Bulldogs Top # 23 Boise State, 28-17, Preview of Next Weeks MW Championship Game?

FRESNO – Topping its first ranked opponent since 2004, Fresno State prevailed in a 28-17 win over No. 23 Boise State on Saturday afternoon at Bulldog Stadium, bringing the Milk Can Trophy back to Fresno. "To send the seniors up the ramp with a victory is great," said head coach Jeff Tedford after the win. "It's another game and we have one more to go. I cannot tell you how happy and gratified I am to see all of the hard work paying off for these guys and this coaching staff who have put so much into it. Boise State has a great football team, we have a lot of respect for them and now we have to go and do it one more time. We will have a lot of hard work going into this coming up week, but for tonight, we can enjoy this and our guys will feel good about themselves, especially the seniors. It is a great honor for them to leave the stadium today with a victory."

In front of 31,526 Red Wave supporters, the Bulldogs totaled 431 yards of offense, the most the 'Dogs have had against an FBS opponent this season, as junior quarterback Marcus McMayion passed for a career-high 332 yards completing 23 of his 36 passes while tossing two touchdowns.

Junior wide receiver KeeSean Johnson tallied his third multi-touchdown game of the season as he hauled in a five-yard score in the first quarter and added a season-long 81 yard strike in the fourth quarter. The junior receiver finished with his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season (fifth career) with a team-high six receptions and 119 receiving yards.

Fellow junior wide receiver Jamire Jordan added 91 yards on four receptions while sophomore tight end Jared Rice matched his season-high with three receptions for 54 yards. On the ground, the 'Dogs carried the ball 30 times for 99 yards as freshman Jordan Mims led the way with 43 yards on 11 carries and added his sixth rushing touchdown of the season. It was only the second time all season Fresno State has been held under 100 yards rushing in a game.

On the defensive side of the ball, junior linebacker James Bailey tallied a team-high eight tackles with five solo stops. Jaron Bryant, George Helmuth and Juju Hughes each had seven tackles apiece while Mike Bell added six stops. Neither team turned the ball over on Saturday.

How It Happened
The Bulldog offense got going quickly and scored on its first possession of the game for the fourth time this season. The 'Dogs faced an early third-and-9 at their own 41 before McMaryion hit senior wide receiver Da'Man Scott on a 26-yard connection. After a 13-yard run by McMaryion got the ball to the Boise State 6-yard line, two plays later, the Bulldog gunslinger found Johnson for a five-yard touchdown pass.

Boise State had a quick answer for the 'Dogs on its first possession driving 75 yards on six plays, as Broncos quarterback Montell Cozart found AJ Richardson on a four-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7-7.

After forcing a Bulldog three-and-out, the Broncos had a chance to take a lead, but were stopped on third down at the Fresno State 21-yard line as Boise State's Haden Hoggarth's 38-yard field goal attempt missed wide left. On the Broncos' next drive, the 'Dogs defense came up big making a stop on a fourth-and-1 attempt.

Getting the ball back with 4:35 left in the first half, Fresno State put together a strong drive starting from their own 14-yard line. The 'Dogs put together a 12-play, 81-yard drive keyed by a 39-yard pass from McMaryion to Jordan down to the Boise State 32. Fresno State reached a 2nd-and-1 at the Boise State 9-yard line before being stopped on second and third downs to force a Jimmy Camacho field goal from 22 yards, giving the 'Dogs a 10-7 lead at halftime.

Fresno State's defense continued to shine early in the second half, forcing a three-and-out and forcing a punt on Boise State's second possession of the period after a sack for a 10-yard loss by senior defensive tackle Nathan Madsen. On the ensuing possession, McMaryion completed 10-plus yard passes on three straight plays, getting the 'Dogs a 1st-and-goal from the Boise State 8-yard line after a 36-yard completion to Rice. On 3rd-and-goal, Mims ran it in from 1-yard out giving the Bulldogs a 16-7 lead after a fumbled snap on the extra point.

On the ensuing drive, Boise State had pass completions of 25 and 27 yards while moving inside the Bulldog 10-yard line. Facing a 2nd-and-2 from the Fresno State 6-yard line, the Bulldogs stopped consecutive Boise State runs and forced a field goal attempt as Hoggarth put it through from 24 yards.

Leading 16-10, the Bulldogs made it a two possession game on their next drive as Camacho hit a 41-yard field goal to make it a 19-10 lead. McMaryion connected with Jordan on a 32-yard completion and the Bulldog quarterback scrambled for a first down on a 3rd-and-7 to get the 'Dogs into field goal range.

Boise State took to the ground on its next drive and got back in the end zone driving down the field on an 11-play, 75-yard drive. The Broncos finished off the drive with five consecutive running plays as Alex Mattison scored a touchdown on a 1-yard rush to bring Boise State within 19-17 with 9:05 to play.

Only 14 seconds later, the Bulldogs extended their lead back to nine points lead as McMaryion hit Johnson for an 81-yard touchdown strike, the 'Dogs longest play of the season, to give Fresno State a 26-17 lead.

The 'Dogs added their third safety of the season with 1:17 left to seal the 28-17 win on Senior Day.

Notables
• Fresno State announced a crowd of 31,526, the second largest crowd of the season.
• Fresno State held Boise State, who entered the game averaging 34.8 points per game to 17. After 12 games the Bulldogs are allowing opponents 17.2 points per game. The last time a Bulldog team has held its opponent under 20 points per game in a season was in 1991 (17.8).
• Fresno State snapped Boise State's seven-game win streak dating back to Oct. 6.
• Fresno State defeated a ranked opponent for the first time since 2004 since defeating No. 18 Virginia on Dec. 27 in the MPC Computers Bowl.
• It is the 22nd season in program history the Bulldogs have won nine-plus games.
• It was the 'Dogs sixth win against the Broncos all-time as Boise State now leads the series, 13-6. Fresno State owns five of six wins at Bulldog Stadium and have won the last two encounters.
• The Bulldogs improved their record to 9-0 this season when holding a lead at halftime.
• The Bulldogs have now made the largest single-season win improvement in program history as they have increased their win total by eight games surpassing their previous best of seven from 1929 to 1930.
• Jimmy Camacho has now made a field goal in all 12 games this season and now has 98 points on the season which moves him into a tie for ninth-place all-time in single season history (Brett Visintainer, 2003).
• Marcus McMaryion threw for a career-high 332 yards, besting a previous career-best of 327 while at Oregon State (Oct. 29, 2016 at Washington State).
• KeeSean Johnson surpassed 100 yards in a game for the fifth time in his career (119).
• Fresno State's offensive line did not allow a sack for the fifth time this season. The Bulldogs have only allowed seven sacks this season.
• Fresno State allowed 1.0 tackle for loss or less for the third time this season. Fresno State has allowed just 37.0 this season.

Up next
The Bulldogs and Broncos meet again next week in the Mountain West Championship Game set for next Saturday (Dec. 2) at 4:45 p.m. PT. The site will be announced on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. PT. The game will be televised on ESPN and on the radio on 940 AM ESPN.