Fresno State stalls versus the Rockets, falls 52-17 at Toledo

Saturday, September 17

Toledo, Ohio

12 p.m. PT

Fresno State

1-2

Toledo

3-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Fresno State

TOLEDO

Fresno State stalls versus the Rockets, falls 52-17 at Toledo

9/17/2016 5:11:00 PM | Football

Box Score Highlights Head Coach Tim DeRuyter Postgame Interview (Part 1)Head Coach Tim DeRuyter Postgame Interview (Part 2)QB Chason Virgil Postgame Interview

The Bulldogs return to action for a Saturday matinee as they welcome Tulsa and Garth Brooks to Fresno next weekend

By: Matt Burkholder / Director of Communications

TOLEDO, Ohio – In its first trip to the Glass Bowl since 2008, Fresno State was unable to recreate the magic from that day as the Bulldogs fell 52-17 on Saturday afternoon.

After holding the Rockets on their first possession of the game, Toledo scored on four of its next five drives while the Bulldogs' offense struggled to find their stride.

Toledo held a 24-0 advantage at the half and outgained Fresno State 267-73 in that span.

Third down efficiency was the root of the Bulldogs trying first half as they went 0-for-8 over the first two quarters and 0-for-13 in the game.

In the second half, Fresno State bounced back with producing 181 yards of offense while scoring 17 points. A large chunk of that yardage came when Chason Virgil connected with Jamire Jordan for an 85-yard touchdown down the stretch, which set career long plays for the duo (throw and reception).

Virgil also linked up with KeeSean Johnson for a 9-yard score, the third time in the last two games those two have connected for scores.

Toledo amassed 619 total yards in the game, the most by a Bulldog opponent since Wyoming manufactured 694 in 2014.

Key stat
Toledo outgained Fresno State by 196 yards in the first half as it took a 24-0 lead into the locker room.

Quotable
Head coach Tim DeRuyter's initial postgame thoughts…
"We got beat physically. We blew assignments. We got outplayed and outcoached. There's no excuse for it. It's going to change. We've got a bunch of guys who have pride, but we've got to play much better than we did today."

Head coach Tim DeRuyter's on what the team needs to hear when they return to practice Sunday…
"We have to be more physical. That's the big thing. We did not match their physicality early and late we had some blown coverage's where it got away from us. But we have to do a much better job being physical."

Quarterback Chason Virgil on third down efficiency…
"It comes back to us doing what we have to do on first down and second down to put ourselves in a more manageable third down. Early on we were getting stuck in first and long and second and long, that just becomes third and long. We were fighting from behind the sticks from the start. To be good on third downs you have to put yourself in a manageable situations."

Notables
• Safeties Stratton Brown (10) and DeShawn Potts (8) each collected a career-high in tackles.
• KeeSean Johnson caught his third touchdown of the season. He only had two during the 2015 season.
• Jamire Jordan caught his first touchdown of the season, a career-long of 85 yards.
• Dejonte O'Neal and Tyquwan Glass each had career-best returns of identical gains of 33 yards. O'Neal's was of the kick return variety, while Glass' coming on a punt return.
• Toledo registered seven explosive plays of 20 or more. Entering the game the 'Dogs had allowed four total.
• It was the first time the Bulldogs were shut out in the first half since the 2014 Mountain West Championship game versus Boise State.

"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – Season tickets, mini plans and single-game tickets for the 2016 Fresno State football season are now on sale at GoBulldogs.com or by calling 559-278-3647. 940 AM ESPN Radio and 1600 AM ESPN Deportes is the official home of the Fresno State Bulldogs.

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