Fresno State Athletics
Saturday, October 20
Albuquerque, NM
4:30 P.M. PT
Fresno State
6-1 , 3-0
38
at
7
New Mexico
3-4 , 1-2
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Fresno State
10
14
14
0
38
New Mexico
0
7
0
0
7
'Dogs earn sixth win for bowl eligibility in 38-7 romp of New Mexico
10/20/2018 9:00:00 PM | Football
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Winning its fifth straight game and clinching bowl eligibility for a second straight season, Fresno State rolled to a 38-7 win at New Mexico on Saturday evening at Dreamstyle Stadium.
Fresno State (6-1, 3-0 MW) finished with 433 total yards in the contest passing for 280 yards while rushing for 153 yards. The 'Dogs limited New Mexico (3-4, 1-2 MW) to 280 yards as the Lobos nearly evenly split their yards rushing for 148 yards and passing for 132 yards.
Senior quarterback Marcus McMaryion went 20-of-30 for 280 yards while passing for three touchdowns as it was his fourth straight game with multiple touchdown passes. Senior wide receiver KeeSean Johnson had a career-high 149 receiving yards while matching his season-high with eight receptions and grabbed two touchdown receptions for his second multi-touchdown game of the season. Sophomore running back Ronnie Rivers totaled 146 all-purpose yards and tallied his first career three-touchdown game appearing all over the field for the 'Dogs. Rivers finished with 69 receiving yards, 48 rushing yards and 29 punt return yards, scoring two of his touchdowns on the ground while tacking on one more through the air.
Defensively, junior linebacker Jeff Allison finished with a team-high 10 tackles, eight solo, while junior defensive end Mykal Walker totaled six tackles. Junior free safety Mike Bell gave the 'Dogs their 13th interception of the season, snagging a pick for the third straight game.
How It Happened
Scoring first for the fifth time this season, the Bulldogs matched their opening drive that went scoreless, venturing on an identical 10-play, 44-yard drive that was highlighted by a 26-yard pass from McMaryion to Rivers down to the Lobos 17-yard line. A four-yard rush by Josh Hokit got the 'Dogs down to the 4-yard line, but a false start by the Bulldogs pushed them back to the 9-yard line and a Lobo sack of four yards on third down set up a 30-yard field goal by Fuller to give the 'Dogs a 3-0 lead (watch).
The Bulldogs' defense forced its second-straight three-and-out after picking up its first points of the game on the previous drive, and picked up excellent field position obtaining the ball back at the Lobos' 46-yard line. The Bulldogs made quick work of its next drive as Rivers took home a 16-yard rushing touchdown on the ground (watch) to put Fresno State up 10-0 after the PAT.
After the Bulldog defense held the Lobos to 30 total yards and one first down in the first quarter, Fresno State's defense continued to make life difficult for the Lobos as free safety Mike Bell came up with his third interception in as many games (watch) to give the 'Dogs the ball back at Lobos 26-yard-line. A 13-yard run by McMaryion (watch) put the 'Dogs at the UNM 1-yard line before Rivers ran in his second rushing touchdown of the game to put the 'Dogs ahead 17-0 (watch).
New Mexico broke up the Bulldogs' shutout bid with 57 seconds remaining in the first half as the Lobos connected on a 16-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Sheriron Jones to wide receiver Elijah Lilly. The touchdown pass finished off a 7-play, 71-yard drive and momentarily cut the Fresno State lead to 17-7.
Fresno State wasted little time to counter the Lobos' score before the half, capitalizing on two 15-yard penalties on an 11-yard pass from McMaryion to Rivers. That was followed by a 34-yard touchdown strike from McMaryion to Johnson to extend the 'Dogs lead back to 24-7 (watch) with 36 second left to cap a lighting quick 21 second drive.
With the offense getting the ball to start the second quarter, the 'Dogs continued to roll on offense going on a 14-play, 75-yard drive that consumed 6:28 off the clock as McMaryion found Johnson across the middle for a 15-yard touchdown score which put the Bulldogs up 31-7 (watch).
Fresno State was again aided by two 15-yard Lobo penalties on the same play on its next drive, quickly racing down the field on an 80-yard, four-play drive that McMaryion capped off by connecting with Rivers for a 23-yard pass for his third touchdown pass of the night giving the 'Dogs a 38-7 lead (watch).
