Fresno State Athletics
Las Vegas Bowl Postgame Notes
#19 Fresno State vs. Arizona State
Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl
Dec. 15, 2018
Las Vegas, Nev.
Pregame
• Team Captains: Marcus McMaryion, George Helmuth, KeeSean Johnson and James Bailey.
• Arizona State chose tails and won. Arizona State elected to defer to the second half. Fresno State opened with the ball for the third time this season.
• Kickoff Temp: Sunny and 62 degrees.
GAME
• The 2018 Fresno State football team is the first team in the 97-year history of the program to win 12 games in a season.
• The Bulldogs defeated two Pac-12 teams in one season for the first time since 2003 (Oregon State/UCLA).
• In his second career Las Vegas Bowl, Jeff Tedford improved to 2-0 having previously led Cal to a 35-28 win over BYU in 2005; Tedford is the first coach to own two Las Vegas Bowl wins as the head coach of two different teams.
• Fresno State has won 21 of its last 25 games overall.
• Fresno State extended its nation-leading streak of limiting opponents under 30 points to 25 games.
• The win over Arizona State was the first in program history. Fresno State last played Arizona State in 1941. They entered the game 0-3 all-time in games against the Sun Devils.
• Fresno State improved to 1-2 in Las Vegas Bowl games, having previously fallen in games in 1999 and 2013.
• The Bulldogs appeared in its 29th bowl game in school history at the Las Vegas Bowl and made their 14th appearance in a bowl game since 2000.
• The ‘Dogs improved to 14-15 all-time in bowl games.
• Fresno State snapped its six-game losing skid in bowl games in 2017, with a 33-27 win over Houston at the Hawai’i Bowl, the 'Dogs have now won back-to-back bowl games for the first time since winning three-straight from 2002-04.
- Silicon Valley Football Classic 3 (Fresno State 30, Georgia Tech 21)
- Silicon Valley Football Classic 4 (Fresno State 17, UCLA 9)
- MPC Computers Bowl (Fresno State 37, Virginia (34)
• Fresno State lost the turnover battle, 3-2, but still came out victorious. Fresno State closed the season falling short on the turnover battle, but won all three times.
• By outscoring Arizona State 7-3 in third quarter, Fresno State finished the season outscoring opponents 157-24 in the third quarter this season.
• The Bulldogs' defense allowed just 63 yards offense in the second half. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs’ offense registered 281 yards in the second half.
• Fresno State held its opponent to less than 300 yards of offense for the fifth time this season. The ‘Dogs were 5-0 in those games.
• Fresno State’s Ronnie Rivers was named the MVP of the game; Rivers posted the fourth-most all-purpose yards in school history with 286 (212 rush/41 punt return/33 receiving).
• Rivers’ 212 rushing yards marked the 21st 200-yard rushing game in program history and tied for 14th-most rushing yards in a single game.
• KeeSean Johnson extended his nation-leading streak of consecutive games with at least one catch to 50. He added to his existing program record and now owns the all-time record for a Mountain West player, surpassing Dominic Rufran (Wyoming, 2011-14) who had 49.
• Three players registered double-digit tackles (Allison-11, Helmuth-11, Bell, 10).
• Helmuth tied his career-high for tackles in a single-game (11).
• Helmuth tied his career-high for tackles for loss in a single-game (2.0).
• Patrick Belony set a career-high for tackles (5).
• In 28 career starts, Jeff Allison led the Bulldogs in tackles for the 17th time. It was the 13th occasion he posted double-digit tackles.
• After starting the season logging three games with multiple interceptions over their first five, the Bulldogs posted their first multi-INT game since Oct. 6 at Nevada. The Bulldogs capped the season with 19 interceptions.
First Quarter
• Fresno State held Arizona State to one-yard of offense on its first possession. The Bulldogs allowed two field goals to its opponents in 14 games this season (Wyoming & Hawaii) on their opening possessions.
• Asa Fuller connected on a 39-yard field goal with 7:02 left in the first quarter to start the scoring. Fresno State entered the game 9-0 this season when scoring first.
• Tank Kelly returned an interception 70 yards for a touchdown to put Fresno State on top 10-0 with 4:58 left in the quarter. It was the third-longest interception return in Las Vegas Bowl history.
