Even in victory, Aloha Stadium hasn’t been good for Fresno State coach Tim DeRuyter’s health.
Returning to the site of his worst defeat as Bulldogs head coach, DeRuyter watched a 39-point lead turn into a one-possession game as No. 25 Fresno State survived a last-second Hail Mary to escape with a 42-37 win on Saturday night.
"It’s tough to win on the road in conference," said DeRuyter, whose team was blown out 43-10 by SMU in last year’s Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. "We’re happy."
Happy, but more thankful than anything after watching a 42-3 third-quarter lead evaporate a lot faster than the rain that collected on Hawaiian Airlines Field after a series of heavy downpours.
Senior L.J. Jones peered through the raindrops to intercept Sean Schroeder inside the 5-yard line on the final play, giving the Bulldogs their third win of the season that came down to the last seconds.
"Some time you’ve got to win ugly," DeRuyter said.
Fresno State’s defense has given up 38.3 points in its four wins, but has made game-saving plays in the last seconds in three of them.
FSU denied Rutgers’ 2-point conversion attempt to win 52-51 in its season opener and held off Boise State 41-40 in its last game when it knocked down a pass on fourth down.
Against Hawaii, Jones made sure he had the interception in his hands and took a few steps before slipping and falling to end it.
"We tried to come out there and make sure we didn’t let them get the ball — knock it down if we could," said Jones, who returned an interception for a touchdown earlier. "I got a pick, but really it was just about stopping them."
Fresno State hasn’t been able to put teams away all year despite racing out to big leads. Against Boise State, the Bulldogs led 34-19 before falling behind at one point.
Even in its game against FCS member Cal Poly, DeRuyter watched a 41-3 lead become 41-25, forcing him to put his starters back in the game.
"We’ll take ugly wins as long as they’re wins," DeRuyter said. "You look all over the country, teams that are favored don’t win. We found a way to win."
Fresno State did that, but at what cost?
The Bulldogs are the only non-BCS team ranked in this week’s Top 25 and have a favorable schedule they are capable of running through undefeated.
But when it comes to style points, especially for non-BCS members trying to make it into a BCS bowl game, how shaky does a five-point win look over 0-4 Hawaii?
Quarterback Derek Carr couldn’t care less.
"We won," Carr said. "I’ve been a part of a 4-9 season, so I know how losing feels. So anytime you win, you celebrate it.
"It doesn’t matter how you do it, it doesn’t matter how it looks — a win is a win and that’s all that matters."
Especially in a place that was brutal to Carr in his last visit to Aloha Stadium. The fifth-year senior quarterback threw two interceptions and only one touchdown in a 33-point loss to coach June Jones’ Mustangs last Christmas Eve.
He threw two more picks on Saturday, but completed 70 percent (33-for-47) of his passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns.
