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GAME NOTES: The 14th-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats look to remain unbeaten on the young season, as they clash with the Fresno State Bulldogs in a non-conference affair at Nippert Stadium this weekend.

The Bearcats have been one of the more impressive teams early on and they are currently ranked 14th after opening the season outside the Top 25. Last weekend, Cincinnati showed what it was all about and defeated Oregon State, 28-18, snapping the Beavers' streak of 26 straight non-conference victories at Reser Stadium that dated back to 1996.

"We came here to play a Pac-10 team that hadn't lost 26 straight games," said head coach Brian Kelly. "It's not an easy place to play. It's a tough trip to make and our kids fought through everything."

The defending Big East champions have certainly picked up right where they left off and are now 3-0 with convincing victories over Rutgers (47-15) and Southeast Missouri State (70-3) to begin the season.

As for Fresno State, it hasn't had the same kind of success and has dropped two straight games following a 51-0 win over UC-Davis to open the season. Last week, the Bulldogs opened Western Athletic Conference play against favored Boise State and they weren't able to keep pace with the nationally-ranked Broncos in a 51-34 home setback.

"This is a young team early in the season and we are going to get better and better," said head coach Pat Hill. "We will learn from this game."

The Bulldogs certainly have some growing up to do and this weekend would be a perfect time, as the program faces Cincinnati for the first-ever time on the gridiron.

Except for seven turnovers, Fresno State has had little problems on offense this season and comes into the game averaging 495.3 total ypg, including 269.7 rushing ypg. Last week, the Bulldogs rolled up 507 yards of offense, including 320 on the ground, but it wasn't enough in a loss to Boise State.

Despite the loss, tailback Ryan Mathews had a standout performance, as he rushed for 234 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. It marked the third highest single-game total in school history and all three of his touchdowns came from 60 yards or longer.

"Our line was doing a really good job pressing their defensive line back and the running backs were doing a good job of running where the holes were," said Mathews. "I just wanted to make it a point that I belong with the best. Our line did so good, I give all the credit to them."

Mathews has now rushed for 447 yards this season and he is averaging 9.1 yards per carry courtesy of last week's performance.

Unfortunately for Fresno State, it can not get the same type of production out of quarterback Ryan Colburn, who has thrown six interceptions through the first three games. Colburn hit on 14-of-29 pass attempts for 187 yards and a score last week, but he was picked off twice, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

The Bulldogs' defense did little to give the team a chance to win against Boise State and allowed 480 total yards in the loss. The unit surrendered 299 yards on the ground behind a 10.3 yard per carry average, while also allowing the Broncos to convert 18-of-26 pass attempts.

"They have some magic going on right now," said Hill about Boise State. "They made big plays when they needed to."

Another big area of concern for this defense has been its inability to make big plays. After three games, Fresno State has recorded just two takeaways and the same amount of sacks and that simply won't get the job done.

Chris Carter has recorded both of the team's sacks, while Ben Jacobs paces the defense with 25 tackles for the season.

Quarterback Tony Pike may not be a household name yet, but he will be by season's end. After guiding the Bearcats to the Big East title, Pike has continued to flourish and is leading an offense that is averaging 516.7 total ypg on the season. In a hostile environment last weekend, Pike showed his talent as well as leadership skills, throwing for 332 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 31-of-49 tosses. He also added a rushing touchdown in the win at Oregon State.

"It shows a lot of last year compared to this year," said Pike. "We went down early with the crazy, unbelievable crowd. You know, Oregon State is a great team; an obvious top 25 team. We were able to go through some tough times and come back out of them."

For the season, Pike has now completed 70.8 percent of his pass attempts for 923 yards and eight touchdowns and those are noteworthy numbers.

Mardy Gilyard is Pike's go-to-guy and he leads the team with 23 catches, 265 yards and four touchdowns. A threat every time he touches the ball, Gilyard hauled in nine balls for 65 yards and a score last weekend. D.J. Woods had a career night as a second option against Oregon State and he grabbed seven passes for 117 yards and a score.

The Bearcats don't rely on the run all that much, but they have done a good job in averaging 157.0 ypg behind a 4.8 yard per carry average thus far.

Cincinnati's defense will get overlooked by the offense, but the unit played a big part in last weekend's win. The defense kept Oregon State in check, allowing just 344 total yards, and also came up with some by plays, recording five sacks. Not bad for a unit that lost 10 starters from a year ago.

The Bearcats, who are giving up just 271.0 total ypg after three outings, held the Beavers to only 104 rushing yards and a 5-of-17 effort on third downs.

Walter Stewart had 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble in the win, while Drew Frey led the unit with 12 stops. Stewart was making his first career start in place of injured linebacker Curtis Young and he certainly made an impact.

The Bearcats are clicking on all cylinders right now and behind Pike, they should be able to continue their success at home this weekend.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Cincinnati 38, Fresno State 20