College Sports

Hokit, defense help Fresno St beat Incarnate Word 66-0

Posted September 03, 2017 7:00 am

The Associated Press

Fresno State's Jared Rice catches a pass from Chason Virgil for a touchdown against Incarnate Word during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017, in Fresno, Calif. (Eric Paul Zamora/The Fresno Bee via AP) The Associated Press

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Josh Hokit accounted for three touchdowns and the Fresno State defense limited Incarnate Word to minus-7 yards rushing on Saturday night to help the Bulldogs beat the Cardinals 66-0 in the season opener for both teams.

Hokit, a sophomore running back, had two short rushing touchdowns and hit Jared Rice for a 65-yard score. Chason Virgil was 16-of-29 passing for 246 yards and a touchdown and KeeSean Johnson had seven receptions for 120 yards for the Bulldogs.

Emeka Ndoh recovered his own strip-sack of Taylor Laird and, six plays later, a 1-yard touchdown run by Hokit gave Fresno State a 7-0 with 6:51 left in the first quarter. Incarnate Word went three-and-out on each of its next seven possessions and the Bulldogs took a 34-0 lead into halftime. Fresno State sandwiched back-to-back safeties - the second of which came on another sack by Ndoh - around a 30-yard touchdown run by Ronnie Rivers to open the third quarter and make it 45-0.

The Cardinals crossed midfield just twice. They went three-and-out, had a safety, committed a turnover or had a field-goal blocked on every possession except two - a one-play drive to close the first half and a three-play drive to end the game.

Fresno State's Ronnie Rivers cuts through Incarnate Word's Jamarkese Williams, background, and Mar'kel Cooks, right, during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017, in Fresno, Calif. (Eric Paul Zamora/The Fresno Bee via AP) The Associated Press

Incarnate Word's Daryl Brooks, left, chases Fresno State's DeJonte O'Neal during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017, in Fresno, Calif. (Eric Paul Zamora/The Fresno Bee via AP) The Associated Press

Incarnate Word quarterback Sean Brophy, center, hands off to running back Desmond Hite, left, during an NCAA college football game against Fresno State on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017, in Fresno, Calif. (Eric Paul Zamora/The Fresno Bee via AP) The Associated Press

Incarnate Word's Desmond Hite spins free of Fresno State's Nathan Madsen during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017, in Fresno, Calif. (Eric Paul Zamora/The Fresno Bee via AP) The Associated Press

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