Fresno State Athletics
Mountain West Football Championship Postgame Notes
Pregame
• Team Captains: Marcus McMaryion, George Helmuth, Micah St. Andrew and Jeff Allison.
• Fresno State chose heads and won the toss. Fresno State kicked off to start the game.
• Kickoff Temp: Rainy and 36 degrees. Turned to heavy snow in the second quarter.
GAME
• Fresno State won its third Mountain West conference championship in program history. The Bulldogs are in their seventh season in the conference (2012).
• Saturday’s game was the first Mountain West Football Championship to go to overtime and the first overtime of the season for Fresno State. It was the Bulldogs’ first overtime game since 2016.
• Boise State's last overtime game at home was a 69-67 victory over Nevada on Oct. 14, 2007.
• Fresno State improved its record to 2-6 all-time under Jeff Tedford when scoring under 20 points.
• Fresno State’s Mykal Walker was named the defensive player of the game, while Boise State’s Alexander Mattison was named the offensive player of the game.
• Since the inception of the Championship game in 2013, three teams have won it twice (Fresno State, San Diego State and Boise State).
• Mykal Walker registered a career-high in tackles (11).
• Keiti Iakopo registered a career-high in tackles (9).
• Fresno State defeated a ranked team for the first time since its last win over Boise State at Bulldog Stadium on Nov. 25, 2017.
• The previous high by an opponent individually for single game rushes was 30 by Alexander Mattison on Nov. 9, Mattison carried it 40 times against the Bulldogs on Saturday.
• Fresno State held Boise State to only two explosive plays (one passing & one rushing).
• Fresno State snapped a 10-game losing streak at Boise State. It was the Bulldogs’ first win at Boise State since 1984. The Bulldogs first played on the blue turf in 2002, and had dropped 10-strraight until the 2018 MW Championship game.
• It was Fresno State’s first win versus a ranked opponent on the road since defeating No. 13 Kansas State on the road on Sept. 12, 2004.
• It was Fresno State’s first overtime win since Oct. 26, 2013 at San Diego State.
• By outscoring Boise State 3-0 in third quarter, Fresno State is now outscoring opponents 150-21 in the third quarter this season.
• Fresno State earned its 11th win on Saturday; it marks the sixth time in program history the Bulldogs have recorded 11 wins in a season. Fresno State has never recorded 12 wins in a single season.
• Fresno State has won 20 of its last 24 games overall.
• Fresno State extended its nation-leading streak of limiting opponents under 30 points to 24 games.
• KeeSean Johnson extended his nation-leading streak of consecutive games with at least one catch to 49. It adds to his existing program record and is now tied for the Mountain West lead with Dominic Rufran (Wyoming, 2011-14).
• Boise State lost its ninth home game since 2000. The Broncos are now 113-9 at Albertsons Stadium since 2000. They lost twice at home this season (Fresno State & San Diego State).
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First Quarter
• The defensive tackle duo of Partick Belony and Keiti Iakopo started for the third straight game.
• Arron Mosby was ejected for targeting at the 14:04 mark of the first quarter.
• Fresno State had its first possession at 12:32.
• Fresno State recovered a fumble by Brett Rypien with 10:11 on the clock.
• Michiah Quick scored his first career touchdown for the Bulldogs, a 15-yard reception on third-and-5, to give Fresno State a 7-0 lead at the 9:03 mark. Fresno State entered the game 16-1 under Jeff Tedford scoring first with its only loss in that span to UNLV on Oct. 28, 2017.
• In Fresno State’s two previous losses to Boise State, the Bulldogs did not score first. Fresno State scored first in its last win against Boise State, at Bulldog Stadium on Nov. 25, 2017.
• Boise State knotted up the game, 7-7, with 1:56 left on third-and-9 as a Rypien pass attempt went through Jaron Bryant’s hands in the back of the end zone and Sean Modster kept one foot in bounds to secure a 10-yard TD catch.
• It was 7-7 at the end of one quarter of play.
• Fresno State was penalized four times (40 yards) while Boise State had zero in the first quarter.
• The Bulldogs were outgained by 12 yards in the first quarter (66-54).
Second Quarter
• Brett Rypien completed a third-and-10 pass to Sean Modster for 17 yards to the FS34 to extend their drive with 13:01 remaining. The Broncos ultimately punted on their next set of downs giving the ball back with 11:16.