- Kelly is the sixth player in Fresno State program history to record multiple interception returns for TDs in the same season.
- Tank Kelly’s pick-6 is the longest in Fresno State bowl game history, breaking Ron Cox’s 58-yard return in the 1989 California Raisin Bowl 9 vs. Ball State.
- Fresno State has recorded interception returns for TDs in back-to-back Las Vegas Bowls – joining Derron Smith’s 41-yard return against USC in 2013.
- Fresno State has recorded interception returns for TDs in three of the last four bowl games (2013, 2017-18).
• Arizona State’s first scoring drive took up three minutes, 24 seconds. ASU traveled 65 yards on seven plays to cut the deficit to 10-7 with 1:25 left.
• ASU made it to the Bulldogs’ 25 yard-line but a holding call put ASU back to its own 32-yard line as time expired on the first quarter. A seven-yard gain followed on first-and-20 on an un-timed down.
• Fresno State led 10-7 after one quarter. ASU held the yardage advantage, 102-82.
• Jeff Allison led the team with six tackles in the first quarter
Second Quarter
• The Sun Devils took a 14-10 lead with 12:43 left. Eno Benjamin capped an eight-play, 58-yard drive with a 17-yard Eno Benjamin TD run.
• Fresno State countered the ASU score on its next drive marching the length of the field (75 yards) after a touchback over four minutes, 40 seconds. McMaryion scrambled through the middle for a 10-yard TD. It was his eighth rushing TD of the season, but first since Oct. 13 at home vs. Wyoming.
• It was the Bulldogs’ longest scoring drive (time) since taking five minutes, 12 seconds for a field goal in the second quarter vs. San Diego State on Nov. 17.
• The score was knotted 17-17 at the half. It was the first time this season the Bulldogs had a tie score at the half.
Third Quarter
• Fresno State held Arizona State to a three-and-out, allowing three yards, on its opening drive of the second half. The Bulldogs allowed their opponent to score points with their first drive of the second half in one game out of 14 this season
• Dejonte O’Neal reached for the end zone at the end of 29-yard screen pass reception, but fumbled it into the end zone for a touchback with 11:45 left in the quarter.
• Marcus McMaryion tossed his fourth interception of the season with 9:37 left in the third. It was the first time this season the Bulldogs had back-to-back turnovers. McMaryion had 153-straight passes before the INT; it was his first INT since facing UNLV on Nov. 3 on the same field. ASU took over at the Fresno State 39-yard line.
• ASU cashed in on the turnover with a 44-yard field goal to take the lead 20-17 with 5:33 left in the third.
• McMaryion tossed a second INT on the Bulldogs’ next possession. It was the Bulldogs’ third straight possession with a turnover. McMaryion entered the game with three INTs. It was McMaryion’s first two INT game since traveling to Hawai'i on Nov. 11, 2017.
• Ronnie Rivers put the ‘Dogs on top, 24-20, with one minute remaining in the quarter with a 68-yard TD run. It was the fourth 65-plus yard play from scrimmage this season and the second registered by Rivers.
- The run is the third-longest rushing TD and fourth-longest rush in LV Bowl history.
• Fresno State held a 24-20 lead at the end of the third. The Bulldogs entered the game 19-2 under Tedford when holding a lead after three quarters.
• The Bulldogs overcame turning the ball over on three-straight possessions to outscore ASU 7-3 in the quarter.
• Fresno State held ASU to 31 yards offense while recording 135.
Fourth Quarter
• Ronnie Rivers' 5-yard touchdown run with 5:19 on the clock was his second score of the game. It marked the third game of his career with multiple rushing touchdowns.
• Juju Hughes ended Arizona State's final drive of the game with an interception with 3:31 remaining. It was his fourth INT of the season.
Fresno State Bowl Game Records
• The Bulldogs tied the team record for rushing yards in a bowl game with 260 yards on the ground against the Sun Devils matching their total from the 2008 New Mexico Bowl vs. Colorado State.
• Ronnie Rivers set a new program rushing record for a bowl game with his 212 yards on the ground surpassing the previous high of 153 set by Rodney Davis against Georgia Tech in the 2002 Silicon Valley Football Classic III.
