Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Toledo
No. 25 Fresno State Edges Toledo in Double OT Thriller
9/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 20, 2008
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) - Toledo's Tom Amstutz could see that his players didn't have much left.
That's why he decided to go for a two-point conversion and the victory against No. 25 Fresno State at the end of two overtimes.
It didn't work.
Nico Herron knocked down Aaron Opelt's pass and the Bulldogs held on to beat Toledo 55-54 on Saturday night.
Amstutz decided to go for the win after the Rockets scored on Opelt's 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end John Allen on fourth down to make it a one-point game.
Opelt was pressured on the final play and forced the ball into coverage.
"Our players were tired," Amstutz said.
Players were cramping up and Amstutz worried it was getting too risky to continue on, he said.
"It was time to decide the game," Amstutz said. "I would do it again just the same way, other than we would catch it."
Opelt agreed with his coach.
"I loved it," the quarterback said. "If he gives us that confidence, it makes us feel good as an offense."
In the first overtime, the Rockets (1-2) needed just two plays to jump in front 48-41.
Receiver Nick Moore caught a lateral and then threw a strike to a leaping Stephen Williams at the 1. Opelt then dove over for a 1-yard touchdown.
Tom Brandstater answered with his fourth touchdown pass, a 6-yard throw to Isaac Kinter that tied it at 48.
The Bulldogs (2-1) from the Western Athletic Conference got the ball first in the second overtime and took just three plays to go in front 55-48. Anthony Harding's 23-yard run took the ball to the 2 and Brandstater then dove in on a 1-yard sneak.
Toledo's Alex Steigerwald sent it into overtime with a 33-yard field goal with 15 seconds left.
Fresno State struggled early in the game, but came alive in the second half, scoring the first four times they had the ball. Brandstater finished 22-of-28 for 231 yards.
"I don't care about the score, I don't care about the stats," Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. "I care that we got the win."
The Bulldogs appeared to take control after going ahead 41-31 with 10 minutes left when Brandstater's 39-yard touchdown pass to Marlon Moore bounced twice off Toledo cornerback Desmond Marrow before landing in Moore's hands.
But Fresno State, which held Wisconsin to 13 points a week ago, couldn't stop Toledo of the Mid-American Conference.
Stephen Williams caught a 44-yard touchdown pass with 3:07 left and the Rockets then recovered an onside kick, giving them the ball at their own 43.
They quickly drove down field, setting up Steigerwald's tying kick.
The Bulldogs had no answer for Toledo's running game.
DaJuane Collins ran for 138 yards and two touchdowns before leaving with an injured left ankle. His backup, freshman Morgan Williams, ran for 143 yards and one score.
Collins had 103 yards in the first half alone against a defense that had allowed only 130 yards per game on the ground in its first two games against Rutgers and Wisconsin.
Fresno State's offense had just 98 yards in the first half before coming alive.
Fresno State vs. Toledo
The Glass Bowl
Postgame Notes and Quotes
Sept. 20, 2008
Overtime
The win brought Pat Hill's record in overtime games to 4-2. It was Fresno State's second overtime game in the last 15 games. The previous was a three-overtime loss at No. 23 Texas A&M in the second game of the 2007 season.
Defensive Scores
Bulldog sophomore linebacker Ben Jacobs scored Fresno State's first touchdown on the second play of the game, the first fumble recovered for a score by the Dogs since Oct. 22, 2005. It was the first touchdown scored by the Bulldog defense since Damon Jenkins returned an interception for a score against Boise State, Nov. 1, 2006. It was Jacob's second fumble recovery of his career. Jacobs had 14 tackles in the game, two for losses, and broke up the Toledo two-point conversion attempt in overtime that allowed the Dogs to win 55-54.
A.J. Explodes
Junior A.J. Jefferson, who led the NCAA in kickoff return average in 2007, had his best attempt of the season on the Rocket's first kickoff. Jefferson returned the kick 73 yards, which led to the Dogs' second touchdown of the game, a 16-yard yard screen pass to Ryan Mathews, two plays later to give the Bulldogs a 14-7 lead. Jefferson was averaging 24 yards per return coming into the game, 41st in the nation. He had 191 yards on five returns in the game.
