LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Fresno State can build on this one.
A week after a disappointing performance in their opener, the Bulldogs extended 10th-ranked Nebraska deep into the fourth quarter before losing 42-29 Saturday night.
“It was an encouraging loss,” coach Pat Hill said. “I’m not happy with a loss, but we made a lot of strides over last week. We had to handle adversity all through the game. It was a very, very physical game, but I’ll tell you what, we’re not nearly as big as Nebraska but I thought we stood up and muscled with them all night.”
Fresno State (0-2), which came in as a four-touchdown underdog, led 20-14 early in the third quarter and still was within striking distance after Ameer Abdullah returned a kickoff 100 yards early in the fourth to put Nebraska up 35-26.
The Cornhuskers didn’t put away the Bulldogs until Taylor Martinez broke a 46-yard touchdown run with 2:02 left.
With the cloud of a welfare fraud investigation hanging over the program, and retired basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian watching from the press box, the Bulldogs made a strong run at their first win over a Top 10 opponent since 2001.
Hill said he isn’t worried about the fraud investigation that allegedly involves up to two dozen current and former players.
“We’ve been on top of that for four weeks,” he said. “I think we’ve done our due diligence. I think we’ve covered all of our bases. There were no NCAA infractions or league infractions.”
The Bulldogs were much sharper than they were in last week’s 36-21 loss to California.
Robbie Rouse ran 36 times for 169 yards. Derek Carr was 20 of 41 for 254 yards while running for one touchdown and passing for another.
Fresno State picked up 190 of its 444 total yards on the ground.
“I thought we ran the ball right down,” Hill said. “There wasn’t anything fancy. It was straight-at-them dive football. We ran the ball well against a team that doesn’t give up a lot of yards against the run.”
Martinez ran 15 times for 166 yards and two TDs and passed for another as the Huskers turned back the Bulldogs’ upset bid.
Carr threw incomplete to a well-covered A.J. Johnson on a 2-point try after his 26-yard TD pass to Josh Harper pulled the Bulldogs to 28-26.
Abdullah, who set a school record with 211 kick return yards, then made the biggest play of the night to break open the game.
He caught the kick 2 yards deep in the end zone, burst through the middle and then down the right sideline. He cut back to the left inside the 10 and crossed the goal line as Davon Dunn brought him down.
Kevin Goessling’s 38-yard field goal pulled Fresno State to 35-29 with 5:24 left.
Rex Burkhead did some tough running between the tackles before Martinez broke free for the Huskers’ last touchdown.
Devon Wylie ran back a punt 67 yards for a touchdown, Carr scored on an acrobatic run and Goessling kicked a tiebreaking 22-yard field goal late in the half for a 17-14 lead.
Hill has built his program on playing, and often beating, opponents from BCS conferences. The Bulldogs came to Lincoln having won seven of their last 11 against BCS schools but having lost 12 straight against opponents ranked in the Top 25.
Carr, brother of former Bulldogs star and 2002 No. 1 NFL draft pick David Carr, wasn’t intimidated by Memorial Stadium’s “Sea of Red.”
The Bulldogs’ young offensive line, which lost starting center Richard Helepiko last week, got dinged again early when starting left guard Matt Hunt left with what appeared to be an injury to his right foot.
Still, Nebraska’s vaunted front four couldn’t get much pressure on Carr as the Bulldogs had him move the pocket.
“That O-line, they battled their butts off the whole entire game for me,” Carr said. “They let them hit me one time. Rouse, when he averages 5 yards a carry, it makes my job a lot easier opening up the passing game. I’m very proud of him. And our defense battled. They just made a couple more plays.”
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