Game Overview NEWS

Fresno State vs. Utah State

Published by Admin on October 31, 2009

This Saturday, the Fresno State Bulldogs (4-3, 3-1 WAC) are scheduled to play Utah State (2-5, 1-2 WAC) on Saturday October 31st. It’s not just Halloween that is scary, but the Bulldogs. FSU is coming into this game with 4 straight wins and their main weapon Ryan Mathews.

Ryan Mathews currently leads the NCAA Football League with an average of 161.57 rushing yards each game. Every game that Ryan Mathews has played in he has hit over 100 yards. This includes teams such as #6 Boise State, #5 Cincinnati, and Wisconsin. Ryan Mathews also had a career high against #6 Boise State with 234 yards.

However, the last three defenses Mathews had to run against were all ranked above 100 – New Mexico State #103, San Jose State #118, and Hawaii #110. And there is nothing special about Utah State’s rushing defense either standing at #109 respectively.

Utah on average gives up 216.1 yards a game. But don’t let all this defense talk put you down. Utah’s offense is comparative to Fresno’s. Unlike Ryan Mathews, Utah also has a running back who stands out from the rest. That is, Robert Turbin who averages 104.86 yards a game. He may not be the number 1 rusher in the nation, however, he is 18th and that deserves some respect.

Ryan Mathews Perfect Season – 2,000 Yards?
So Far Ryan Mathews has carried the ball 156 times with a total of 1,131 yards. To add onto those statistics he has also scored 9 touchdowns, and averages 7.2 yards a carry!

No Pressure
Ryan Mathews only nees to run an average of 174 yards for his last 5 games to break the 2,000 yard mark. This will be the first time anyone has done this in Fresno States football program. Ryan Mathews chances will improve if Fresno State makes it into a bowl game.

Bulldogs Defense
Overall, the defense has steadied out over the season and has improved to only giving up an average of 353.9 yards and 22 points per game.

Some honorable mentions in the Bulldog Lineup include:

Ben Jacobs (Middle Linebacker): 53 Tackles, 2 blocked kicks
Moses Harris: 33 tackles
Desia Dunn: 30 Tackles, 6 pass breakups
Chris Carter (Defensive End): 6 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks

Utah State
Utah State is putting up decent numbers which aren’t to shabby. They are averaging 427 yards and 27 points a game. And Likewise their quarterback Diondre Borel has completed about 57.3% of his passes totaling 1,671 yards with 10 touchdowns. The amazing part is that Borel has only thrown 1 interception.

Some honorable mentions on Utah State include:

Stanley Morrison (Receiver): 26 catches, 434 yards, 2 touchdowns
Omar Sawyer (Receiver): 19 catches, 204 yards, 2 touchdowns
Bobby Wagner (Linebacker): 70 tackles
James Brindley (Safety): 59 tackles, 3 interceptions, 6 pass breakups

Ending Thoughts
The Bulldogs are seeking to keep their 3 game win streak alive and improving it to 4 games. After starting the season off a little shaky (1-3), they have shown they have the will to battle through the tough times. They’ve also lost to respectable teams.

Overall Fresno State has won the last 5 of the 6 times over Utah, including last seasons win 30-28.