Robbie Rouse is well aware of his critics.
At 5 feet 7 and 185 pounds, Rouse knows that some doubt his ability to be an every-down back at the next level.
In the midst of a rare losing season at Fresno State, the junior running back from San Diego provided a glimpse of what Bulldogs football under coach Pat Hill is known for, pounding the ball a season-high 37 times for 176 rushing yards and a touchdown to lead the Bulldogs to a 24-21 victory over Hawaii on Saturday night at Aloha Stadium.
Rouse, who finished with 227 all-purpose yards, allowed the Bulldogs offense to run 79 plays and wear down the Hawaii defense, setting up a fourth-quarter touchdown pass from quarterback Derek Carr to Josh Harper that proved to be the winning score.
"As a running back you love when it’s late in the fourth quarter and your team is leaning on you and all you’ve got to do is pound the ball away," Rouse said. "Some people might think I don’t like that in my stature, but that’s one thing I try to prove people wrong.
"I can be an every-down back and whenever my name is called upon I can answer."
For a program that has seen its share of talented backs under Hill, Rouse is just the fourth Bulldog to post consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
His 2,471 yards over the last two years is only four behind the record held by Ron Rivers in 1992-93, a mark he should pass easily next week against San Jose State.
"I think he’s a great player and I think he’ll become the all-time leading rusher in the history of this school," Hill said. "I have no idea what he had stat-wise, but I know he ran hard tonight."
The Bulldogs came out passing, as Jalen Saunders burned the Hawaii secondary for a 44-yard touchdown catch on the game’s third play from scrimmage.
From then on, it was primarily a run-oriented offense, with the Bulldogs lining up as many as seven offensive linemen at times to pound away against UH’s defensive interior.
"They played a cover-2 the whole night … and forced us into a run game," Hill said. "We felt we would be better off with tackles at tight end than tight ends at tight end against their defensive ends and for the most part it paid off.
Carr, who finished 19-for-29 for 271 yards and two touchdowns, said he noticed the same thing after scoring on Fresno State’s opening possession.
"Once we hit that deep post to Jalen, they weren’t going to mess around with that (coverage) anymore and started to play real soft," Carr said. "So then it was the Robbie Rouse show."
Once Carr hit Harper on the touchdown to put the Bulldogs up, Rouse didn’t allow UH much of a chance to retake the lead.
The Bulldogs controlled the ball for more than 10 minutes in the fourth quarter. Although they didn’t score on either of their final two drives, they ran 21 total plays and gave UH back the ball deep in its own territory.
The 21 points Fresno State allowed tied for its lowest this season. It was coach Tim Skipper’s first game serving as defensive coordinator since taking over for Randy Stewart, who resigned last Sunday.
