Fresno State football opens conference play with decisive 38-21 win in New Mexico

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno State opened Mountain West Conference play with a 38-21 triumph implicit New Mexico Saturday night.

It marked the 4th clip successful the past 4 seasons that the Bulldogs near University stadium with a win.

Junior backmost Mikey Keene was successful apical form, passing for 226 yards and a touchdown connected 26-of-33 attempts. Running backmost Elijah Gilliam led the crushed crippled with a season-high 18 carries for 54 yards and a touchdown.

True Freshman moving backmost and Central Valley Christian alum Bryson Donelson besides grabbed his archetypal vocation touchdown.

On the antiaircraft broadside of the ball, linebacker Tuasivi Nomura racked up a career-high 16 tackles, the astir by a Bulldog since Jeff Allison successful October of 2018.

Al'zillion Hamilton and Julian Neal each snagged an interception.

SCORING

Fresno State opened the scoring with a 5-yard TD walk from Keene to WR Josiah Freeman to headdress disconnected a 10-play thrust to spell up 6-0 successful the first.

Backup QB and Buchanan grad Jayden Mandal would implicit the 2-point speech with a walk to Brock Lium to marque it 8-0.

Following a tract extremity from the Lobos, the 'Dogs responded with an 11-play, 75-yard thrust that ended with a 1-yard rushing touchdown from Donelson.

With conscionable 90 seconds to spell successful the archetypal half, Offensive Coordinator Pat McCann cooked up a instrumentality play to perfection.

Quarterback Mikey Keene would nonstop a lateral walk to wide receiver Raylen Sharpe who past completed a 26-yard touchdown walk into the arms of choky extremity Kamron Beachem to enactment Fresno State up 25-3.

Bulldogs would spell to halftime up 25-10 aft a precocious touchdown from New Mexico.

Bakersfield autochthonal Dylan Lynch enactment the nail successful the coffin with a 31-yard tract extremity to headdress things disconnected astatine 38-21 precocious successful the 4th for the last score.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Bulldogs enactment connected the roadworthy adjacent play to look No. 25 UNLV astatine Allegiant Stadium. The Runnin' Rebels are disconnected to their champion commencement successful decades with a cleanable (3-0) record.

Kickoff is acceptable for 12:30 p.m. PT connected Sep. 28.

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