Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Rice
Fresno State Cruises Past Rice 52-21
11/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 6, 2004
HOUSTON (AP) - Paul Pinegar threw three first-half touchdowns and Richard Marshall returned an interception 100 yards as Fresno State defeated Rice 52-21 on Saturday.
Pinegar completed his first eight passes and went 12-of-18 for 183 yards. He had touchdown passes of 30 and 7 yards to Adam Jennings and 49 yards to Joe Fernandez.
Fresno State (5-3, 2-3 Western Athletic) built a 28-7 lead at the half and Pinegar left in the third quarter with the game well in hand thanks to three big plays in an eight-minute span.
Marcus McCauley returned an interception 63 yards to the 1-yard line, then Bryson Sumlin scored two plays later to put Fresno up 38-7. Then Marshall had the interception return for a score and Clifton Smith added a 67-yard punt return just 1:38 later to make it 52-7.
It was the first punt return of Smith's career and just the second all year by a player other than Adam Jennings.
Rice (3-6, 2-4) added two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including an 80-yard run by Quinton Smith as time expired. Smith had 166 yards on 12 carries as the Owls piled up 286 yards rushing.
Rice had more yardage - 443 to 310 - but also made more mistakes. The Owls threw three interceptions, lost a fumble and were sacked four times. For the second consecutive game, Fresno State didn't turn the ball over.
The offensive display was Fresno State's highest offensive output since scoring 70 in a win over Utah State in 2001. It also continued Fresno State's outstanding play in November. The Bulldogs have won 15 of their last 16 regular season games in November or December.
