Fresno State’s long trip pays off with 24-7 win

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Playing farther away from home than ever before, Fresno State made another team from a BCS conference regret inviting the Bulldogs to town.

Ryan Mathews ran for 163 yards and three touchdowns, Seyi Ajirotutu set up two scores with long receptions and Fresno State made its first trip to the East Coast a successful one with a 24-7 victory over Rutgers on Monday night.

“Anytime you can go on the road and travel 3,000 miles and come away with a 24-7 win and play defense like we did, hey, they made yards tonight, but they didn’t put it in the end zone too often,” Fresno State coach Pat Hill said.

After shaking off a first-half offensive malaise — can’t blame jet lag because the Bulldogs arrived on Saturday — Fresno State got rolling in the second half and went on to its 13th victory over teams in BCS conferences since 2000, second to Utah by one for most in the nation for non-BCS teams.

“I don’t think we’re a mid-major team,” said Bulldogs quarterback Tom Brandstater, who finished with 216 yards passing after a 5-for-15 first half. “I think we can play with anyone in the country.”

Ajirotutu came up with the two biggest plays. The first was a 77-yarder in the third quarter that led to Mathews’ first score, a 4-yarder.

The second was a 31-yard reception on third-and-23 in the fourth quarter, which put the ball at the 1. Mathews scored two plays later to make it 17-7 with 6:46 left in the game.

“Seyi is a playmaker and Tom is a playmaker and they knew exactly what they had to do,” Mathews said. “A couple of those passes woke the team up and it was ’All right now let’s go.’ It’s what we needed to wake us up and to get in the game and say ’We got this.”’

Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said: “The game was decided on those pass plays.”

Scarlet Knights safety Courtney Greene took blame for the breakdowns in coverage.

“It was all mental errors,” he said.