By halftime, the damage was done. And even though BYU managed to make things interesting, winless Fresno State was well on its way to a 31-21 victory in the WAC opener for both teams.
"You can't go on the road and turn the ball over," said BYU coach LaVell Edewards. "We made so many mistakes that we just gave the ballgame away."The Cougars (2-3) proved it with four fumbles in the first half as they lost their sixth straight game on the road and third consecutive conference outing over two seasons.
Fresno State ensured the streaks would continue by building a 24-7 halftime lead, thanks to BYU's struggles holding onto the ball. And it didn't hurt that the Bulldogs went unpenalized in the first half, while the Cougars were hit with seven flags for 54 yards - some of which set up Fresno State scores.
BYU countered by switching from starting quarterback Kevin Feterik (who did re-enter the game in the final minutes) to back-up Drew Miller late in the first quarter, but it failed to alter the course. Not even 105 yards rushing from Ronney Jenkins could make it close in the first half.
And third-quarter touchdowns by tight end Carlos Nuno and cornerback Heshimu Robertson - who scored on a 58-yard pass play and a 72-yard blocked field goal return, respectively - only added a brief cosmetic touch. With its lead reduced to three, Fresno State responded with an insurance score midway through the final quarter. A three-play, 70-yard drive ended with a 39-yard touchdown reception by Rodney Wright for the game's final points.
Early mistakes exacted too great a toll for the Cougars to overcome.
BYU gave more than the opening kickoff away when it opted to defer after winning the pregame coin toss. The Bulldogs seized early control by marching 80 yards in seven plays to score on the game's opening drive. Junior quarterback Billy Volek, who completed his first four passes against BYU, capped the series with a three-yard touchdown run.
Trailing 7-0 with less than three minutes gone from the clock, the Cougars continued being generous. Fortunately for BYU, Fresno State wasn't always receptive.
Ben Rigell fumbled away the ensuing kickoff to give the Bulldogs possession on the BYU 32, but Fresno State was unable to capitalize despite moving inside the 20. A third-down sack of Volek by BYU tackle Issiah Magalei eventually forced a punt.
No problem. The Cougars just repackaged the earlier miscue and fumbled the ball back to the Bulldogs eight plays later. After catching a 15-yard pass from Feterik, Nuno lost the ball inside the Fresno State 40-yard line.
And though the Bulldogs were once again forced to punt, it didn't take long for another opportunity to present itself. On the first play of BYU's next possession, Feterik bobbled a snap as he veered toward his left side. The ball bounced free and wound up in the hands of Fresno State defensive end Justin Johnson, who eluded a tackle attempt by Feterik and rambled 20 yards for the Bulldogs' second touchdown with 5:47 remaining in the first quarter.
After its next offensive set ended with a punt, BYU switched quarterbacks and quickly cut the deficit in half. Miller teamed with Margin Hooks on a 44-yard pass to set up an eight-yard touchdown run by Jenkins. The second play of the drive also happened to be the first of the second quarter - where more excitement awaited both teams.
A lengthy kickoff return by Charles Smith gave Fresno State possession on the BYU 33. The Bulldogs eventually found themselves in a first-and-goal situation inside the 2, but failed to reach the end zone in four tries as the Cougar defense tightened.
The momentum shift, however, was lost when BYU's fumbled for the fourth time (this one attributed to Jenkins). Fresno State took advantage of the error by increasing its lead to 10 points on a 31-yard field goal by Jeff Hanna with 6:06 remaining in the first half. The Bulldogs increased their advantage to 24-7 when Volek hit Wright on a 20-yard scoring strike just 38 seconds before halftime.
EXTRA POINTS: Fresno State now leads the all-time series with BYU 5-4 . . . BYU plays its homecoming game next Saturday at Cougar Stadium against UNLV. Kickoff is set for noon . . . The Cougars extended their NCAA-record streak of games without being shutout to 291.