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Carr tosses 7 TDs as Fresno State rocks New Mexico

Nov 24, 2013 - 3:28 AM Fresno, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Derek Carr added 527 yards and a school-record seven touchdown passes to his Heisman candidacy, while his No. 15 Fresno State Bulldogs took another step towards sewing up a BCS bowl berth with a 69-28 rout of New Mexico.

Carr completed 27-of-37 attempts in perhaps his final game at Bulldog Stadium, with top targets Davante Adams and Josh Harper also putting up huge numbers to help Fresno State (10-0, 7-0 MWC) remain unbeaten and clinch a spot in the Mountain West championship game.

Adams hauled in four of Carr's TD tosses while racking up 246 yards on nine receptions, while Harper totaled 161 yards and three touchdowns on 10 grabs.

Isaiah Burse added six catches for 112 yards for the Bulldogs, who amassed a school-record 820 total yards en route to extending their regular-season win streak to 15 games.

Jhurell Presley accumulated 87 yards and a touchdown on just four carries for New Mexico (3-8, 1-6). Clayton Mitchem went 8-of-11 for 157 yards in the loss.

The overmatched Lobos offered little resistance against Fresno State's high- powered attack, with the Bulldogs producing touchdowns on five of their first six possessions to build a commanding 35-0 halftime lead.

Carr didn't take much time getting Fresno State on the board, as his third pass of the afternoon resulted in a 57-yard touchdown to Adams just over 5 1/2 minutes in.

The Bulldogs went three-and-out on their next drive, but Burse ran back a New Mexico punt 21 yards to the Lobos' 33 shortly afterward to get Fresno in scoring range. Josh Quezada then raced untouched into the end zone on the very next play for a 14-0 lead.

Fresno State needed just four snaps to cross the goal line again on its following series, with Carr connecting with Adams on a 44-yard score to stretch the margin to 21 points early in the second quarter.

After the Bulldogs' defense held once more, Carr marched his team 90 yards in only five plays for another touchdown. A 44-yard hookup with Harper got Fresno deep into New Mexico territory, and Burse faked out the Lobos' defense on a trick play before scampering 26 yards for a 28-0 cushion.

Carr hit on 6-of-7 throws on the Bulldogs' next trip, including a 23-yard strike to Burse to the Lobos' 1 right before Harper made a leaping catch in the end zone with 5:15 remaining in the half.

"When you have a quarterback like Derek, it's not hard to get in the end zone," said Harper afterward. "He puts it right on you."

New Mexico finally got something positive on its initial drive of the second half, with Crusoe Gongbay following Mitchem's 39-yard delivery to Marquis Bundy with a 15-yard touchdown run that cut the deficit to 35-7.

Fresno State again had an easy answer, however, as Adams broke free and Carr hit him in stride for a 59-yard score.

Carlos Wiggins returned the ensuing kickoff 64 yards down to the FSU 29, and Mitchem ripped off a 24-yard touchdown on an option keep on fourth down to give the Lobos some life.

"We could have run and hid, but that's not what we did," said New Mexico head coach Bob Davie.

The momentum was short-lived. On the Bulldogs' second play from scrimmage after Mitchem's score, Carr found Harper for a 59-yard touchdown to make the score 49-14 near the midway mark of the third quarter. The TD pass was the 100th of the senior gunslinger's career.

Carr threw touchdown pass No. 6 on Fresno State's next sequence, an 11-yard dart to Harper that completed a nine-play, 48-yard trek.

"He's as good as there is in the country," Bulldogs head coach Tim DeRuyter said of Carr. "And that is why I think it is very well deserved that he should be in the Heisman discussion,"

Wiggins continued the scoring barrage from both sides by finding a seam on the kickoff and sprinting 89 yards for a touchdown that brought New Mexico within 56-21.

Carr led one more series before being rested the entire fourth quarter, finishing off his prolific day by hitting Adams for the star wideout's fourth touchdown of the game on a 39-yard deep ball between two defenders.

The Bulldogs' offensive onslaught continued with backup Brian Burrell under center in the final period, with Malique Micenehimer coming through with a 40- yard run and later punching it in from a yard out for a 69-21 advantage after the extra-point attempt was missed.

Presley broke off an 80-yard touchdown run with 7:31 left for New Mexico's final points.

Game Notes

Fresno State will face either Utah State or Boise State in the inaugural MWC championship game on Dec. 7, with the site yet to be determined ... Carr's 527 yards were just nine short of a career high, set against San Diego State last season, while his seven TD passes broke the school single-game best of six set by his older brother, David, in 2001 ... Adams now has a school and Mountain West-record 19 touchdown catches on the season, bettering the mark held by Boise State's Tyler Shoemaker in 2011 ... Fresno State reached double digits in wins in a season for the first time since David Carr's senior campaign in 2001 ... The Bulldogs' previous best for total yards in a game was 757, which also came against New Mexico back in 1991.