Mathews returns from injury to power Fresno State to victory
West High grad runs for 185 yards, 2 TDs in win over Utah State
| Saturday, Oct 31 2009 11:31 PM
Last Updated Saturday, Oct 31 2009 11:33 PM
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Fresno State running back Ryan Mathews signals to the crowd after scoring his third touchdown Sept. 1 against Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J. Mathews, a West High product, is one of six former Kern County athletes on the Bulldogs' football roster.
FRESNO -- Ryan Mathews hates being called soft. So when he got hit hard Saturday, he wasn't about to stay on the sideline with Fresno State's winning streak in serious jeopardy.
Fresno State came back to beat Utah State 31-27 on Saturday at Bulldog Stadium as Mathews, a West High graduate, returned from a rib injury to rush for 96 of his 185 yards and one of his two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
"That was tough," Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. "That was a heck of a football game."
It was the Bulldogs' fourth straight win, but it only came because Mathews was able to return from a shot he took at the end of a 25-yard run early in the third quarter. It brought Fresno State (5-3, 4-1 Western Athletic Conference) down to the Utah State 2-yard line, but it sent Mathews to the trainers table.
"Probably the hardest I've ever been hit," he said. "But that's just stuff you've got to take when you play running back. I wasn't paying attention; I was looking back behind me when I should have been looking forward."
Mathews said after the game that he didn't think X-rays of his ribs were necessary, saying the injury felt better and that it was just a bruise. Hill said he expects Mathews to play next week.
Lonyae Miller scored after Mathews' injury to pull Fresno State within 27-24, but they couldn't pull even with Utah State (2-6, 1-3) with Mathews on the sideline. The trainers checked him to make sure "everything was in contact," as he put it, presumably referring to ribs and lungs and anything else he needed to continue his stellar junior season. Given the OK, Mathews returned on FSU's first fourth-quarter drive.
Three drives later -- one one of the Bulldogs' last chances -- Mathews finally hit his stride. He carried for 46 yards to get Fresno State within the USU 30, then went barely touched into the end zone from 10 yards out two plays later.
"It was pretty painful, but I wasn't going to let that take me out of the game," Mathews said. "... I just had to suck it up, and that's what I did."
Fresno State's defense surrendered 503 yards to dual-threat quarterback Diondre Borel and the Utah State offense, but it kept the Aggies from scoring in the second half. USU had taken a 27-17 lead with a 17-0 spurt before halftime that was aided by several big plays and a couple of Fresno State turnovers.
"It was a tale of two halves for our defense," said FSU quarterback Ryan Colburn, who completed 17-of-27 passes for 256 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Bakersfield native A.J. Jefferson from West High had five tackles, and Bakersfield High graduate Phillip Thomas had two, including half of a tackle for loss. Matt Akers, a redshirt freshman from Liberty, also made a tackle, and Jefferson returned four kickoffs for 84 yards, though he lost a fumble on one of them.
After Mathews gave Fresno State the lead with 4:53 remaining, his team's defense held Utah State. With the ball back, FSU used Mathews to run out the clock, including an 11-yard gain on a third-and-7 that sealed victory.
"When he was back there lying on that table, we didn't know (about his return)," Hill said. "But it was good to get him back. He sure ran it good at the end."
All of this from a guy who was told he was "running soft" at halftime. Mathews, whose best-in-the-nation rushing total is now at 1,316 yards, had just six carries for 40 yards in the first half. His running backs coach, Joe Wade, had a challenge for him at halftime.
"He told me I better step it up, told me I was running soft," Mathews said. "I hate that. ... He knows I hate when he does that. But he does whatever he can to make me run harder."
And a fired-up Mathews apparently is more dangerous, even with sore ribs and a deficit to overcome.
"He was healthy when we needed him," Hill said. "... He's a workhorse, man. He powered through the whole game."
