esno State kicker Kevin Goessling had been taking a lot of heat in the media for missing kicks in two crucial losses to Wisconsin and Hawaii, two wins that would have Fresno State unbeaten at this point in the season. Tonight, he became the hero, kicking three big field goals including a game winning, 58-yard, field goal as time expired giving the Bulldogs a 30-28 win over Utah State. It was the first win for the Bulldogs up in Logan, UT since 1989 and just their third win their all-time.The Bulldogs trailed 28-27 with just 36 seconds left to go in the game and it seemed like they would lose another game to a team that shouldn't stay with this Bulldog squad. Tom Brandstater would lead the Bulldogs down the field and into field goal range when he would hit wide receiver Rashad Evans with an 18-yard strike to the Aggie 48-yard line then a crucial 6-yard pickup to receiver Seyi Ajirotutu to the 41-yard line with just 1 second to go. Enter kicker Kevin Goessling, imagine the pressure squarely on his shoulders, Bulldog fans hiding their heads in their hands imagining the kicks he had missed, but Goessling squared up and nailed the 58-yarder, sending the Bulldog sideline into a frenzy like they had just won the BCS Championship game.
I talked a few days ago about Tom Brandstater needing to have a better game than his previous two a
nd he did me proud. The Bulldog quarter back finished the night 25-of-36 for 257 yards and his 40th career touchdown pass as a Bulldog, putting him 7th on the All Time List, just 10 touchdown passes behind Mark Barsotti (1988-91). He was the field general on the last drive, completing 3 of 4 passes including the one to Ajirotutu to set up the game winning field goal. To make that drive with just 36 seconds to go, shows how big of a factor he can be for this offense.
nd he did me proud. The Bulldog quarter back finished the night 25-of-36 for 257 yards and his 40th career touchdown pass as a Bulldog, putting him 7th on the All Time List, just 10 touchdown passes behind Mark Barsotti (1988-91). He was the field general on the last drive, completing 3 of 4 passes including the one to Ajirotutu to set up the game winning field goal. To make that drive with just 36 seconds to go, shows how big of a factor he can be for this offense.On the ground, the Bulldogs were only able to muster 165 total yards on the ground while Utah Stat
e rushed for 211, including a team high 75 yards by Aggie quarterback Diondre Borel who also passed for 193 yards, giving him a total of 282 all purpose yards. Bulldog running backs Ryan Mathews (14 carries, 60 yards) and Lonyae Miller (12 carries, 69 yards) would get the other two touchdowns, one apiece, Miller having the longest of the two from 19-yards out.
e rushed for 211, including a team high 75 yards by Aggie quarterback Diondre Borel who also passed for 193 yards, giving him a total of 282 all purpose yards. Bulldog running backs Ryan Mathews (14 carries, 60 yards) and Lonyae Miller (12 carries, 69 yards) would get the other two touchdowns, one apiece, Miller having the longest of the two from 19-yards out.With the loss, Utah State will drop to 1-7 overall and 1-3 in conference play. They will remain home as they welcome in Hawaii (4-4, 3-2) on Saturday, game time there set for 3pm local time.
As for Fresno State, they'll improve to 5-2 on the year and 2-1 in conference play. They will return to Fresno this week for practice as they get ready to travel to Ruston, LA to take on Louisiana Tech (3-4, 1-2) who's coming off a 14-7 loss to Army. Kickoff, between the 'Bulldogs', will be at 2:30pm local time, 12:30pm on the west coast.
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