Mathews added considerably to his already impressive totals Saturday, Oct. 10, in Honolulu. The junior rushed 24 times for 149 yards and a 19-yard touchdown in Fresno State's 42-17 victory over Hawaii.
Basically, Mathews did what he's been doing all season. He's averaging 148.2 rushing yards per game.
And now, he's the leading rusher in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, as his effort enabled him to pass Marshall's Darius Marshall (147.4) for the No. 1 spot.
Mathews has run 111 times for 741 yards and six touchdowns in 2009, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. And he hasn't been just racking up big numbers against weak opponents. He's topped 100 yards in all five of the Bulldogs' games.
Fresno State, a member of the mid-major Western Athletic Conference, has played two teams that are ranked in the Top 10 as well as a Big Ten Conference school.
Ironically, he enjoyed his best career performance against the opponent with the highest national ranking and the highest-rated run defense.
Big Night vs. Boise State Put Mathews in National Spotlight
Mathews gained the most headlines for an electrifying performance in his team's 51-34 loss to No. 5 Boise State on Sept. 18 in Fresno, Calif.
He ran 19 times for 234 yards, with three touchdowns of 60 yards or more, in the nationally televised contest. That came against a Boise State defense that is allowing just 102 rushing yards per game this season.
Eight days later, Mathews ran a career-high 38 times for 145 yards and a TD in a 28-20 loss at No. 8 – another team with a highly rated run defense (105.6 yards per game).
In the first two games of 2009, Mathews had 106 yards and a TD on 11 carries vs. UC Davis on Sept. 5, and 107 yards on 19 carries at Wisconsin on Sept. 12.
The only noticeable negative to his season is that his team is only 2-3.
What Makes Mathews Tick
At 5-foot-10, 220 pounds, Mathews boasts a combination of strength and speed. He's also known for his balance, his vision, and his ability to accelerate after hitting open field.
Mathews also plays in a system that prides itself on running the football. Head coach Pat Hill is a former offensive line and tight ends coach who likes to load up on the blocking.
Perhaps most importantly, Mathews is healthy. He was plagued by a bad knee during the 2007 season, but managed 606 yards and six touchdowns in seven games. His injury problems were largely tabbed as the reason the Bulldogs finished only 7-5.
During his freshman campaign, Mathews picked up 866 yards and scored 14 touchdowns, averaging six yards per carry.
Mathews Has Become Workhorse
Mathews is averaging 22.2 carries per game, and has more than 20 attempts in his past two games. His 38 atempts vs. Cincinnati were a career-high, and his 24 rushes Saturday -- which came in three quarters of action -- are his second most.
Before this season, he had managed 20 carries on only once -- in a 36-31 victory over UCLA in 2008. That was also the game win which he injured his knee, forcing him to sit out five of the next eight contests.
But being a workhorse is nothing new to Mathews. He led the nation in rushing as a senior at West High in Bakersfield, Calif. And he did so while playing quarterback as well as a running back, gaining 3,396 yards and 44 touchdowns.