• Rivers also had a bowl game record 41 yard punt return besting the previous high mark of 21 yards set by Eric Fox in 1982 and Andre Alexander in 1988.
• Senior cornerback Tank Kelly's 70-yard interception return for a touchdown was the most return yards by a Bulldog in a bowl game in program history. It surpassed the previous high mark of 58 set by Ron Cox vs. Ball State in the 1989 California Raisin Bowl IX.
• Kelly's interception return for a touchdown is the fifth time a Bulldog has done that in a bowl game. Kelly joins Cox in 1989, Dee Meza in the 2002 Silicon Valley Football Classic IX, Derron Smith in the 2013 Las Vegas Bowl and Jaron Bryant in the 2017 Hawai'i Bowl.
Las Vegas Bowl specific game notes
• It is Fresno State's first win in three trips to the Las Vegas Bowl after suffering losses in 1999 and 2013.
• It is the first time in four meetings the Bulldogs have defeated Arizona State as the two teams met for the first time since 1941.
• Fresno State makes it three straight seasons the Mountain West has won the Las Vegas Bowl joining Boise State in 2017 and San Diego State in 2016. The conference's overall record in the Las Vegas Bowl is now 12-7.
• Head coach Jeff Tedford is now 2-0 all-time in the Las Vegas Bowl after previously defeating BYU in 2005 while at Cal.
• Tedford became the first head coach to win the Las Vegas Bowl at two different schools. He also becomes only the third coach with multiple appearances to be undefeated in the bowl game.
• Sophomore running back Ronnie Rivers earned the Rich Abajian Most Valuable Player to become the ninth running back to earn the honor in 27 Las Vegas bowl games.
• Rivers' 212 rushing yards were second-most in Las Vegas Bowl history trailing only Mike Anderson of Utah who rushed for 254 yards in 1999 against the Bulldogs. Anderson also earned MVP honors for his performance.
• Rivers' also finished with the second most all-purpose yards in Las Vegas Bowl game history with 286 adding a 41 yard punt return and 33 yards receiving.
• Tank Kelly's 70-yard interception return for a touchdown was the third-longest interception return in Las Vegas Bowl history.
• The six combined penalties in the game were the fewest in Las Vegas Bowl game history as each team just had three apiece.
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Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl
Dec. 15, 2018
Las Vegas, Nev.
Pregame
• Team Captains: Marcus McMaryion, George Helmuth, KeeSean Johnson and James Bailey.
• Arizona State chose tails and won. Arizona State elected to defer to the second half. Fresno State opened with the ball for the third time this season.
• Kickoff Temp: Sunny and 62 degrees.
GAME
• The 2018 Fresno State football team is the first team in the 97-year history of the program to win 12 games in a season.
• The Bulldogs defeated two Pac-12 teams in one season for the first time since 2003 (Oregon State/UCLA).
• In his second career Las Vegas Bowl, Jeff Tedford improved to 2-0 having previously led Cal to a 35-28 win over BYU in 2005; Tedford is the first coach to own two Las Vegas Bowl wins as the head coach of two different teams.
• Fresno State has won 21 of its last 25 games overall.
• Fresno State extended its nation-leading streak of limiting opponents under 30 points to 25 games.
• The win over Arizona State was the first in program history. Fresno State last played Arizona State in 1941. They entered the game 0-3 all-time in games against the Sun Devils.
• Fresno State improved to 1-2 in Las Vegas Bowl games, having previously fallen in games in 1999 and 2013.
• The Bulldogs appeared in its 29th bowl game in school history at the Las Vegas Bowl and made their 14th appearance in a bowl game since 2000.
• The ‘Dogs improved to 14-15 all-time in bowl games.
• Fresno State snapped its six-game losing skid in bowl games in 2017, with a 33-27 win over Houston at the Hawai’i Bowl, the 'Dogs have now won back-to-back bowl games for the first time since winning three-straight from 2002-04.
- Silicon Valley Football Classic 3 (Fresno State 30, Georgia Tech 21)
- Silicon Valley Football Classic 4 (Fresno State 17, UCLA 9)
- MPC Computers Bowl (Fresno State 37, Virginia (34)
• Fresno State lost the turnover battle, 3-2, but still came out victorious. Fresno State closed the season falling short on the turnover battle, but won all three times.
