Mathews says: 'I'm fine'

Fresno State star, a day after concussion, thinks he will play this week.

Published online on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009

A day after suffering a concussion that startled many Fresno State fans, Bulldogs running back Ryan Mathews said he is doing fine and does not expect to miss much time.

Mathews, the nation's leading rusher, attended but did not participate in Sunday evening's light workout. But he said he expects to return when practice resumes Tuesday.

Mathews missed the majority of Fresno State's 52-14 defeat at Nevada on Saturday -- the Bulldogs' worst loss of the season -- after absorbing a hit to his head by Nevada safety Jonathon Amaya in the second quarter.

"I'm fine," Mathews said Sunday. "I got hit. That's the price you pay playing the game. He made a good, solid tackle. My head hit his shoulder pads.

"I was kind of in a daze, but everything came back. I remember everything and I'm doing good."

Mathews and Fresno State coach Pat Hill expressed confidence that the junior would be ready to play this weekend against Louisiana Tech in the final home game of the season.

Mathews, however, first must pass further examinations, scheduled for today, before resuming physical activity.

"He'll be fine; he'll be ready to go," Hill said. "He'll play. He got dinged in that game. ... It happens all the time [mild concussions]. ... He'll be ready to roll."

The sight Saturday just seemed so alarming -- Mathews lying on the field with his face on the turf, stopping play for about 5 minutes, then needing to be carried by trainers off a cart and guided into the locker room.

Mathews already had a checkered injury history, having been unable to stay healthy for an entire season during his previous two years.

But Mathews was quick to detail his health status and clear up any rumors:

*He did not suffer cracked ribs, as some Bulldogs fans at Mackay Stadium believed.

*He did not suffer memory loss.

*His head hurt for a while Saturday, but a nap helped take away the headache.

"First, I was in la-la land," Mathews said. "But I know I could have played. I wanted to play again. But the trainer said they wanted to keep me out. It's not my decision.

"Since it was a head injury, doctors and trainers wanted to take precaution. It was a concussion, not anything else."

Mathews finished with eight carries for 32 yards to maintain his national rushing leads. Though his advantages in the rushing categories did shrink, Mathews still tops the board with 1,491 yards and an average of 149.1 per game.

That might have been the only good news for the Bulldogs this past weekend.

Not only will Fresno State have to figure out how to regroup from a game in which the offense was mistake-riddled (five turnovers) and the defense looked in shambles (allowing 461 rushing yards) against Nevada, Fresno State's overall injury woes appear to be growing.

Starting right guard Andrew Jackson did not participate in Sunday's practice, which included stretching, a few light position-specific drills then running. Jackson, considered the Bulldogs' best offensive lineman, had his streak of 31 straight starts end Saturday. It remains unclear if or when Jackson will return from a left knee injury.

Starting linebacker Kyle Knox also did not play against Nevada because of a lingering stinger. His absence seemed magnified with the Wolf Pack exploiting the Bulldogs' run defense.

Fresno State, however, might get receiver Devon Wylie back this week.

Wylie has missed the majority of the past five games because of a hamstring injury that started as day-to-day but had gotten progressively worse.

Wylie did not make the trip to Nevada, but he was regularly the fastest runner during Sunday's sprinting session.

"I'm not at 100% yet, but it felt good right now, probably at about 90%," Wylie said Sunday. "I'm really hoping I can play this week. I think I can go."