Fresno State Celebrates Win of Its Dreams : Bulldogs: Emotional victory over USC turns Anaheim Stadium into howling ‘Doghouse.’

When it was over, when Fresno State finally accomplished what its coach and players say they always knew could be done, they began the celebration of their dreams.

“Fresno State is for real,” offensive tackle Ron Collins screamed as the final seconds ticked off in the Bulldogs’ 24-7 victory over USC in the Freedom Bowl Tuesday night in Anaheim Stadium.

The cry was a mere warm-up for the party that followed.

Offensive linemen Jesse Hardwick and Jason James carried Fresno State Coach Jim Sweeney to midfield on their shoulders. Moments later Sweeney hit the ground running, leading the cheers in front of the Fresno State fans seated behind the north end zone. He pumped his arms and the crowd bellowed. He broke into a victory lap and they roared some more.

“They made the Doghouse out of (Anaheim Stadium),” Sweeney said after he stopped running. “These are great fans.”

The crimson-clad Red Wave fans seemed to account for most of the crowd of 50,745, and for good reason. They had been waiting seemingly forever to see the Bulldogs prove they could play with bigger football programs, and they weren’t going to let it pass by without notice.

And neither were the Bulldogs, who this year moved to the Western Athletic Conference from the Big West in search of better competition.

It seemed Tuesday that the doubters were those who knew nothing of Fresno State, and it was clear there were plenty of them around the country. USC went into the game as an eight-point favorite.

“I’m really excited, but deep down in my heart and in the hearts of all my teammates, we knew we could beat them,” said tailback Anthony Daigle, whose two-yard run in the fourth quarter gave Fresno State a 17-7 lead.

“We don’t have the No. 1 offense in the country for nothing. I’m pretty proud of our team.”

Although they fell short of their national-leading 40.5 points a game, the Bulldogs still punched more than enough holes in USC’s defense. Fresno State rushed for 241 yards.

Ron Rivers, who scored on a five-yard run in the final minutes, finished with 104 yards in 19 carries. Lorenzo Neal, the game’s most valuable player, gained 75 yards in 19 carries and Daigle added 54 yards in 11 carries.

Running behind huge blocks by Collins and Hardwick made it look easy.

“Total domination by our offensive line,” Sweeney said.

Said Hardwick, who won battles with defensive tackle David Webb and linebacker Willie McGinest: “We knew we had to do a good job on them.”

When the Bulldogs weren’t running, sophomore quarterback Trent Dilfer was completing 13 of 28 passes for 164 yards.

“We knew if we had control of the line of scrimmage, we would win the football game,” said Dilfer, a sophomore who was recruited only by Fresno State and played in a running-oriented offense at Aptos High School in Northern California.

Fresno State’s defense, the one that gave up 46 points to Oregon State this season, stifled USC.

The Bulldogs had three interceptions and forced one fumble while limiting the Trojans to only a one-yard scoring run by Deon Strother.

The Trojans needed more. But Fresno State wasn’t giving an inch.

And the future?

“We better be a top-20 team or there are going to be some pretty unhappy people,” Dilfer said.