No. 24 Fresno State Pummels Idaho 40-10

MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) -- Joe Fernandez returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown, and Jaron Fairman returned a blocked punt for another score as No. 24 Fresno State beat Idaho 40-10 Saturday night.<br> <br> In a game that was determined by special teams play, the Bulldogs (5-1, 3-0 WAC) started slowly in the first half, but scored 24 straight points and held Idaho scoreless in the second half to get the win.<br> <br> Fresno State quarterback Paul Pinegar was 21-of-33 for 228 yards and a touchdown. Wendell Mathis, who scored on a 58-yard TD run in the fourth quarter, finished with 101 yards on 11 carries for the Bulldogs.<br> <br> Idaho (1-6, 1-3), in its first season in the WAC, hung with the Bulldogs in a gritty first half, forcing four fumbles, before being worn down in the second half.<br> <br> Idaho&#39;s Steven Wichman was 13-for-22 for 84 yards<br> <br> Leading just 16-10 at the half, Fresno State got untracked in the third quarter, when Devyn McDonald hauled in a 1-yard TD pass from Pinegar after a Vandals punt was blocked at the Idaho 11. The Bulldogs were never challenged after that.<br> <br> Bryson Sumlin completed the scoring with a 2-yard run after Idaho&#39;s Mike Barrow was tackled short of a first down on a fake punt attempt, turning the ball over to Fresno State on the Idaho 32.<br> <br> Idaho scored first, when Jason Brown ran in from 9 yards out 1:16 into the game.<br> <br> Fresno State tied it at 7-all after Fernandez&#39;s punt return. The Bulldogs entered the game second nationally in punt returns, averaging 25.5 yards per return.<br> <br> Later in the quarter, Barrow bobbled a snap and kicked the ball from the turf into the arms of Fairman, who returned it 26 yards to put Fresno State up 14-7.<br> <br> The Bulldogs took their biggest lead of the first half shortly after the start of the second quarter when the Vandals&#39; Rolly Lumballa was tackled in the end zone, giving Fresno State a safety and a 16-7 advantage.<br> <br> Barrow hit a 50-yard field goal to bring Idaho within 16-10 with 2:30 remaining in the first half.<br> <br> Clint Stitser added a 27-yard field goal to cap a 62-yard drive that stalled on the Idaho 11 to put the Bulldogs up 19-10 with 4:44 remaining in the third period.<br> <br> Fresno State was the first ranked team to play Idaho at Moscow since October 1960, when Oregon State won 28-8. It was only the second time a Bulldog team played inside a dome, having beaten Idaho here 41-28 in 1978.<br> <br> It was the first meeting of the schools since 1979, when the Bulldogs won 30-10 at home.<br> <br> © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.