FRESNO, Calif. – The University of the Incarnate Word was no match for Fresno State on Saturday as the home team cruised to a 66-0 victory on Derek Carr night at Bulldog Stadium.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
The Cardinals (0-1) came out of the tunnel with a ton of excitement, feeding off of the energy of 39,447 fans in attendance at Saturday's contest. The Bulldogs (1-0) quickly dashed any hopes of an upset however, scoring on just their second drive of the ballgame and jumping out to a 17-0 advantage after one quarter of play.
 
Fresno State replicated their first quarter output in the second, adding 17 points to secure a 34-0 lead at the break.
 
UIW managed just 77 yards of total offense in the first half, including -17 rushing yards, and went 1-of-9 on third-down conversions. For comparison, the Bulldogs racked up 280 total yards over the opening 30 minutes of action.
 
Things didn't improve for the Cardinals in the third quarter. UIW was held to a three-and-out on its opening drive, before snapping the ball over the head of punter Joe Zema for a safety.
 
Fresno State didn't let up, scoring less than two minutes later on a 30-yard scamper by Ronnie Rivers to secure a 43-0 advantage.
 
On the Cardinals' subsequent drive, quarterback Taylor Laird was sacked in the end zone, resulting in UIW's second safety of the night.
 
The Bulldogs continued to pile on, scoring a total of 32 points in the third quarter, en route to a 66-0 victory.
 
LEADERS
 
Laired finished 9-of-20 for 90 yards, 1 fumble and 1 interception. Daryl Brooks led the receiving core with 45 yards, while Keyondrick Philio paced the Cardinals on the ground with 11.
 
Mar'kel Cooks and Quandre Washington spearheaded the UIW defense, totaling 6 and 5 tackles respectively.
 
Chason Virgil went 16-of-29 for 246 yards and a touchdown to lead Fresno State. Rivers paced the Bulldogs with 62 rushing yards and a score, while Kosh Hokit added 13 yards and two touchdowns. Keesean Johnson racked up 120 yards through the air.
 
The Cardinals finished with only 148 total yards, while surrendering 613.
 
NOTEABLES
 
UIW wore custom helmet decals to raise awareness surrounding the recovery and relief efforts following the impacts of Hurricane Harvey. The decals were provided by the Southland Conference, and worn by a number of league institutions on Saturday night.
 
Zema's highly-anticipated punting debut did not disappoint as the Australia native booted 8 punts and averaged 50.5 yards, including a 75-yarder that set the UIW record. The previous mark was held by Ramon Coto, who had a 73-yard punt against Southeastern Louisiana on Sept. 27, 2014.
 
Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was honored at halftime of Saturday's game with a jersey retirement ceremony. Brother David Carr, who also attended Fresno State and reached the NFL ranks, was in attendance for the event.
 
UP NEXT
 
The Cardinals make a return trip to California next week for a date with Sacramento State at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9.
 
STAY TUNED
 
UIW opens Southland Conference action in week three as the squad travels to Nacogdoches to face Stephen F. Austin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16.
 
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics visit uiwcardinals.com. Be sure to follow UIW Athletics on Twitter @UIWAthletics and like UIW Athletics on Facebook at UIW Athletics.