Bulldogs unable to capitalize on Brandstater's big night

Quarterback Tom Brandstater had one of his best games of the season, but Fresno State couldn't capitalize as Louisiana Tech would win the battle of the Bulldogs 38-35, Fresno State's first road loss this season.

The game might have been won on two big plays in the third quarter, leading to 10 Louisiana Tech points, giving them a 24-21 lead. The first was an interception thrown by quarterback Tom Brandstater, which Louisiana Tech would convert into a touchdown to tie the game at 21-21. The second was a blocked punt, the first allowed by Fresno State since 2002 against Oregon, which allowed Louisiana Tech to take a 24-21 lead on a field goal. Fresno State would eventually take a 28-24 lead on a 33-yard hookup from quarterback Tom Brandstater to wide receiver Seye Ajirotutu, but those previous two scores from Louisiana Tech was possibly what decided the game.

Brandstater would finish his night 23-of-38 for 295 yards and 4 TD's, throwing two a piece to wide receiver Seyi Ajirotutu and tight end Bear Pascoe, the other touchdown coming on a 56-yard punt return by Rashad Evans.

Defensively, Fresno State would struggle again, giving up 297 yards on the ground while the Bulldogs' 3-headed monster, minus Ryan Mathews and Lonyae Miller, gained only a grand total of 85 yards. Lonyae Miller missed the entire game due to injury while Ryan Mathews re-aggrivated an injury he suffered against UCLA and missed the entire second half, leaving Anthony Harding to shoulder the load.

With the win, Louisiana Tech will improve to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in conference play. The Bulldogs will travel to San Jose State as they'll take on the 2nd place Spartans. Game in San Jose is set for 8pm local time.

For Fresno State, it almost guaruntees that the WAC will probably be won by Boise State who remains unbeaten after blanking New Mexico State 49-0 on Saturday, that is, if they remain unbeaten or San Jose State drops another game or two. The Bulldogs still have a bowl game to play for, though they still have Nevada, San Jose State and Boise State to deal with, so that bowl game may not be in the picture if they can't win at least 2 of those 3 games. They'll (5-3, 2-2) return home as they welcome in the Nevada Wolfpack (4-4, 2-2) on Friday night, it'll be a late start due to national coverage. Game time will be 9pm PST.

Bulldogs need last second FG to top Aggies

Fresno 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 and 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 State 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.