Fresno State holds off UCLA

Tom Brandstater threw for three touchdowns and Ryan Mathews ran for one score and caught another as No. 25 Fresno State outlasted UCLA 36-31 on Saturday in Pasadena, Calif.

In a game marked by rapid shifts in momentum, the Bulldogs (3-1) took final control after the Bruins’ Derrick Coleman fumbled at the Fresno State 10 and the Bulldogs’ Wilson Ramos recovered with 8:55 remaining.

Led by Mathews, Fresno State ran out the clock with a 17-play drive that ended on the UCLA 4 as time ran out.

Brandstater was 21 of 30 for 236 yards, including touchdowns of 28 yards to Chastin West, 22 to Mathews, and 4 to Bear Pascoe, the final two as the Bulldogs opened a 36-22 lead in the third quarter.

Although they played much better than their last two games, the loss was the third in a row for the Bruins (1-3), who had opened the season with an upset of Tennessee.

California 42, Colorado State 7: At Berkeley, Calif., Syd’Quan Thompson returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown and the Golden Bears (3-1) also scored on a blocked punt and interception return in a 48-second span of the first quarter to beat the Rams (2-2).

The victory by California salvaged a little bit of respect for the Pac-10 against the Mountain West. The tradition-rich Pac-10 had lost the first five meetings this season against the non-BCS Mountain West.