FRESNO - Fresno State battled to the bitter end with Big Ten foe Minnesota in its home opener, falling in double overtime 38-35 in front of 34,790 Saturday night at Bulldog Stadium. Trailing by three points after holding the Gophers to a field goal in the second overtime period, the Bulldogs aired it out on the first play from scrimmage with its next possession, only to be intercepted in the end zone to silence the home crowd to drop Fresno State to 0-2 for the first time since 2014.
In his first start at home, Jorge Reyna went 24-of-35 passing, throwing for 288 yards, along with three touchdowns and two interceptions, the latter being the costly one that sealed the game for the Gophers. Junior running back Ronnie Rivers produced 124 total yards offense (76 rushing/48 receiving) and a career-high two receiving touchdowns.
The defense won the turnover battle for the second consecutive week, forcing three turnovers. Justin Rice led the Bulldogs with 11 tackles, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Fresno State had the opportunity to close the game out with 46 seconds left on the clock, up by a touchdown, but Minnesota converted a pivotal fourth-and-13 scoring the game-tying touchdown to send the contest into overtime.
How It Happened:
Minnesota got the scoring started on the first drive of the game as the Gophers went on an 11-play, 75-yard drive that saw quarterback Tanner Morgan go 4-for-4 for 51 yards ending in a 15-yard scoring throw to wide receiver Rashod Bateman.
With the Gophers holding a seven-point lead after the opening quarter and holding an advantage of 124 to 63 yards of offense, the 'Dogs got the second quarter started with an eight-play, 32-yard drive that saw Bulldog kicker Cesar Silva connect on a 48-yard field goal to cut the Minnesota lead to 7-3 with 10:07 remaining in the half.
The Gophers immediately responded with a 10-play, 65-yard drive that saw Minnesota chew up 5:22 on the clock as running back Rodney Smith punched in a one-yard touchdown to take a 14-3 lead.
Fresno State quickly turned around and responded with a six-play, 75-yard drive over the ensuing 2:36 that was keyed by a facemask penalty by Minnesota on third-and-22 which resulted in a 15-yard penalty and a first down for the 'Dogs. After a 16-yard reception by wide receiver Derrion Grim, Reyna found running back Ronnie Rivers for a 25-yard touchdown pass cutting the Gophers' lead to 14-10 at the 2:02 mark in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs got the ball to start the second half and put together a 13-play drive, which got them into the red zone before stalling as Silva drilled a 30-yard field goal to cut the Minnesota lead to 14-13. On the ensuing Minnesota drive the Gophers got the ball to midfield but the 'Dogs forced a turnover as Justin Rice stripped Morgan on a third-down run with the ball recovered by Isaiah Johnson at the Bulldog 48-yard line.
The home team quickly turned the fumble into points. They needed just over two minutes to find the end zone and take their first lead of the night. Reyna connected with Zane Pope on consecutive completions of 20 and 17 yards to get inside the red zone and, after a seven yard rush from Rivers, Reyna found Jared Rice for a 14-yard touchdown. The 'Dogs opted to go for two on the point after attempt and Josh Hokit found the end zone to give the Bulldogs a 21-14 lead.
Minnesota had an answer as the Gophers embarked on a 15-play scoring drive that took more than eight minutes off the clock, spanning the third and fourth quarters. Just over four minutes into the fourth the Gophers pulled even as Ibrahim Muhammed ran it in from a yard out on third-and-goal and the PAT tied it at 21-21.
The 'Dogs went three-and-out on their next possession but the punt was muffed by Demetrius Douglas and recovered by Rice at the Minnesota 38 yard line. Facing a fourth-and-one at the Minnesota 10, the 'Dogs kept the offense on the field as Rivers broke an eight-yard run to get inside the 2-yard-line. Reyna ran the next snap in himself as Fresno State regained a 7-point lead.
