Fresno State grounds Abilene Christian 34-13 in season opener
There are question marks at nearly every position.
And there’s that bad taste from the losing 2014 season.
But for a night, the Fresno State football team looked like it has the pieces in place as it embarks on its 94th season, hammering Abilene Christian of the Football Championship Subdivision 34-13 on Thursday before a crowd of 32,547 at Bulldog Stadium.
Senior running back Marteze Waller had his ninth career 100-yard rushing game with 154, redshirt sophomore quarterback Zack Greenlee, making his second career start, passed for three touchdowns and 156 yards – two of the scores going to new receivers in redshirt freshman Jamire Jordan and transfer Josiah Blandin, and the other to sophomore tight end Chad Olsen.
While Greenlee took most of the snaps, freshman quarterback Chason Virgil also got into the action and connected with Olsen for another touchdown pass.
"Our young guys are talented. They're going to make some mistakes, but I think you saw some of the explosive ability that a lot of those guys played with," Bulldogs coach Tim DeRuyter said. "I thought our quarterbacks played well, in particular Zack . He's made a ton of growth from a year ago. We saw that at practice but until you go out on a Thursday night or a Saturday and do it against somebody else you don't really know. I thought he did a nice job of stepping up to the challenge and really doing a great job of leading our team."
The defense caused two turnovers, with linebackers Ejiro Ederaine and Jeff Camilli each grabbing an interception.
"Defensively, I was really impressed with how physical our defense played," DeRuyter added. "We limited them. We basically took the run away from them. I thought our defensive backs did a terrific job being physical. It helped because we had a good rush up front. Their quarterback is a good player. He threw for 3,000 yards a year ago. He came back this year with a lot of confidence. I'm really pleased with our overall effort."
The Bulldogs face tests the next two weeks – at Ole Miss, then at home against Utah – before the two-time defending West Division champions open the Mountain West season.
First quarter
Wildcats get first crack, go three and out. Fresno State fields punt at its 37. Zack Greenlee at QB.
Touchdown. Greenlee 25 yard pass to Jamire Jordan. Greenlee pressured, rolled right and found Jordan on the 2. Jordan turned and trotted in. PAT good. Big play: 36-yard run by Marteze Waller. Fresno State 7, Abilene Christian 0, 11:29
Touchdown. Herschel Sims 1-yard run for the Wildcats. A 49-yard drive for AC, which got the ball after Fresno State was pinned back in its own territory and punted from the 5. PAT good. Fresno State 7, Abilene Christian 7, 5:35
Touchdown. Zack Greenlee 32-yard pass to Josiah Blandin. PAT good. Fresno State 14, Abilene Christian 7, 1:58
Second quarter
Touchdown. Chason Virgil 4-yard pass to Chad Olsen. PAT good. Big play: A 21-yard pass from Virgil to Josiah Blandin. Fresno State 21, Abilene Christian 7, 3:02
Third quarter
Field goal. Kody Kroening puts it through for Fresno State. Nine plays, 25 yards. Fresno State 24, Abilene Christian 7, 6:27
Touchdown. Zack Greenlee to tight Chad Olsen, 31 yards. PAT good. Six plays, 77 yards. Fresno State 31, Abilene Christian 7, 2:15
Fourth quarter
Field goal. Backup kicker Jimmy Camacho with a 36-yarder for Fresno State. Eight plays, 16 yards. Fresno State 34, Abilene Christian 7, 6:53
Touchdown. Dallas Sealey 6-yard pass to Byron Proctor. 10 plays, 38 yards. Fresno State 34, Abilene Christian 13
This story was originally published September 3, 2015 at 7:03 PM with the headline "Fresno State grounds Abilene Christian 34-13 in season opener."