Where does win at UCLA rank all-time for Fresno State? Readers vote, and they’re old school
The Red Wave is old school, no doubt about it. After Fresno State knocked off No. 13 UCLA 40-37, driving 75 yards in six plays and scoring on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Jake Haener to Jalen Cropper with just 14 seconds remaining, The Bee asked its readers where that victory ranked in school history.
The win over the Bruins at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena ranked only fourth, receiving 14% of the vote.
Number 1? It was the Bulldogs’ 24-7 victory over USC in the 1992 Freedom Bowl.
It was, former coach Jim Sweeney said, the biggest game in school history. And, nostalgic fans could have been spurred by the announcement last week that running back Lorenzo Neal would have his No. 22 jersey retired at the next home game, Oct. 23 against Nevada.
The game was a clear winner in the poll, receiving 34% of the votes.
Number 2 also was from way back – the 2001 win over No. 10 Oregon State at Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs dominated that game with quarterback David Carr passing for 340 yards and four touchdowns including two to wideout Rodney Wright. That game received 20% of the votes.
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Number 3 was the 2018 Mountain West Conference championship victory over Boise State in overtime, with Ronnie Rivers scoring on a 1-yard run to give the Bulldogs a 19-16 win. It received 19% of the votes.
The Bulldogs’ victory over the Bruins at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena did finish higher than their 2013 victory over Boise State, which snapped a seven-game losing streak in a series that had started to look a little lopsided. The Broncos had won games in that stretch by 61-10, 51-0 and 57-7, but Fresno State stopped them on a fourth-and-6 play late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
That win received only 5% of the vote from readers.