Fresno State Brushes Aside Toledo

Paul Williams caught a touchdown pass and returned a blocked punt for a score, and Tyrone Culver returned a fumble for another touchdown Tuesday night in Fresno State’s 44-14 nonconference victory over Toledo.

Bryson Sumlin ran for 106 yards and a score and also caught a touchdown pass as the Bulldogs (2-1) rebounded from a 37-34 loss at Oregon 10 days ago that knocked them out of the top 25.

Capitalizing on two fumbles and another superb effort from its special teams, Fresno State scored 27 points in the second quarter of a one-sided victory over Toledo (3-1), which played without standout quarterback Bruce Gradkowski.

Gradkowski, the Rockets’ career passing leader in several categories, was held out of the game at the last minute, apparently because of a concussion from a victory 10 days ago over Temple. Gradkowski passed for 654 yards and nine touchdowns as the defending Mid-American Conference champions averaged 53.3 points in their first three games.

Clint Cochran, Gradkowski’s freshman replacement, completed 16 of 24 passes for 163 yards. He also ran for a score, but Toledo’s first trip to Bulldog Stadium since the 1984 California Bowl wasn’t much fun.

Paul Pinegar threw two touchdown passes, and the Bulldogs posted a blowout despite the Rockets’ 304-248 edge in total yards.