Minnesota got the ball back with just under six minutes to play and would face a third-and-18 from their own 44 yard line after a holding call. The Gophers converted as Morgan hit Rashod Bateman for a gain of 18 and would get the ball into the red zone with a minute to play. On third-and-8 Morgan fumbled the snap and recovered but lost five yards as the visitors faced a fourth-and-13 from the Fresno State 20 with 52 seconds to play. With the game on the line, Morgan found Chris Autman-Bell in the back corner of the end zone with the receiver just getting one foot down inside the back pylon. The extra point would bring the game even again at 28-28 and force OT.
The Gophers won the overtime coin toss and opted to start on defense. The 'Dogs got the ball down to the 10-yard-line but faced third-and-goal. Reyna's pass was broken up to seemingly force a fourth down but Minnesota got called for roughing the passer to give the 'Dogs a fresh set of downs at the 5-yard-line and Reyna hit Rivers on a TD-pass on the next play.
An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was called on the 'Dogs on the touchdown celebration to enable Minnesota to start their first overtime possession at the 13-yard-line. In just three plays the Gophers got into the end zone, with Tanner running it in from the four-yard line, to tie the game at 28-28.
Minnesota had possession to start the second overtime but saw its drive stall at the 19-yard line. On fourth-and-four Minnesota kicker Michael Lantz hit a 37-yard field goal to put his team up 38-35, giving the 'Dogs possession with a chance to win with a touchdown.
On its first play on offense on the second overtime, Reyna tried to hit Cam Sutton in the end zone but Minnesota's Antoine Winfield Jr. jumped the route and made a game-ending interception.
Quotable
Tedford on the final chances in the double overtime period...
"We had a little too much air on the ball. I don't think there was anything wrong with the play call, but we just did not execute it the way that we needed to. It was something we have been saving for the game if we got into that situation. Unfortunately it didn't work out."
Tedford on Jorge Reyna...
"Like I told him, there is a lot of football left. He is going to have a lot more opportunities. He is crushed by what happened, obviously. But, not one play was a difference in that game. There was a lot of plays to be made out there. It is a team effort. We win as a team and we lose as a team. There is no laying blame on any one person at all. We are going to stick together as a family and we are going to go back to work."
Tedford on the bye week next week...
"It is going to be a long two weeks not having another opportunity to play next week, I can tell you that. But we are going to go back and practice as we always do. I love these kids. I have a lot of confidence in these kids and these coaches. We are going to stick together. There is a lot of good football left to be played this season. There is a good football team in that locker room. Like I said, I have a lot of trust and a lot of confidence in how we are going to respond as far as our work ethic and I look forward to another opportunity to play again."
Tedford on the crowd...
"At the end, I thought the crowd was awesome. I thought it was an electric football environment and everybody was into it. I am sorry it didn't turn out the way we wanted it to for our fans and for our team, for the university and everybody involved."
Notable
Saturday's loss snapped an eight-game home winning streak.
Fresno State has suffered just six losses in its last 27 games. The Bulldogs have not lost by double-digits since Oct. 28, 2017 - a 10 point loss to UNLV.
The Bulldogs played in their second overtime game in the last four contests they've played in dating back to 2018. The last overtime game Fresno State participated in was a 19-16 single overtime win to defeat Boise State in the Mountain West championship game.
Saturday's game was the Bulldogs' seventh multi-period overtime game played in, in program history.
Fresno State dropped to 8-11 in overtime games in program history. Fresno State's last overtime game at Bulldog Stadium was also a double overtime contest, a 48-41 loss to Tulsa on Sept. 24, 2016.
Fresno State owned a 21-14 lead after the third quarter. Tedford dropped to 20-3 in games with a lead after three quarters.
Fresno States' defense forced three turnovers, all forced fumbles. The last time Fresno State recovered three fumbles in one game was on Nov. 22, 2014 at Nevada.
Up Next
Fresno State will host Sacramento State in Bulldog Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 21. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT and will be broadcasted on Facebook.
Box Score
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