Michael McKeown / The News Record

Bulldogs’ plan to keep the Bearcat offense off the field works, but a late interception turns the tide

It was yet another tough loss for the Bulldogs in Cincinnati on Saturday, narrowly falling to the No. 14 ranked Bearcats 28-20.

The ’Dogs were led by tailback Ryan Mathews’ 38 carries for 145 yards and one touchdown, but in the end, the junior’s efforts weren’t enough to upset the Bearcats.

“He’s the leading rusher in the nation, so we’re going to work him,” head coach Pat Hill said in a news release. “We’ve got a real good running back at Fresno State, so don’t miss out on that fact, and he hasn’t been playing against I-AA teams. We’re going to run him; he’s our horse.”

The ’Dogs fought their way back from an early 14-3 deficit. After a Ryan Mathews touchdown run, Ryan Colburn connected with a pass to Jamel Hamler for a touchdown with only seven seconds left before the half. The touchdown strike brought the Bulldogs within four, 21-17.

Trailing by four entering the fourth quarter, the ’Dogs had the ball on the Bearcats’ 6-yard line, on fourth down and two yards. Fresno State quarterback Ryan Colburn stepped back on a play-action pass and threw a ball intended for fullback Reynard Camp, but the ball ended up in the hands of Cincinnati linebacker Craig Carey.

“Before the play, I noticed the running back staring at me for some reason,” Carey said in a news release. “I got a weird feeling the play was going to come my way. I feel like he looked me right in the eyes and just threw it to me.”

Head coach Pat Hill said he was contemplating between a field goal attempt and to go for it on fourth down.

“I thought we had a real good call,” Hill said. “I think if you ask Ryan, he would tell you he would have thrown it deeper, but there were a lot of bodies in the way. We considered a field goal, but we thought we could score.”

Michael McKeown / The News Record

The interception would prove to be costly. On the ensuing possession, Bearcat quarterback Tony Pike, who finished 18 of 26 for 300 yards, found senior receiver Mardy Gilyard for a touchdown, putting the Bearcats up 28-17.

Gilyard finished the game with nine receptions for 177 yards and two touchdowns.

“Me and Pike, with our offense, we just spent so much time from the Orange Bowl to now practicing. Coach Kelly does a good job that we rep everything that we need to,” Gilyard said. “I don’t know how it looks on the field, but to us, it is another day in the office.”

The Bulldogs would have one more chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. The ’Dogs faced a fourth down play to keep a drive and the chances of tying alive.

As Colburn stepped back to pass on fourth and seven with less than one minute remaining, he fired a ball over the middle to Chastin West. The pass was not meant to be, as senior defensive back Aaron Webster broke it up.

“With the defense, it was designed to cut off the slants,” Webster. “In practice, we have been running slants. I knew the quarterback was looking at the receiver the whole time. When I broke, the ball was out, and I threw my 215 [pounds] into him.”

Hill said that the game plan was to get the ball in the hands of the nation’s leading rusher, Mathews. The game plan kept Cincinnati’s offense on the sideline. Mathews and the Bulldogs held the ball for 43 minutes of the game, compared to Cincinnati’s 17 minutes.

“I’m tired,” Mathews said. “Thirty-eight carries is a lot. The coaches told me to expect the ball every play. It’s part of being a running back. Sometimes you may only get it five times, sometimes you get a lot of carries. It depends on the day.”

The Bulldogs now head into a bye week before resuming their season Oct. 10, as they travel to the islands to take on the Hawaii Warriors.