Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Nevada
Bulldogs Outrun Wolfpack, 54-17
11/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 20, 2004
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Wendell Mathis rushed for 110 yards and three touchdowns and Bryson Sumlin added 147 yards and a score Saturday night in Fresno State's fourth straight blowout victory, 54-17 over Nevada on Saturday night.
Sumlin and Mathis both surpassed 100 yards rushing in the same game for the third time this season. Fresno State (7-3, 4-3 Western Athletic Conference), seventh in the nation in scoring, has surpassed 50 points in three straight games for the first time since 1942.
Though they fell out of the Bowl Championship Series picture with three consecutive losses midway through the season, the Bulldogs have routed Southern Methodist, Rice, Hawaii and Nevada in their last four games by an average margin of 41.5 points.
Talib Wise rushed 21 times for 124 yards and a touchdown for Nevada (5-6, 3-4), which fell to 0-6 on the road this season with its sixth straight loss to the Bulldogs.
Paul Pinegar benefited from the strong ground attack by completing 11 of 18 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns, improving to 22-8 as a starter at Fresno State.
With the Bulldogs already comfortably ahead, Pinegar began the third quarter with a 54-yard touchdown pass to Jaron Fairman and ended it with a 24-yard scoring strike to Mark Wood. Mathis added his third touchdown on a 9-yard scamper with 8:30 left in the fourth quarter.
Fresno State bolted to a 23-point lead, extending the Bulldogs' first-half scoring advantage over their last four opponents to 145-17. Sumlin rushed for 118 yards in the first half, including an 18-yard touchdown following Marcus McCauley's interception.
Jeff Rowe completed 18 of 32 passes for 186 yards despite constant pressure from a Fresno State pass rush that recorded three sacks. Nichiren Flowers had eight catches for 86 yards, but Nevada committed 18 penalties.
