Fresno State beats Rutgers, 24-7

Ryan Mathews ran for 163 yards and three touchdowns, Seyi Ajirotutu set up two scores with long receptions and Fresno State made its first trip to the East Coast a successful one with a 24-7 victory over Rutgers on Monday night at Piscataway, N.J.

Fresno State earned its 13th victory over teams in Bowl Championship Series conferences, tied with Utah for the most in the nation for teams from non-BCS leagues.

Tom Brandstater, after a five-for-15 passing effort in the first half, finished with 216 yards for the Bulldogs. Ajirotutu came up with the two big grabs. The first was a 77-yarder in the third quarter that led to Mathews’ first score, a four-yarder. The second was a 31-yard reception on third-and-23 in the fourth quarter, which put the ball at the one. Mathews scored two plays later to make it 17-7 with 6:46 left in the game.

The first game without Ray Rice wasn’t encouraging for Rutgers. While the Scarlet Knights’ career rushing leader was preparing for his first NFL game with the Baltimore Ravens, his old school was having a hard time putting points on the board.

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Missouri All-American Jeremy Maclin could play this weekend despite being carted off the field during Saturday’s win over Illinois because of a sprained left ankle.

An MRI exam revealed a slight injury to the tendon in the ankle. Maclin is probable for Saturday’s game against Southeast Missouri State.

Maclin, a sophomore wide receiver who had a 99-yard kickoff return and 234 yards in all-purpose yards for the No. 6 Tigers, is expected to try to practice today.

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Virginia starting linebacker Aaron Clark will sit out the rest of the season because of a knee injury suffered Saturday in the Cavaliers’ 52-7 loss to USC. Clark, a senior, made five tackles in the first start of his career before being hurt in the third quarter.

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Clemson starting offensive guard Barry Humphries will miss at least one game because of a knee injury. He was hurt Saturday in a loss to Alabama.