Notables
• Fresno State is now bowl eligible, improving to 6-1 on the season.
• Fresno State extended its winning streaking against New Mexico to seven games, tops for the Bulldogs against any league opponent. Fresno State leads the all-time series 13-4 with Saturday's win.
• New Mexico's last win against Fresno State was in 1994.
• Fresno State has won 15 of its last 18 games.
• Fresno State improves to 3-0 in league play for the third time as a member of the Mountain West (joined conference in 2012).
• Fresno State and LSU continue to share the nation's lead with most consecutive games (18) not allowing an opponent to score 30 or more points.
• Fresno State's defense is allowing 4.3 points per game against Mountain West opponents after its first three league games.
Up next
The Bulldogs return home to host Hawai'i (6-2, 3-0 MW) for Homecoming next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN2 or ESPNU.
Ticket Info: Fresno State returns for Homecoming on Oct. 27
Fresno State returns for homecoming on Oct. 27 to host Hawai'i. Ticket are on sale now; single game tickets start as low as $27 (link to buy).
.
To purchase in person, the Bulldog ticket office (2650 E. Shaw Ave.) is located on the Northeast corner of the Save Mart Center and the entrance is marked by a red awning labeled "Bulldog Ticket Office." The ticket office is open 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. every business day.
To purchase tickets by phone, call 559-278-3647. For inquiries about group ticket sales, tailgating passes, or new season ticket and mini-plan purchases contact our sales team at 559-278-0063
Fresno State (6-1, 3-0 MW) finished with 433 total yards in the contest passing for 280 yards while rushing for 153 yards. The 'Dogs limited New Mexico (3-4, 1-2 MW) to 280 yards as the Lobos nearly evenly split their yards rushing for 148 yards and passing for 132 yards.
Senior quarterback Marcus McMaryion went 20-of-30 for 280 yards while passing for three touchdowns as it was his fourth straight game with multiple touchdown passes. Senior wide receiver KeeSean Johnson had a career-high 149 receiving yards while matching his season-high with eight receptions and grabbed two touchdown receptions for his second multi-touchdown game of the season. Sophomore running back Ronnie Rivers totaled 146 all-purpose yards and tallied his first career three-touchdown game appearing all over the field for the 'Dogs. Rivers finished with 69 receiving yards, 48 rushing yards and 29 punt return yards, scoring two of his touchdowns on the ground while tacking on one more through the air.
Defensively, junior linebacker Jeff Allison finished with a team-high 10 tackles, eight solo, while junior defensive end Mykal Walker totaled six tackles. Junior free safety Mike Bell gave the 'Dogs their 13th interception of the season, snagging a pick for the third straight game.
How It Happened
Scoring first for the fifth time this season, the Bulldogs matched their opening drive that went scoreless, venturing on an identical 10-play, 44-yard drive that was highlighted by a 26-yard pass from McMaryion to Rivers down to the Lobos 17-yard line. A four-yard rush by Josh Hokit got the 'Dogs down to the 4-yard line, but a false start by the Bulldogs pushed them back to the 9-yard line and a Lobo sack of four yards on third down set up a 30-yard field goal by Fuller to give the 'Dogs a 3-0 lead (watch).
The Bulldogs' defense forced its second-straight three-and-out after picking up its first points of the game on the previous drive, and picked up excellent field position obtaining the ball back at the Lobos' 46-yard line. The Bulldogs made quick work of its next drive as Rivers took home a 16-yard rushing touchdown on the ground (watch) to put Fresno State up 10-0 after the PAT.
After the Bulldog defense held the Lobos to 30 total yards and one first down in the first quarter, Fresno State's defense continued to make life difficult for the Lobos as free safety Mike Bell came up with his third interception in as many games (watch) to give the 'Dogs the ball back at Lobos 26-yard-line. A 13-yard run by McMaryion (watch) put the 'Dogs at the UNM 1-yard line before Rivers ran in his second rushing touchdown of the game to put the 'Dogs ahead 17-0 (watch).
