MADISON, Wis. >> This return wasn't nearly as electrifying as Bernard Berrian's last one. [ COLLEGE FOOTBALL ]
Bulldogs lose opener
These Chads hang together
Aztecs hope to rebound from tough seasons
Associated Press
Berrian, whose 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at Camp Randall Stadium a year ago sparked one of the biggest victories in Fresno State's history, sprained his right knee on his only return last night and watched as Wisconsin exacted its revenge.
Mike Allen's 34-yard field goal with 2:05 left gave the 25th-ranked Badgers a 23-21 victory over the Bulldogs in the second John Thompson Foundation Classic.
"Every loss hurts. It hurts more when there's nothing you can do about it," said Berrian, who sat out the final three quarters. "I have to get an MRI tomorrow, but hopefully I'll be back next week."
Sophomore strong safety Jim Leonhard, the anchor of the Badgers' retooled secondary, had two interceptions in his first career start and he added a game-saving breakup on the Bulldogs' last-gasp pass.
On fourth-and-19 from his 41, Fresno State quarterback Jeff Grady, who replaced David Carr, the top pick in the NFL draft, threw a hard pass that Leonhard, a walk-on, knocked from Marque Davis' hands.
"I saw him make his break. I got a good jump on the ball and just knocked it out of there," Leonhard said.
Otherwise, the Bulldogs would have had a first down at the 35 and a chance for their second straight victory in Madison.
"If he catches it, who knows? We win the game," said Bulldogs coach Pat Hill. "But he made the play and we didn't."
Last year, Berrian racked up 300 all-purpose yards against the Badgers. He was off to another fine start last night when he sprained his right knee on the final play of the first quarter and didn't return.
"It might be a slight ligament tear," Hill said. "It hurt because he had two big plays early for us. It hurt to lose him that early in the game. But they didn't have Lee Evans and we didn't have Berrian."
Hawaii plays Fresno State on Oct. 25 at Fresno. The game will be shown by ESPN2.
UH Athletics