Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State-Nevada Game Notes
9/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 1, 2006
Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery
Fresno, Calif. -
Fresno State
Joe Fernandez' touchdown in the first quarter was the 13th of his career. That touchdown puts him 10th all-time among Fresno State wideouts in receiving touchdowns.
True freshman punter Robert Malone made his first appearance as a Bulldog in place of injured senior Mike Lingua. Malone's first punt was good for 52 yards.
Jason Shirley's blocked PAT at the end of the first half was the 61st blocked kick of the Pat Hill era. The last blocked kick for the Bulldogs was at Hawai'i in 2005, when Garrett McIntyre blocked a field goal against the Rainbows.
Junior running back Dwayne Wright's 40-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was the second-longest of his career.
Dwayne Wright rushed for 158 total yards, the fifth-time he has gone over 100 yards in his Fresno State career, and the second of his last three games, dating back to his last appearance in a Fresno State game back in September of 2003.
Scoring three rushing touchdowns in the game was a new career high for Dwayne Wright. The last time Fresno State had a running back score multiple rushing touchdowns was on Oct. 29, 2005 against Hawai'i when Wendell Mathis scored three times.
Looking at some of the future of the program, Fresno State played six true freshman in the first game of the year, including punter Robert Malone, running back Anthony Harding, cornerbacks Damion Owens and A.J. Jefferson, along with running back Lonyae Miller who contributed 14 yards on four carries.
In his first start, Tom Brandstater was effective at quarterback, completing 16 of 24 passes for 124 yards and 1 touchdown.
The 158 rushing yards for Wright was the 45th best single game total in Fresno State history, and the second time that Wright has been in the top 50 single-game performances. Wright ran for a career best 179 yards against Louisiana Tech in 2003 at Bulldog Stadium.
Fresno State is now 9-1 in home openers under head coach Pat Hill, including victories in their last seven games.
Nevada
Sophomore Mike McCoy caught two receiving touchdowns in the game after scoring just once all of 2005
Sophomore Luke Lippincott's touchdown run in the fourth quarter was the first of his career.
After starting the game 4-of-11. senior Jeff Rowe complete 7-of-8 passes in the third quarter.
Senior Robert Hubbard has now rushed for at least 100 yards in his last three games, dating back to the Fresno State-Nevada game in 2005.
Nevada Quotes:
Head Coach Chris Ault:
At times we played well, but it wasn't enough tonight. I think the most important turning point was at the beginning of the third quarter, where that fumble led to a 14-pooint turnaround. There's no excuse for that, and defensively, they just controlled the ball, simple as that.
Obviously, it's nice to make a good comeback like that, but it wasn't enough. In the end, we didn't make enough defensive stops, and adding to that, when you don't have the ball much, you have to move the ball consistently on offense, which we didn't do.
On Tom Brandstater
Their quarterback did a good job of managing the game which is important for them. When you play Pat Hill, he's going to run the ball at you, and it's up to you to stop it. We didn't do that tonight. But remember, that's a solid football team that Fresno State has. Give them some credit.
Quarterback Jeff Powe
We have a lot more games, including Arizona State in just two weeks. We just need to move on, strap up and get ready to go.
We played well in the third quarter, allowing us to come back. We just weren't able to make the big play in the fourth quarter.
Cornerback Joe Garcia
We're disappointed that we weren't able to complete the comeback. We had chances to make plays tonight but didn't convert. I didn't make the play that I had the chance to make in the third [quarter.]
On Joe Fernandez
He's quick. He's quick off the line, and he runs quick routes. He's a good athlete, a good receiver. We needed to do a better job on him.
It was good that we were able to start the comeback, but we didn't finish. That's what we really need to do; what we need to learn how to do.
Fresno State Quotes:
Pat Hill:
The most important thing about tonight was the win. I don't care about the stats, I don't care about giving grades, the only grade I care about is a win. Nevada is a heck of a football team. As I've said all week, they are well-coached. Chris Ault is a Hall of Fame coach, has passion for his school, and his teams play very tough. This was a heck of a win for us against a good football team.
On Tom Brandstater:
I couldn't be happier with Tom's performance tonight. He managed the game very well. He was ready to play.
On Dwayne Wright:
I hope tonight's game answers all of the questions on whether Dwayne Wright is healthy or not. He's healthy, period. He ran very hard, and he was a load to bring down. I'm very happy for him. It's been a long two years for him to be away from the game. It was good to see him come out with a performance like that tonight.
On Oregon:
We get to enjoy this win over Nevada tonight. It was a big win. But tomorrow morning, all of our focus is on Oregon. That will be a big game on a national stage. I know it's a game that a lot of our fans have been looking forward too, and it's just a week away.
The ticket office will be open tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in anticipation of a large turnout of fans to buy tickets for the Oregon game. The ticket office will also be open on Monday, Sept. 3, so fans can get their tickets on the holiday.
Join the State - Fresno State! Get tickets online 24/7 at www.gobulldogs.com or by calling the Bulldog Ticket Office (559-278-DOGS), Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Ticket Office is located at the south entrance of the stadium off Bulldog Lane. Fresno State's 2006 home schedule features opponents such as Oregon, Colorado State, Hawai'i, New Mexico State and Idaho.
