeaten Fresno State at Bulldog Stadium. He was just as sharp while quarterbacking the favorites this time - and Dinwiddie, who also rushed for a score, fell just 37 yards shy of setting the school's single-season passing record.
Bernard Berrian scored on a 68-yard punt return for the Bulldogs, who fell to 34-6 at home under coach Pat Hill. It was Fresno State's first loss in November since 2000, and its first on Senior Day in Hill's seven-year tenure.
Boise State is 20-2 in conference play since joining the WAC prior to the 2001 season. The Broncos also won the Big West title in their final two seasons in that conference, giving them four league victories in their last five seasons.
The Broncos made a proficient 12-play drive to open the game, with David Mikell scoring on a 3-yard run. Late in the first quarter, Gilligan - the WAC's leading receiver - caught a short pass across the middle and sprinted untouched for a 73-yard score.
Fresno State's Paul Pinegar threw an interception on the first play of the second quarter. Dinwiddie then scored on a 5-yard bootleg, silencing the chilled near-capacity crowd.
Marque Davis caught an 18-yard TD pass from Pinegar moments later, but Acree scored 3:32 before halftime. Neither team managed more than a field goal until Berrian ran untouched up the Fresno State sideline for a score with 8:28 to play.
Pinegar was 28-of-51 for 290 yards in his sixth consecutive start since returning from a torn pectoral muscle, but fans began streaming out of the stadium late in the third quarter.
Even if Fresno State wins its season finale at UTEP next weekend, the Bulldogs might be shut out of a bowl for the first time in five seasons.
If Tulsa finishes with a 6-2 conference record with a victory at San Jose State on Saturday, the Golden Hurricane would be expected to get a bid to the Silicon Valley Classic. The Bulldogs have played in the San Jose bowl in each of its three seasons of existence.
