FRESNO, Calif. — In a thrilling match on Saturday evening, Mikey Keene delivered two touchdown passes while Bryson Donelson achieved a personal best with 150 rushing yards along with a touchdown on 13 carries, leading Fresno State to a 28-22 victory over Colorado State.
With this loss, Colorado State (7-4, 5-1 Mountain West) now finds itself tied for second place alongside No. 24 UNLV in the Mountain West standings, trailing behind No. 12 Boise State, who is set to host the upcoming Mountain West championship game on December 6.
Donelson, a promising freshman, entered the game having collected 199 rushing yards this season, including a peak of 58 yards in the season opener. Keene completed 20 of 28 passes for 181 yards without throwing any interceptions. Mac Dalena was another standout for Fresno State (6-5, 4-3 Mountain West Conference), notching seven receptions for 75 yards along with a touchdown.
The game kicked off with a solid 12-play, 77-yard drive by Colorado State, lasting almost 6 1/2 minutes, culminating in a 10-yard touchdown run from Justin Marshall, who ended the night with 94 rushing yards.
Fresno State responded quickly; Donelson made a 21-yard run, followed by a 38-yard pass from Keene to Raylen Sharpe, leading to a 16-yard touchdown run by Donelson that leveled the score at 7-7. Joshua Wood soon added a 4-yard touchdown run of his own. Dalena then scored on a 28-yard touchdown reception with 3:18 remaining in the second quarter, and Keene capped off the Bulldogs’ scoring spree by connecting with Jalen Moss for a 15-yard touchdown less than three minutes later, putting Fresno State ahead 28-7 at halftime.
In the latter part of the game, Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi made an impact by rushing for a 9-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. He also completed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Person and later successfully converted a 2-point play to Vince Brown II. This last-minute push brought Colorado State’s score to 28-22 with just 17 seconds remaining, but it wasn’t enough to secure a comeback.