Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Utah State
Dogs Thump Utah State, 41-24
9/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 18, 2010
LOGAN, Utah (AP) - A.J. Ellis ran for 165 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead Fresno State past Utah State 41-24 Saturday night. The Dogs improved to 2-0 on the season, 1-0 in the WAC. It's the best start for Fresno State since the 2004 season. Fresno State opened the year with a 28-14 win over two-time defending Big East Champion Cincinnati.
Quarterback Ryan Colburn also ran for 44 yards and threw for 149 yards and a touchdown for the Bulldogs (2-0, 1-0 Western Athletic), who scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
Utah State (1-2, 0-1) led in total offensive yards at the end of three closely played quarters (274-269) and had the score tied at 24, but the Aggies gained only 37 yards in the final quarter. The Bulldog defense held the Aggies to just one first down in the fourth quarter.
USU was led by quarterback Diondre Borel, who threw for 106 yards and ran for 89 more. But Fresno State's defense held Borel to 4-of-13 passing in the second half.
Fresno State's special teams were a big part of the game, as the Dogs blocked a field goal attempt and a punt. Since 2002, Fresno State leads the NCAA in blocks with 51.
POSTGAME NOTES AND QUOTES
Head Coach Pat Hill: "This was a big win. Logan has been a tough place for the Dogs over the years. I haven't seen a crowd like this at Romney Stadium in a while. It was a great atmosphere and Utah State is a very good team. To outscore them 24-7 in the second half was a great effort by our team. Our coaches made some great adjustments at halftime."
"A.J. Ellis had a great game. He made the most of his opportunity. I was really happy for him. He's been working hard and earned his playing time. He played very well tonight."
"Our specials teams did a great job. We really won the kicking game. We had two blocks and our cover teams were very good. I feel very good about that part of our team right now"
"We are 1-0 in the WAC and that huge. We have one more road game and three huge home games in October. Those will be big for our team."
"We are looking forward to heading to Ole Miss. That's going to be a big game in a great atmosphere in an SEC venue."
BULLDOG NOTES
- This was only the fourth win in Logan in the 27-game history Fresno State's most lopsided win at Romney Stadium since 1989 (34-7).
- Of Fresno State's three game captains (Kenny Wiggins, Desia Dunn and Sonny McCree), two were walk-on players. Dunn earned a starting spot at cornerback and has since been awarded a scholarship. McCree is a walk-on linebacker. The Dogs won the coin toss for the second straight game.
- A.J. Ellis earned his first career start and responded with a 100-plus yards game and scored the first two touchdowns of his career. He scored his first touchdown as a Bulldog on a 10-yard pass from Colburn and later ran for a touchdown that tied the game at 24-24. He also had a career-long 39-yard run in the second quarter. Ellis had just 7 career rushing yards coming into the game.
- Kenny Wiggins tipped a field goal attempt and Jamel Hamler's third quarter punt block was the first of his career and the 85th and 86th in the Pat Hill era. Hamler's was the first blocked punt by the Dogs since Devon Wylie had one against UC Davis in the season opening game in 2009. The Dogs have blocked 51 kicks since 2002, most in the nation. That led to a Kevin Goessling 30-yard field goal and gave the Dogs their first lead of the game 27-24.
- Junior kicker Kevin Goessling made his first field goals of the season, extending his school record streak to 17 straight.
- Sophomore receiver Matt Lindsey made his first career catch against the Aggies.
- Sophomore punter Andrew Shapiro had his longest career punt with two 55-yarders. The first was late in the second quarter. The Dogs downed the ball on the Aggie's 2 yard line, and held them to a three-play drive. Rashad Evans returned the ensuing punt 50 yards that set up a Bulldog touchdown run by Ryan Colburn to tie the game at 17-17 with 38 second remaining in the first half.
- Senior Tracy Slocum scored his first career touchdown as a Bulldog.
- Freshman receiver A.J. Johnson had his first career catches.
"We Are Your Team!" Fresno State returns to action Sept. 25 at Ole Miss. The next home game is Oct. 2 in the Football Fiesta Game vs. Cal Poly. Season tickets and mini--plans are available for the remaining six home games by clicking the tickets icon at the top of this page.