• A third-and-1 turned into a third-and-6 with 10:08 remaining, McMaryion completed a pass to Quick for an 18-yard gain but the ball was fumbled and recovered at the FS41. It was the Bulldogs’ third fumble in the last two games after committing three over the first 11 games of the season. Boise State started its ensuing drive at the 9:59 mark.
• Fresno State took over at 6:52 after the Broncos attempted a fourth-and-8.
• Boise State was penalized five times (for 40 yards) while the Bulldogs’ were flagged just one time (for five yards).
• Asa Fuller’s 44-yard field goal with 3:20 left in the half put the Bulldogs on top 10-7, which held true for the halftime score. The Bulldogs led 10-3 at halftime when they visited Boise State on Nov. 9.
• The Broncos outgained the Bulldogs 155 yards to 114 yards in the first half.
Third Quarter
• With a 38-yard field goal, Asa Fuller increased the Bulldogs lead to 13-7 with 11:07 left in the third quarter. He moved to 2-for-2 on field goals in the game. It marked the third game this season Fuller registered multiple makes in a game.
• The Bulldogs have scored points on its first possession of the second half in eight of 13 games this season.
• McMaryion was 11-of-15 passing for 71 yards after three quarters.
• The Bulldogs outscored the Broncos 3-0 in the third quarter but were outgained in yards by Boise State, 74 to 44.
• Fresno State led 13-7 after three quarters. The Bulldogs entered the game 18-2 under Jeff Tedford; their only two losses in that span were to Boise State both times.
Fourth Quarter
• Boise State scored on the longest play of the game, a 34-yard by Alexander Mattison with 8:01 on the clock.
• Matt Boateng blocked his first career PAT to keep the game at 13-13. It was the first blocked PAT by a Bulldog since Nikko Motta versus Nevada in Nov. 2, 2013.
• Fresno State outgained Boise State 105-102.
Overtime
• Boise State was held to a 23-yard field goal in the first possession of overtime.
• McMaryion connected with Jared Rice for a 16-yard gain on the Bulldogs second play in overtime.
• Ronnie Rivers scored the go-ahead touchdown in overtime on a pitch from McMaryion on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line.
• Team Captains: Marcus McMaryion, George Helmuth, Micah St. Andrew and Jeff Allison.
• Fresno State chose heads and won the toss. Fresno State kicked off to start the game.
• Kickoff Temp: Rainy and 36 degrees. Turned to heavy snow in the second quarter.
GAME
• Fresno State won its third Mountain West conference championship in program history. The Bulldogs are in their seventh season in the conference (2012).
• Saturday’s game was the first Mountain West Football Championship to go to overtime and the first overtime of the season for Fresno State. It was the Bulldogs’ first overtime game since 2016.
• Boise State's last overtime game at home was a 69-67 victory over Nevada on Oct. 14, 2007.
• Fresno State improved its record to 2-6 all-time under Jeff Tedford when scoring under 20 points.
• Fresno State’s Mykal Walker was named the defensive player of the game, while Boise State’s Alexander Mattison was named the offensive player of the game.
• Since the inception of the Championship game in 2013, three teams have won it twice (Fresno State, San Diego State and Boise State).
• Mykal Walker registered a career-high in tackles (11).
• Keiti Iakopo registered a career-high in tackles (9).
• Fresno State defeated a ranked team for the first time since its last win over Boise State at Bulldog Stadium on Nov. 25, 2017.
• The previous high by an opponent individually for single game rushes was 30 by Alexander Mattison on Nov. 9, Mattison carried it 40 times against the Bulldogs on Saturday.
• Fresno State held Boise State to only two explosive plays (one passing & one rushing).
• Fresno State snapped a 10-game losing streak at Boise State. It was the Bulldogs’ first win at Boise State since 1984. The Bulldogs first played on the blue turf in 2002, and had dropped 10-strraight until the 2018 MW Championship game.
• It was Fresno State’s first win versus a ranked opponent on the road since defeating No. 13 Kansas State on the road on Sept. 12, 2004.
• It was Fresno State’s first overtime win since Oct. 26, 2013 at San Diego State.
• By outscoring Boise State 3-0 in third quarter, Fresno State is now outscoring opponents 150-21 in the third quarter this season.
