Football Defeats Fresno State
June 21, 1999 | Football
Sept. 19, 1998
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - Ricky Williams of Texas Tech rushed for 244 yards and two touchdowns Saturday night but the Red Raiders needed a defensive touchdown in the final minute for a 34-28 victory over Fresno State.
Texas Tech (3-0) led most of the game, but with four minutes left, Fresno State's Justin Johnson returned an interception 33 yards for a touchdown to give the Bulldogs (0-2) a 28-27 lead.
The Red Raiders were poised to regain the lead after John Norman returned a punt 86 yards to the Fresno State 1-yard-line. But Williams fumbled and the Bulldogs recovered with 1:40 left.
With Fresno State just trying to run out the clock, Texas Tech's Reagan Bownds punched the ball out of Jaime Kimbrough's arms and Kyle Shipley of the Red Raiders grabbed it and fell into the end zone for the deciding touchdown.
Fresno State got the ball one more time and moved to the Texas Tech 35 as time expired.
Williams ran 72 yards to the Fresno State 8 on the game's first play from scrimmage, setting up a 21-yard field goal by Chris Birkolz.
After Fresno State answered with a 26-yard field goal by Jeff Hanna, Williams scored on runs of 3 and 14 yards to give Texas Tech a 17-3 lead.
After Fresno State failed to convert on fourth-and-18 from its own 26, the Red Raiders scored on a 26-yard pass from Matt Tittle to Donnie Hart to go up 24-3.
Fresno State rallied in the third quarter as Kimbrough scored on a 1-yard run and Frank Battle recovered a fumble by Tittle in the end zone to cut the lead to 24-19.