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Fresno State Defeats Aztecs 23-14 To Clinch The West Division
The Aztecs led at halftime but went scoreless in the second half as the Bulldogs added two touchdowns to secure the win.
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Fresno State will represent the West Division facing Boise State or Utah State in the 2018 Mountain West Championship.
The Fresno State Bulldogs (9-2, 6-1 in the MW) clinched the West Division title and a spot in the Mountain West championship following a 23-14 victory over the San Diego State Aztecs (7-4, 4-3) on Saturday night in front of a season high crowd of 36,123 at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, California.
San Diego State had 225 yards of total offense in the first half on just four first downs. The Aztecs gained 179 yards on just three plays with passes of 75, 34 and 70 yards, all to Fred Trevillion.
The Bulldogs entered halftime trailing the Aztecs 14-10, and made some serious adjustments during the half.
The Bulldogs fixed their secondary issues that plagued them in the first half on defense and took control of the clock on offense against the strong Aztecs defense while effectively advancing the ball.
The Bulldogs would not allow the Aztecs a single point after halftime.
There was even an uncharacteristic 47-yard field goal miss by superstar kicker John Baron II.
After averaging just 1.4 yards per rush in the first half, the Bulldogs averaged 4.7 in the second half. They also scored touchdowns on drives of 70 and 75 yards during the second half.
Fresno State even came up with a big third down stop with a big hit by linebacker Jeff Allison on San Diego State’s quarterback Christian Chapman taking him out of the game with a probable cracked rib.
Fresno State running back Ronnie Rivers scored the first touchdown in the second half on a 2-yard run.
Jordan Mims extended things to a two-possession game, scoring on a 1-yard touchdown drive with 12:40 in the fourth quarter.
The Aztecs had no offensive answer.
Fresno State will play in the Mountain West championship for the second straight year, both appearances under coach Jeff Tedford, who had inherited a program that went 1-11 in 2016. Tedford has managed arguably the best program turnaround in Mountain West history.
Fresno State will take on the winner of next week’s regular season finale between Utah State and Boise State. The winner of that game will host the Bulldogs on Saturday December 1st.
Big congratulations to Jeff Tedford and the Fresno State Bulldogs.