Fast. Physical. Fanatical. The motto of first-year Fresno State football coach Tim DeRuyter described the Bulldogs’ home opener perfectly.
Fresno State came out fast, jumping to a 21-0 lead before visiting Weber State even put points on the board.
"I'm extremely proud of everything that happened tonight," DeRuyter said. "I like where we're at after the first game."
The Bulldogs’ defense was solid, allowing 274 total yards compared to the Bulldog offense, who garnered 515 total offensive yards.
Weber State’s first drive of the game only lasted five plays then Fresno State took over on its own 3-yard-line.
In the new fanatical style of the Bulldogs, the first play would be a 32-yard pass play rather than a more conservative running play, typical of former coach Pat Hill.
Just over five minutes into the game and 97-yards later, the Bulldogs put their first score on the board when quarterback Derek Carr threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams.
Carr went 20-for-26 in the 37-10 win, and completed all 10 of his first passes for 202 yards before throwing an incompletion.
"I think we started extremely fast," DeRuyter said. "We had guys make plays. I thought we clicked very, very well from the start."
Running back Robbie Rouse ran for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
After the first half, the aggressive and confident Bulldogs came out looking as if they lost some of the fanaticism.
Fresno State did not score in the third quarter and the Bulldogs were unable to convert any plays on third down.
The Bulldogs came out with a bit more pep in their step in the fourth quarter holding the Wildcats at 10 points and putting two more touchdowns on the board.
Carr connected with Adams on a 38-yard pass play but a blocked extra point attempt made the score 30-10. A 4-yard run by Milton Knox sealed the Bulldogs’ 37-10 victory.
Fresno State was without receivers Rashad Evans, Victor Dean and four other players after the university announced that six players had been suspended. Because of this, backup quarterback Greg Watson, who got a couple plays in at quarterback, spent some time playing receiver.
“Some other guys had to step in and play key roles and I thought we had good pace,” Carr said. “I’m proud of our guys and how much we fought. We put a quarterback at receiver and he was able to do some good things.
“I thought we came out and did some good things on both sides of the ball.”
For More Information:
Bulldogs Win 37-10 in DeRuyter's Debut
Fresno State football takes confident first step
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