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

Sep 3, 2017, 11:49 am

FRESNO, Calif. -- 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.