• Fresno State earned its 11th win on Saturday; it marks the sixth time in program history the Bulldogs have recorded 11 wins in a season. Fresno State has never recorded 12 wins in a single season.
• Fresno State has won 20 of its last 24 games overall.
• Fresno State extended its nation-leading streak of limiting opponents under 30 points to 24 games.
• KeeSean Johnson extended his nation-leading streak of consecutive games with at least one catch to 49. It adds to his existing program record and is now tied for the Mountain West lead with Dominic Rufran (Wyoming, 2011-14).
• Boise State lost its ninth home game since 2000. The Broncos are now 113-9 at Albertsons Stadium since 2000. They lost twice at home this season (Fresno State & San Diego State).
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First Quarter
• The defensive tackle duo of Partick Belony and Keiti Iakopo started for the third straight game.
• Arron Mosby was ejected for targeting at the 14:04 mark of the first quarter.
• Fresno State had its first possession at 12:32.
• Fresno State recovered a fumble by Brett Rypien with 10:11 on the clock.
• Michiah Quick scored his first career touchdown for the Bulldogs, a 15-yard reception on third-and-5, to give Fresno State a 7-0 lead at the 9:03 mark. Fresno State entered the game 16-1 under Jeff Tedford scoring first with its only loss in that span to UNLV on Oct. 28, 2017.
• In Fresno State’s two previous losses to Boise State, the Bulldogs did not score first. Fresno State scored first in its last win against Boise State, at Bulldog Stadium on Nov. 25, 2017.
• Boise State knotted up the game, 7-7, with 1:56 left on third-and-9 as a Rypien pass attempt went through Jaron Bryant’s hands in the back of the end zone and Sean Modster kept one foot in bounds to secure a 10-yard TD catch.
• It was 7-7 at the end of one quarter of play.
• Fresno State was penalized four times (40 yards) while Boise State had zero in the first quarter.
• The Bulldogs were outgained by 12 yards in the first quarter (66-54).
Second Quarter
• Brett Rypien completed a third-and-10 pass to Sean Modster for 17 yards to the FS34 to extend their drive with 13:01 remaining. The Broncos ultimately punted on their next set of downs giving the ball back with 11:16.
• A third-and-1 turned into a third-and-6 with 10:08 remaining, McMaryion completed a pass to Quick for an 18-yard gain but the ball was fumbled and recovered at the FS41. It was the Bulldogs’ third fumble in the last two games after committing three over the first 11 games of the season. Boise State started its ensuing drive at the 9:59 mark.
• Fresno State took over at 6:52 after the Broncos attempted a fourth-and-8.
• Boise State was penalized five times (for 40 yards) while the Bulldogs’ were flagged just one time (for five yards).
• Asa Fuller’s 44-yard field goal with 3:20 left in the half put the Bulldogs on top 10-7, which held true for the halftime score. The Bulldogs led 10-3 at halftime when they visited Boise State on Nov. 9.
• The Broncos outgained the Bulldogs 155 yards to 114 yards in the first half.
Third Quarter
• With a 38-yard field goal, Asa Fuller increased the Bulldogs lead to 13-7 with 11:07 left in the third quarter. He moved to 2-for-2 on field goals in the game. It marked the third game this season Fuller registered multiple makes in a game.
• The Bulldogs have scored points on its first possession of the second half in eight of 13 games this season.
• McMaryion was 11-of-15 passing for 71 yards after three quarters.
• The Bulldogs outscored the Broncos 3-0 in the third quarter but were outgained in yards by Boise State, 74 to 44.
• Fresno State led 13-7 after three quarters. The Bulldogs entered the game 18-2 under Jeff Tedford; their only two losses in that span were to Boise State both times.
Fourth Quarter
• Boise State scored on the longest play of the game, a 34-yard by Alexander Mattison with 8:01 on the clock.
• Matt Boateng blocked his first career PAT to keep the game at 13-13. It was the first blocked PAT by a Bulldog since Nikko Motta versus Nevada in Nov. 2, 2013.
• Fresno State outgained Boise State 105-102.
Overtime
• Boise State was held to a 23-yard field goal in the first possession of overtime.
• McMaryion connected with Jared Rice for a 16-yard gain on the Bulldogs second play in overtime.
• Ronnie Rivers scored the go-ahead touchdown in overtime on a pitch from McMaryion on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line.