• By outscoring Arizona State 7-3 in third quarter, Fresno State finished the season outscoring opponents 157-24 in the third quarter this season.
• The Bulldogs' defense allowed just 63 yards offense in the second half. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs’ offense registered 281 yards in the second half.
• Fresno State held its opponent to less than 300 yards of offense for the fifth time this season. The ‘Dogs were 5-0 in those games.
• Fresno State’s Ronnie Rivers was named the MVP of the game; Rivers posted the fourth-most all-purpose yards in school history with 286 (212 rush/41 punt return/33 receiving).
• Rivers’ 212 rushing yards marked the 21st 200-yard rushing game in program history and tied for 14th-most rushing yards in a single game.
• KeeSean Johnson extended his nation-leading streak of consecutive games with at least one catch to 50. He added to his existing program record and now owns the all-time record for a Mountain West player, surpassing Dominic Rufran (Wyoming, 2011-14) who had 49.
• Three players registered double-digit tackles (Allison-11, Helmuth-11, Bell, 10).
• Helmuth tied his career-high for tackles in a single-game (11).
• Helmuth tied his career-high for tackles for loss in a single-game (2.0).
• Patrick Belony set a career-high for tackles (5).
• In 28 career starts, Jeff Allison led the Bulldogs in tackles for the 17th time. It was the 13th occasion he posted double-digit tackles.
• After starting the season logging three games with multiple interceptions over their first five, the Bulldogs posted their first multi-INT game since Oct. 6 at Nevada. The Bulldogs capped the season with 19 interceptions.
First Quarter
• Fresno State held Arizona State to one-yard of offense on its first possession. The Bulldogs allowed two field goals to its opponents in 14 games this season (Wyoming & Hawaii) on their opening possessions.
• Asa Fuller connected on a 39-yard field goal with 7:02 left in the first quarter to start the scoring. Fresno State entered the game 9-0 this season when scoring first.
• Tank Kelly returned an interception 70 yards for a touchdown to put Fresno State on top 10-0 with 4:58 left in the quarter. It was the third-longest interception return in Las Vegas Bowl history.
- Kelly is the sixth player in Fresno State program history to record multiple interception returns for TDs in the same season.
- Tank Kelly’s pick-6 is the longest in Fresno State bowl game history, breaking Ron Cox’s 58-yard return in the 1989 California Raisin Bowl 9 vs. Ball State.
- Fresno State has recorded interception returns for TDs in back-to-back Las Vegas Bowls – joining Derron Smith’s 41-yard return against USC in 2013.
- Fresno State has recorded interception returns for TDs in three of the last four bowl games (2013, 2017-18).
• Arizona State’s first scoring drive took up three minutes, 24 seconds. ASU traveled 65 yards on seven plays to cut the deficit to 10-7 with 1:25 left.
• ASU made it to the Bulldogs’ 25 yard-line but a holding call put ASU back to its own 32-yard line as time expired on the first quarter. A seven-yard gain followed on first-and-20 on an un-timed down.
• Fresno State led 10-7 after one quarter. ASU held the yardage advantage, 102-82.
• Jeff Allison led the team with six tackles in the first quarter
Second Quarter
• The Sun Devils took a 14-10 lead with 12:43 left. Eno Benjamin capped an eight-play, 58-yard drive with a 17-yard Eno Benjamin TD run.
• Fresno State countered the ASU score on its next drive marching the length of the field (75 yards) after a touchback over four minutes, 40 seconds. McMaryion scrambled through the middle for a 10-yard TD. It was his eighth rushing TD of the season, but first since Oct. 13 at home vs. Wyoming.
• It was the Bulldogs’ longest scoring drive (time) since taking five minutes, 12 seconds for a field goal in the second quarter vs. San Diego State on Nov. 17.
• The score was knotted 17-17 at the half. It was the first time this season the Bulldogs had a tie score at the half.
Third Quarter
• Fresno State held Arizona State to a three-and-out, allowing three yards, on its opening drive of the second half. The Bulldogs allowed their opponent to score points with their first drive of the second half in one game out of 14 this season
• Dejonte O’Neal reached for the end zone at the end of 29-yard screen pass reception, but fumbled it into the end zone for a touchback with 11:45 left in the quarter.