New Mexico broke up the Bulldogs' shutout bid with 57 seconds remaining in the first half as the Lobos connected on a 16-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Sheriron Jones to wide receiver Elijah Lilly. The touchdown pass finished off a 7-play, 71-yard drive and momentarily cut the Fresno State lead to 17-7.
Fresno State wasted little time to counter the Lobos' score before the half, capitalizing on two 15-yard penalties on an 11-yard pass from McMaryion to Rivers. That was followed by a 34-yard touchdown strike from McMaryion to Johnson to extend the 'Dogs lead back to 24-7 (watch) with 36 second left to cap a lighting quick 21 second drive.
With the offense getting the ball to start the second quarter, the 'Dogs continued to roll on offense going on a 14-play, 75-yard drive that consumed 6:28 off the clock as McMaryion found Johnson across the middle for a 15-yard touchdown score which put the Bulldogs up 31-7 (watch).
Fresno State was again aided by two 15-yard Lobo penalties on the same play on its next drive, quickly racing down the field on an 80-yard, four-play drive that McMaryion capped off by connecting with Rivers for a 23-yard pass for his third touchdown pass of the night giving the 'Dogs a 38-7 lead (watch).
Notables
• Fresno State is now bowl eligible, improving to 6-1 on the season.
• Fresno State extended its winning streaking against New Mexico to seven games, tops for the Bulldogs against any league opponent. Fresno State leads the all-time series 13-4 with Saturday's win.
• New Mexico's last win against Fresno State was in 1994.
• Fresno State has won 15 of its last 18 games.
• Fresno State improves to 3-0 in league play for the third time as a member of the Mountain West (joined conference in 2012).
• Fresno State and LSU continue to share the nation's lead with most consecutive games (18) not allowing an opponent to score 30 or more points.
• Fresno State's defense is allowing 4.3 points per game against Mountain West opponents after its first three league games.
Up next
The Bulldogs return home to host Hawai'i (6-2, 3-0 MW) for Homecoming next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN2 or ESPNU.
Ticket Info: Fresno State returns for Homecoming on Oct. 27
Fresno State returns for homecoming on Oct. 27 to host Hawai'i. Ticket are on sale now; single game tickets start as low as $27 (link to buy).
.
To purchase in person, the Bulldog ticket office (2650 E. Shaw Ave.) is located on the Northeast corner of the Save Mart Center and the entrance is marked by a red awning labeled "Bulldog Ticket Office." The ticket office is open 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. every business day.
To purchase tickets by phone, call 559-278-3647. For inquiries about group ticket sales, tailgating passes, or new season ticket and mini-plan purchases contact our sales team at 559-278-0063
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Team Stats
FS
NM
Total Yards
433
280
Pass Yards
280
132
Rushing Yards
153
148
Penalty Yards
35
110
1st Downs
29
19
3rd Downs
9
5
4th Downs
1
0
TOP
37:42
22:18
1st Quarter
FS 3, NM 0
FS - FULLER, Asa 30 yd field goal 10 plays, 44 yards, TOP 4:10
FS 10, NM 0
FS - RIVERS, Ronnie 16 yd run (FULLER, Asa kick), 3 plays, 46 yards, TOP 1:04
2nd Quarter
FS 17, NM 0
FS - RIVERS, Ronnie 1 yd run (FULLER, Asa kick), 8 plays, 26 yards, TOP 4:38
FS 17, NM 7
NM - LILLY, Elijah 16 yd pass from JONES, Sheriron (SHELLEY, Andrew kick) 7 plays, 71 yards, TOP 2:24
FS 24, NM 7
FS - JOHNSON, KeeSea 34 yd pass from MCMARYION, M. (FULLER, Asa kick) 3 plays, 75 yards, TOP 0:21
3rd Quarter
FS 31, NM 7
FS - JOHNSON, KeeSea 15 yd pass from MCMARYION, M. (FULLER, Asa kick) 14 plays, 75 yards, TOP 6:28
FS 38, NM 7
FS - RIVERS, Ronnie 23 yd pass from MCMARYION, M. (FULLER, Asa kick) 4 plays, 80 yards, TOP 2:00
Game Leaders
CMP
20
TD
3
YDS
280
INT
0
Players Mentioned
LB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
QB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
DE
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