Fresno State Athletics
A Reflection on Bulldog History and 1,000th Game
10/1/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 1, 2014
By Jason Clay
jaclay@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State football program is set to hit a major milestone on Friday night, playing in the 1,000th game in program history, and the Bulldogs look to make it a special evening for the Red Wave.
Now in its 93rd season in program history, Fresno State enters the game with an all-time record of 579-393-27 (.580). The Bulldogs have more wins than any other program in the Mountain West, despite becoming just the sixth school in the league to play in 1,000 or more games.
Fresno State, with its school colors of red and blue, will celebrate the milestone by wearing new navy uniforms and chrome helmets for game No. 1,000. The `Night in Navy' game as it has been dubbed, is a reflection of how far this program has come over the years, but the evening also provides all Fresno State fans a chance to look back over the years and reflect on the success the program has enjoyed.
There is no way to truly quantify what are the top moments in program history. Each era of Bulldog football has gone through their own special moments that warm the hearts of the Red Wave in one form or another.
But with that, here is a list of some of the 10-best or most memorable games in program history - in no particular order - and this serves as a starting point for Bulldog faithful to weigh in on what their favorite moments in program history are.
Fans are encouraged to tweet their favorite Bulldog football games over the years to @FresnoStateFB and one lucky fan will win four tickets to the Nov. 29 football game against Hawai'i.
1961 Mercy Bowl Victory over Bowling Green - Game No. 381 - Nov. 23, 1961
Before a then record-breaking crowd of 33,145, Fresno State played in what has become one of the programs most shining moments. Six-point underdogs entering the game, the Bulldogs surprised everyone but themselves in a trouncing 36-6 victory over Bowling Green to end Fresno State's unblemished season with a perfect 10-0 record under head coach Cecil Coleman. The Bulldogs defeated what was then the fourth-ranked team in the nation in total defense with their relentless air-strike, throwing for 368 yards in the victory.
1992 Freedom Bowl Victory over USC - Game No. 726 - Dec. 29, 1992
Dubbed the "biggest game in school history" by legendary Bulldog coach Jim Sweeney, Fresno State pulled off the 1992 bowl season's biggest and most talked about upset with a stunning 24-7 win over Southern Cal in the Freedom Bowl IX held in Anaheim Stadium. The Bulldogs dominated the Trojans in every facet of the game, most notably in total offense, where Fresno State enjoyed a 405-183 advantage. Led by the likes of Trent Dilfer, Lorenzo Neal and Ron Rivers on offense and Brad Bell, Zack Rix and Wendell Valentine on defense, the Freedom Bowl victory capped off a 9-4 season for the Bulldogs.
2001 Home Opener Victory over No. 10 Oregon State - Game No. 836 - Sept. 2, 2001
Oregon State came into the 2001 season as Sports Illustrated's favorite to win the national championship, but in what was a theme for the 2001 Bulldogs under coach Pat Hill, Fresno State had a weapon its opponents did not - quarterback David Carr. Carr threw for 340 yards and four touchdowns, as Fresno State repeatedly struck with its big-play offense to upset No. 10 Oregon State - the highest-ranked team ever to visit Bulldog Stadium at the time. After the victory, the crowd of 42,410 rushed the field and tore down the goal posts.
1985 Cal Bowl Victory Over Bowling Green - Game No. 644 - Dec. 14, 1985
With a reputation as the highest scoring team in the nation, Fresno State dismantled Bowling Green, the Mid-American Conference champion, 51-7 in front of a standing-room only Bulldog Stadium crowd of 32,554. The `Dogs finished the season as the nation's only unbeaten Division I team, which is one of only three seasons in program history that Fresno State did not lose a game.
1930 Season-Ending Victory over Nevada - Game No. 85
In Fresno State's 10th season, the Bulldogs capped off the 1930 campaign with a 6-0 win over Nevada in front of a home crowd of 10,000. The win sealed Fresno State's Far Western Conference championship, the third league title in school history. Under coach Stanley E. Borleske, the Bulldogs went undefeated for the first of now three times in program history with the shutout of Nevada serving as the icing on the cake of that special season.
MPC Computers Bowl Overtime Victory - Game No. 877 - Dec. 27, 2004
Paul Pinegar had five touchdown passes, including the game-winning 25-yarder to Stephen Spach in overtime, as Fresno State beat No. 18 Virginia 37-34 in the MPC Computers Bowl. Fresno State came back from a 21-7 second-quarter deficit to notch another win against a BCS team under coach Pat Hill. After holding Virginia to a field goal to start overtime, Pinegar found Spach up the middle and he dragged a defender across the goal line on the Bulldogs first play for the winning touchdown.
Comeback Victory in 1982 California Raisin Bowl 2 - Game No. 609 - Dec. 18, 1982
In what seems to be a theme when the Bulldogs have faced Bowling Green, Fresno State does something special. In the 1982 California Raisin Bowl 2 played in front of 30,000 fans at Bulldog Stadium, the Bulldogs came roaring back from a 28-7 fourth-quarter deficit to win 29-28. Bulldog flanker Vince Wesson caught a two-yard pass from Jeff Tedford in the end zone to tie the game with 11 seconds remaining. The Bulldogs pushed ahead 29-28 when kicker Scott Darrow sent fans into a victory frenzy booting the extra point through the uprights.
Bulldogs Beat UCLA at the Rose Bowl - Game No. 919 - Sept. 27, 2008
Tom Brandstater threw for three touchdowns and Ryan Mathews ran for one score and caught another as No. 25 Fresno State outlasted UCLA 36-31 in front of the crowd of 73,963 at the Rose Bowl. In a game marked by rapid shifts in momentum, the Bulldogs took final control after the Bruins' Derrick Coleman fumbled at the Fresno State 10 and the Bulldogs' Wilson Ramos recovered with 8:55 remaining. With Mathews grinding out yards from there, Fresno State ran out the clock with a 17-play drive that ended on the UCLA 4 as time ran out.
Breaking the Streak Against Boise State - Game No. 984 - Sept. 20, 2013
Boise State had Fresno State's number, winning seven-straight over the Bulldogs, but on this night last season the Bulldogs got revenge. No. 25 Fresno State came back from a six-point fourth quarter deficit to beat Boise State 41-40 on ESPN in front of a sold out Bulldog Stadium. Derek Carr engineered a 13-play, 87-yard drive over four minutes and 50 seconds to get the Bulldogs in the end zone. He completed 8-of-11 passes on the drive for 63 yards and running back Josh Quezada finished it with a one-yard game-winning touchdown run. Then with Boise State facing a fourth-and-6 on the Bulldog 9-yard line with a minute to go, Fresno State senior Jonathan Norton knocked the ball out of Kirby Moore's hands for the fourth-down stop to preserve the victory in the closing seconds.
First Bulldog Football Game Ever - Game No. 1 in 1921
The history of the Fresno State football team starts way back in 1921 under head coach Arthur W. Jones. The Bulldogs would play their first-ever game at home against LaVerne College and came out victorious 46-0. As the Bulldogs are set to play now the 1,000th game in program history this weekend, the very first game marked the first of 112 shutouts in school history.
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