• Marcus McMaryion tossed his fourth interception of the season with 9:37 left in the third. It was the first time this season the Bulldogs had back-to-back turnovers. McMaryion had 153-straight passes before the INT; it was his first INT since facing UNLV on Nov. 3 on the same field. ASU took over at the Fresno State 39-yard line.
• ASU cashed in on the turnover with a 44-yard field goal to take the lead 20-17 with 5:33 left in the third.
• McMaryion tossed a second INT on the Bulldogs’ next possession. It was the Bulldogs’ third straight possession with a turnover. McMaryion entered the game with three INTs. It was McMaryion’s first two INT game since traveling to Hawai'i on Nov. 11, 2017.
• Ronnie Rivers put the ‘Dogs on top, 24-20, with one minute remaining in the quarter with a 68-yard TD run. It was the fourth 65-plus yard play from scrimmage this season and the second registered by Rivers.
- The run is the third-longest rushing TD and fourth-longest rush in LV Bowl history.
• Fresno State held a 24-20 lead at the end of the third. The Bulldogs entered the game 19-2 under Tedford when holding a lead after three quarters.
• The Bulldogs overcame turning the ball over on three-straight possessions to outscore ASU 7-3 in the quarter.
• Fresno State held ASU to 31 yards offense while recording 135.
Fourth Quarter
• Ronnie Rivers' 5-yard touchdown run with 5:19 on the clock was his second score of the game. It marked the third game of his career with multiple rushing touchdowns.
• Juju Hughes ended Arizona State's final drive of the game with an interception with 3:31 remaining. It was his fourth INT of the season.
Fresno State Bowl Game Records
• The Bulldogs tied the team record for rushing yards in a bowl game with 260 yards on the ground against the Sun Devils matching their total from the 2008 New Mexico Bowl vs. Colorado State.
• Ronnie Rivers set a new program rushing record for a bowl game with his 212 yards on the ground surpassing the previous high of 153 set by Rodney Davis against Georgia Tech in the 2002 Silicon Valley Football Classic III.
• Rivers also had a bowl game record 41 yard punt return besting the previous high mark of 21 yards set by Eric Fox in 1982 and Andre Alexander in 1988.
• Senior cornerback Tank Kelly's 70-yard interception return for a touchdown was the most return yards by a Bulldog in a bowl game in program history. It surpassed the previous high mark of 58 set by Ron Cox vs. Ball State in the 1989 California Raisin Bowl IX.
• Kelly's interception return for a touchdown is the fifth time a Bulldog has done that in a bowl game. Kelly joins Cox in 1989, Dee Meza in the 2002 Silicon Valley Football Classic IX, Derron Smith in the 2013 Las Vegas Bowl and Jaron Bryant in the 2017 Hawai'i Bowl.
Las Vegas Bowl specific game notes
• It is Fresno State's first win in three trips to the Las Vegas Bowl after suffering losses in 1999 and 2013.
• It is the first time in four meetings the Bulldogs have defeated Arizona State as the two teams met for the first time since 1941.
• Fresno State makes it three straight seasons the Mountain West has won the Las Vegas Bowl joining Boise State in 2017 and San Diego State in 2016. The conference's overall record in the Las Vegas Bowl is now 12-7.
• Head coach Jeff Tedford is now 2-0 all-time in the Las Vegas Bowl after previously defeating BYU in 2005 while at Cal.
• Tedford became the first head coach to win the Las Vegas Bowl at two different schools. He also becomes only the third coach with multiple appearances to be undefeated in the bowl game.
• Sophomore running back Ronnie Rivers earned the Rich Abajian Most Valuable Player to become the ninth running back to earn the honor in 27 Las Vegas bowl games.
• Rivers' 212 rushing yards were second-most in Las Vegas Bowl history trailing only Mike Anderson of Utah who rushed for 254 yards in 1999 against the Bulldogs. Anderson also earned MVP honors for his performance.
• Rivers' also finished with the second most all-purpose yards in Las Vegas Bowl game history with 286 adding a 41 yard punt return and 33 yards receiving.
• Tank Kelly's 70-yard interception return for a touchdown was the third-longest interception return in Las Vegas Bowl history.
• The six combined penalties in the game were the fewest in Las Vegas Bowl game history as each team just had three apiece.
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