Fresno State
Idaho
Dogs Down Idaho, 23-20
11/27/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 27, 2010
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - - A.J. Ellis dove into the end zone from 1 yard out with 14 seconds left, lifting Fresno State to a 23-20 victory over Idaho on Saturday night.
The Bulldogs(7-4, 5-3) will look for their eighth win next week when they take on Illinois on senior night.
Fresno State took the lead in the first quarter with a 47-yard field from junior Kevin Goessling. Goessling finished the night with three field goals from 47, 30 and 35 yards.
The first touchdown of the night came from linebacker Travis Brown. The sophomore had a 30-yard interception return putting the Dogs up 13-0 in the third quarter.
Defensively, the Dogs held the Vandals to under 200 receiving yards and sacked Idaho quarterback Nathan Enderle six times. WAC leader Chris Carter added another sack to his total of 10 on the year.
The Vandals fought back scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter and took the lead with two minutes left.
Senior quarterback Ryan Colburn marched the Dogs down the field and with seconds left on the clock and Ellis ran the ball in the for the win.
Colburn was 21 of 34 with 219 yards. Ellis recorded 55 yards on 11 carries.
Pat Hill
"That was a hard fought football game. I'm always pleased with a win. Wins are hard to come by and I've learned that at the end of the day a score doesn't matter. I give Idaho a lot of credit. They came in here playing for a bowl game and battled to the end. But our guys battled to. Give credited to every guy in that locker room. They never quit, never backed down. They believed they could win. They have a lot of pride in themselves and it showed tonight."
"Our defense played great tonight. We made some big plays. Travis Brown's touchdown was huge for us. He's going to be a heck of a player when it's all said and done. I was pleased with our defensive effort. We put a lot of pressure on them."
"We didn't help ourselves with some really tough turnovers and penalties. We had the opening kickoff down to the 12-yard line and it got called back. We moved the ball up and down the field and had some great drives but turned it over. We need to shore some of that up to get ready for a very talented Illinois team next Friday night."
"The Illinois game is going to be a great way to send our seniors out next week. Fifteen years ago I don't think a lot of people around here would have thought we'd ever have a chance to end the season on national television against a Big Ten opponent. We have the chance on Friday."
BULLDOG NOTES
- Fresno State improved to 9-4 all-time against Idaho and have won eight consecutive games against the Vandals.
- Despite playing the game with a broken hand and a large padded club, sophomore Robbie Rouse rushed for 83 yards on 12 carries all in the first half before sitting out the second half. Rouse stands 9 yards shy of reaching the Fresno State single season Top 10 list. He has 1,097 yards on the season and has rushed for 922 yards in the last six games.
- Fresno State had six sacks in the game, bringing their season total of (36) for the season.
- Fresno State's offense outgained Idaho 227 to -5 yards in the first half of the game. The Dogs were hurt by two turnovers and a holding call on a 90-yard kickoff return and came away with just 6 points in the half. Fresno State had 12 first downs while holding the Vandals to just 1.
- Kevin Goessling's three field goals gave him 48 for his career, passing Derek Mahoney (1990-93) for third-most in Bulldog history. Goessling has made 48-of-60 field goals in his career. Next on the list is No. 2 Asen Asparuhov who made 55 from 2000-02.
- On a night when former Bulldog defensive coordinator Dan Brown was recognized at half time, his son Travis, a Bulldog linebacker, made his first career interception and returned it for a touchdown of 30 yards early in the third quarter to give the Dogs a 13-0 lead. Dan Brown died in March 2009 after battling brain cancer. It was his first career touchdown. Brown's Family and Community Hospital have combined to raise more than $200,000 for cancer research.
- Travis Brown's interception return for a touchdown was the first by a Bulldog since Phillip Thomas at Illinois on Dec. 5, 2009.
- Isaiah Burse got a punt block in the third quarter Fresno State's sixth of the season. The Dogs have eight total blocks this season and now have 92 in the Pat Hill era. Since 2002 the Dogs have 56 blocked kicks most in the nation.
"We Are Your Team!" Fresno State concludes the regular season on Friday Dec. 3 at 7:15 p.m. against Big Ten foe Illinois. Tickets for the game can be purchased by clicking the tickets icon at the top of this page.
