Fresno State beat Fresno State
Fresno State beat Fresno State
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| AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian | |
| Wisconsin's Jaevery McFadden, left, watches Fresno State's Devon Wylie drop a pass in the second half. Fresno State squandered multiple chances to take control of the game. |
Posted by ESPN.com's Graham Watson
FRESNO, Calif. -- Tom Brandstater didn't have any excuses for Saturday 13-10 loss to No. 10 Wisconsin, just a realization that he and his team had several opportunities to win the game and never capitalized on them.
"I think I feel bad now," Brandstater said. "But it will be a lot worse in the morning when we watch film and we realize how many chances we had."
All fingers will point to kicker Kevin Goessling, who missed three field goals, including a 35-yarder with 11 minutes remaining that would have tied the game. But the reality is, Fresno State had several opportunities and several bounces to turn a 3-point loss into a two-touchdown rout.
An interception by Brandstater and a punt that errantly hit a Fresno State player led to 10 of the Badgers' 13 points.
"There were so many opportunities that were missed opportunities for us that I'm not going to place the blame anywhere except that we just didn't make enough plays to win the game," Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. "They won the turnover battle and that's a huge part of the game. We knew going into that game that we'd have to win the turnover battle and we didn't."
The Fresno State offense was never able to catch the momentum the defense and special teams we're trying to throw its way.
After cutting the score to 10-7, the Fresno State defense forced Wisconsin into a three-and-out and Desia Dunn blocked the punt to give the Bulldogs a start at the Wisconsin 37-yard line. But Brandstater threw two incomplete passes and the offense managed just three yards before Goessling missed the 51-yard field goal.
In the fourth quarter, running back Lonyae Miller rushed 57 yards to the Wisconsin 25-yard line, but the Bulldogs could only muster nine yards, and that's when Goessling missed the 35-yarder.
"It hurts just to know that I didn't give it my best shot and I let my team down," Brandstater said. "It's just a hurtful one. I feel I was given opportunities over and over and we couldn't capitalize and we couldn't capitalize and it's just like a hollow, empty feeling right now. I can't really describe it."
Fresno State will have to regroup if it wants to make something out of this season. Even though the dream of a BCS bowl is gone, the Bulldogs still could vie for the WAC title. There's no telling whether a one-loss team could still make a BCS bowl considering how poor teams from the Big East and the ACC have played the opening three weeks of the season.
But Saturday's loss hurt more simply because Fresno State beat itself.
"We let one slip again," Brandstater said. "I'm tired of talking like this. I'm tired of regretting things. I'm just tired of losing games like this when we should win. I don't care how close it was. We need to win games like this and that's all that matters."
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