Keene throws for 226 yards; Fresno State forces 3 TO's and beats New Mexico 38-21 in a MWC opener

Updated Sep. 22, 2024 12:56 a.m. ET

Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Mikey Keene threw for 226 yards and a score, and Fresno State forced three turnovers and beat New Mexico 38-21 on Saturday night in a Mountain West Conference opener.

Keene tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Josiah Freeman midway through the first quarter to open the scoring. Receiver Raylen Sharpe's 26-touchdown pass to Kamron Beachem with 1:24 left in the second stretched the Bulldogs' lead to 25-3.

Elijah Gilliam's 1-yard touchdown run made it 35-13 with 7:08 left in the game.

Keene completed 26 of 33 passes. Gilliam finished with 54 yards rushing on 18 carries. Bryson Donelson also had a 1-yard TD run for Fresno State (3-1, 1-0).

Devon Dampier was 33-of-53 passing for 338 yards and threw one touchdown and two interceptions for New Mexico (0-4, 0-1). Luke Wyson caught 10 passes for 126 yards. Eli Sanders fumbled the ball away on the Lobos' first drive of the game.

___ Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here ___ AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football