SAN DIEGO
Fresno State was in for a tough time on Saturday in trying to stem a San Diego State running game that features one of the best backs in the Mountain West Conference in Donnel Pumphrey, and the Bulldogs had to do it while playing short-handed.
Senior inside (Mike) linebacker Kyrie Wilson, the Bulldogs’ second leading tackler, did not play because of an elbow injury suffered last week in a loss at San Jose State, which left Fresno State very young at a critical positon. Freshman Nela Otukolo was expected to make his first career start and was backed up by redshirt freshman walk-on George Helmuth.