Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
San Jose State
Dogs Dominate Rival Spartans
11/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 21, 2008
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Chastin West's 49-yard punt return for a touchdown gave Fresno State the spark it needed, leading the Bulldogs to a 24-10 victory Friday night over San Jose State in what might have been a bowl elimination game.
Anthony Harding added two fourth-quarter touchdown runs and 99 yards rushing for the Bulldogs (7-4, 4-3 WAC), who beat San Jose State (6-6, 4-4) for the 14th time in the past 15 meetings.
Fresno State's defense held the Spartans to minus 5 rushing yards, marking the second straight week the Dogs held an opponent to negative rushing yards.
Both teams came into the game with the six wins necessary for going to a bowl game but were hoping to bolster their credentials with a strong performance on national television and in front of several bowl representatives.
With the WAC possibly having six bowl eligible teams and only three automatic berths, this game was crucial to the postseason hopes for both teams. Neither team looked worthy of a bowl, but Fresno State might have done just enough to earn a trip.
The Bulldogs had been unable to move the ball at all before West's return of a short punt by Philip Zavala tied the game at 10 late in the third quarter. Fresno State had been limited to three first downs and 54 yards of offense to that point.
After forcing a punt by San Jose State (6-6, 4-4) on the next drive, Fresno State went to its ground game, running the ball on all 11 plays of a 69-yard drive. Harding's 8-yard run gave the Bulldogs a 17-10 lead early in the fourth quarter. Harding added a 21-yard touchdown run with 5:02 left that made it 24-10 and put the game away.
Running back Brandon Rutley threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to David Richmond on an option play in the first quarter for San Jose State's only touchdown. After losing four of their final five games, the Spartans must now wait and hope that a bowl will still be interested in inviting them.
Fresno State, which finished the season next weekend at No. 9 Boise State, could have found itself in a similar situation. The Bulldogs, however, managed to pull it out after they committed three first-half turnovers and got a 5-for-18 passing performance from Tom Brandstater.
The Spartans made plenty of mistakes of their own. Jared Strubeck missed two field goals and San Jose State committed 10 penalties for 88 yards.
Sean Flynn made his first career start in his final regular season game, playing for the injured Kyle Reed. Flynn finished 20-for-36 for 170 yards. Yonus Davis returned after missing the previous two games with an ankle injury but gained only 36 yards on 12 carries.
The Spartans' lone offensive highlight came a fumble by Vince Pascoe gave them the ball at the 35. On the next play, Flynn took the shotgun snap and pitched a lateral to Rutley, who threw a strike to Richmond for the first score of the game.
The teams traded field goals after that, giving the Spartans a 10-3 halftime lead.
Fresno State vs. San Jose State
Bulldog Stadium
Postgame Notes and Quotes
Nov. 21, 2008
Dominating Defense
For the second straight week, the Bulldogs held an opponent to negative rushing yards on the game. Last week, the Bulldogs held New Mexico State to minus-9 yards, a FS record. Against the Spartans today, the Dogs held San Jose State to minus-5 rushing yards, the second-fewest rushing yards in Bulldog history. The Dogs have nine combined quarterback sacks in the last two games.
Turnover Troubles
Before tonight's game the Dogs had lost every game this season in which they committed two or more turnovers. The Dogs were off to a bad omen with two turnovers, one fumble and one interception, in the first seven minutes of the game and added a third at their own 39 yard line early in the second quarter. The Spartans converted the first turnover into a touchdown to give them a 7-0 lead. Despite the three first half turnovers the Dogs trailed just 10-3.
Kevin's Kicks
Kicker Kevin Goessling extended his WAC lead with his 13th field goal of the season in the first quarter. His 44-yarder through the north end zone uprights was his fifth of 40 yards or more this season. His 58-yard kick at Utah State was the second-longest in the NCAA this season and a Fresno State record.
Bob's Boomers
Robert Malone's second quarter punt out of his own end zone was a thing of beauty, covering 74 yards, the longest of his career and 6 yards shy of the Bulldog school record. After tacking on a 10-yard hold penalty by the Spartans, it finished as an 80-yard change in field possession as SJSU had to start the ensuing drive in its own 10 yard line. Later in the quarter he hit a perfect pitch shot that Bulldog coverman Devon Wylie caught at the Spartan 5 yard line. He had five punts in the first half for an average of 47.8 yards with two downed inside the 20 yard line.
Going West
Junior Chastin West's 49-yard punt return for a touchdown was the second of his career. He had a kickoff return for a touchdown against Boise State in 2006. He is the third Bulldog this season with a punt return for a score. Marlon Moore and Rashad Evans also accomplished that feat. Fresno State's three punt returns for touchdowns ranks second to Kansas State (5) for most in the NCAA this season and the Dogs have 19 touchdowns on punt returns in the Pat Hill era, and a combined total of 37 special teams touchdowns in the last 12 seasons. West's touchdown tied the game at 10-10.
Harding's Highs
Junior running back Anthony Harding scored back-to-back rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter to break the 10-10 tie. Harding ran in his third rushing touchdown of the season on an 8-yard run with just under 12 minutes left in the game. He returned to the end zone less than seven minutes later to score on a 21-yard run. The pair of touchdown ties Harding's career record set at last season in the Texas A&M game.
Noteworthy
Representatives from the New Mexico Bowl, the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl and the Poinsettia Bowl attended the game at Spartan Stadium ... Fresno State back Ryan Mathews, one of the nation's top backs early in the season, didn't play for the second straight game. After rushing for more than 160 yards in two of the first four games, he was injured and not returned to complete health ... the Dogs outscored the Spartans 7-0 in the third quarter and have outscored their opponents 115-52 in the third in 2008 ... Jamal Rashad surpassed his career long rush in the fourth quarter, running for 13 and then 15 yards in a drive that resulted in an Anthony Harding touchdown ... the Dogs improved their all-time lead in the series 37-33-3 and have won 14 of the last 15 games in the series ... the game was Fresno State's 60th nationally televised game this decade. Fresno State will have another national TV game next Friday at Boise State.
Quotes
Head Coach Pat Hill:
"We played Bulldog football in the second half. We were limited with what we could do in the second half. Tom (Brandstater) hardly practiced this week because of the injury and he could hardly plant and throw the ball. We lined up with three tight ends in the second half and stayed with three running plays. The three backs all ran hard. Anthony Harding, Lonyae Miller and Jamaal Rashad all ran the ball hard and very effectively."
"Our defense played well the whole game. They kept us in the game in the first half. They have played well the last two weeks. After giving up about 400 total yards in the last two weeks, they have played very well."
"I give San Jose State and Dick (Tomey) a lot of credit. They played hard. We just pounded them in the second half and really took over the game. It's been a great rivalry over the years and we are happy that we've won 11 of the last 12 games."
"Join the State - Fresno State!" - The `Dogs close out the 2008 regular season as they head to Boise to take on WAC rival Boise State on Friday, November 28 at 3 pm. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