Big Play Seyi
Junior receiver Seyi Ajirotutu continues to provide big plays in the early part of the season. He had four catches for 80 yards, including a 47 yard reception in the third quarter that set up a Bulldog touchdown pass from Tom Brandstater to Bear Pascoe and give the Dogs a 27-24 lead. It was his third reception greater than 30 yards this season. He had a 77-yard reception against Rutgers in the season opening game.
Tom Terrific
Senior quarterback Tom Brandstater had his best game of the season, one the best of his career against Toledo. He completed 22-of-28 passes for 231 yards and threw a career-high four touchdown passes. It was the first four TD passing game for a Bulldog quarterback since Paul Pinegar threw four vs. Nevada in 2005. Brandstater also rushed for one touchdown in the game, a quarterback sneak, on Fresno State's final touchdown of the game. He has 34 career touchdowns, one shy of Jeff Tedford for No. 7 on the Bulldog career record charts. He was stellar in the second half of the game connecting on 14-of-15 pass attempts for 173 yards and three touchdowns.
Bear Tracks
Senior tight end Bear Pascoe caught his first touchdown of the season and it was a big one, giving the Dogs a 27-24 lead with 6 minutes and 44 second remaining in the third quarter. It was the seventh touchdown of his brilliant career. Pascoe is an All-America and Mackey Award Candidate, an award that goes to the nation's top tight end.
Dogs on ESPN
Fresno State made its 57th national television appearance since the 2000 season on Monday. The Dogs are among the nation's most watched teams this decade. Fresno State has six national TV games this season, including next week's game at UCLA on ABC.
Noteworthy
Tonight's 8:15 p.m. local time start is the latest for a Bulldog game this season. Fresno State is expected to arrive back in Fresno between 3:30-4 a.m. Sunday ... Fresno State's first quarter touchdown was the first time the Dogs have scored in the first half this season ... Ryan Mathews added to his touchdown total with a first quarter touchdown reception. He has 18 in his career. It was his first career touchdown reception ... Senior defensive end Michael Stuart started against the Rockets, the first time he's started in his career ... Senior defensive tackle Jon Monga got a sack late in the second quarter, No. 12.5 in his career. The next play he was injured and left the game, not to return. Monga will be evaluated back in Fresno ... Chastin West's third quarter 3-yard reception was his first of the season ... the Dogs were most efficient in the third quarter, with 17 points and scoring on all three possessions. Fresno State outgained the Rockets 189-86 in total yards and Tom Brandstater was 9-of-10 passing for 108 yards in the quarter ... Fresno State's 55 points were the most since scoring 55 in the season opener of the 2005 season against Weber State. It was the most against an FBS opponent since the Dogs scored 70 in a 70-14 win over Hawaii in 2004 ... Isaac Kinter's overtime touchdown was the third of his career ... Toledo ran 89 offensive plays to Fresno State's 66 in the game ... the Dogs were a perfect 6-for-6 in the Red Zone in the game and are now 12-of-13 on the season ... Toledo's home loss was the first in its program's history to a team ranked in the Top 25.
Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Pat Hill
"In my 143 games as head coach, I've never been more proud of a team or a group of players as I am tonight. That was a big-time win. We got Toledo's best shot, and last week we got Wisconsin's best shot and we got Rutgers' best shot. We had a tough loss last week, a tough week and came in here to a great environment against a team that was really ready to play. To come back and win that game with all of the odds was great. We were down players and had some freshman in there at the end. That's a great experience for them. Now we have to get back home and get ready to go down to the Rose Bowl and play the Bruins."
"You know me. I'm not about the stats or the score. I said earlier in the week if we came in here and won by one point I'd be happy. It's always about the "W" with me and always will be. We got a tough road win and we are moving on."
Sophomore center Joe Bernardi
"That was as tough a game as I've ever played in. I didn't know if it was ever going to end. That was a great game, the best I've ever been a part of. I'm just glad we are going home. I'm tried."
"Join the State - Fresno State!" - The `Dogs head south to the Rose Bowl for a non-conference match up with UCLA on Saturday, September 27 at 12:30 p.m. If you can't make it to the game, watch it live on ABC. The Dogs next home game is Saturday, October 4 as they battle Hawai'i at 7 p.m. To purchase tickets, click on the tickets icon at the top of this page, call the Bulldog Ticket Office at (559) 278-DOGS, or stop by the Bulldog Ticket Office.
