PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Ryan Mathews ran for 163 yards and three touchdowns, Seyi Ajirotutu set up two scores with long receptions and Fresno State made its first trip to the East Coast a successful one with a 24-7 victory over Rutgers on Monday night.
After shaking off a first-half offensive malaise - can't blame jet lag because the Bulldogs arrived on Saturday - Fresno State got rolling in the second half and went on to its 13th victory over teams in BCS conferences, tied with Utah for the most in the nation for teams from non-BCS leagues.
Tom Brandstater, after a 5-for-15 first half, finished with 216 yards passing for the Bulldogs. Ajirotutu came up with the two big grabs. The first was a 77-yarder in the third quarter that led to Mathews' first score, a 4-yarder.
The second was a 31-yard reception on third-and-23 in the fourth quarter, which put the ball at the 1. Mathews scored two plays later to make it 17-7 with 6:46 left in the game.
The Bulldogs from the Western Athletic Conference will be logging big miles this season, over 18,000 before it's over, as coach Pat Hill stays true to his motto of: "Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime." For this trip - a late add to the schedule in April - the Bulldogs couldn't afford the nonstop commercial flight but the layover in Wichita, Kan., was well worth it considering the result.
The first game without Ray Rice wasn't encouraging for Rutgers. While the Scarlet Knights' career rushing leader was preparing for his first NFL game with the Baltimore Ravens, his old school was having a hard time putting points on the board.
Rice's replacement in the backfield, Kordell Young, ran well, picking up 94 yards on 26 carries and a 1-yard touchdown with 11:20 left to cut the lead to 10-7.
Fresno State responded with touchdowns on its next two drives, with Mathews' third short TD run of the day, a 1-yarder with 3:15 left to make it 24-7, ensuring a happy trip back to California's Central Valley.
The Scarlet Knights can lament myriad mistakes, including two missed field goals, a failed fourth-and-goal play from the 3, an interception in the end zone and an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown wiped out by a block-in-the-back penalty.
Mike Teel was 20-for-39 for 263 yards for Rutgers, which moved the ball well but couldn't finish off drives and got no help from its new kicker.
San San Te, a redshirt freshman replacing the reliable Jeremy Ito, missed badly on his first college field goal attempt. His 47-yard line drive never had a chance and didn't even reach the end zone on the fly.
The Scarlet Knights drove to the Fresno State 3 on their next possession, but passed on a 20-yard field goal attempt. Rutgers tried to catch the Bulldogs off guard with a quick snap on fourth down, but Mason Robinson's run off tackle gained only a yard.
In the second quarter, Rutgers again drove the Fresno State 3. Coach Greg Schiano sent out Te to attempt to get some points on the board, but this time his long snapper let him down. A one-hop snap to holder Andrew DePaola threw Te's timing off and he drilled another liner wide left.
After a scoreless first half, Fresno State broke through on the opening drive with Kevin Goessling's 31-yard field goal.
The Bulldogs got the ball back quickly and got into the end zone even faster. Brandstater found Ajirotutu running free down the right sideline for a long gainer to the Rutgers 4. Mathews swept around left end on the next play to make it 10-0 with 6:59 left in the third.
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