updated 2:56 a.m. ET Jan. 2, 2008

BOISE, Idaho - Paul Johnson insisted his presence at the Humanitarian Bowl wasn’t to take notes or assess the Georgia Tech team he’s about to inherit.

The Yellow Jackets’ players that return next season to play under Johnson probably appreciate that, especially on defense.

Georgia Tech’s defense, the aggressive, attacking unit that was among the best in the country, was blitzed by Fresno State on Monday, giving up almost 600 yards of offense in a 40-28 loss to the Bulldogs.

“They pretty much, the whole night, just moved the ball on us,” Tech defensive end Darrell Roberson said.

It was a surprising end at Georgia Tech (7-6) for defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta, who served as the Yellow Jackets’ interim coach for the bowl game. The Yellow Jackets’ defense was their strength, ranking 11th in the country in total defense and leading the nation in sacks during the regular season with 47.

But Tech could never get to Fresno State quarterback Tom Brandstater, who picked apart the Yellow Jackets’ secondary with precision, smart passes, before Clifton Smith took over in the second half.

Smith ran for 135 of his 152 yards in the second half and scored two touchdowns. The Bulldogs (9-4) finished with 571 yards of total offense, the most allowed this season by Georgia Tech.

“We threw everything we could at him and he split some tackles and we just couldn’t get him down,” Tenuta said of Smith.

Tenuta, who took over when Chan Gailey was fired after six seasons, joined the list of winless stopgap coaches this postseason, joining DeWayne Walker (UCLA), Gary Darnell (Texas A&M) and Chris Thurmond (Houston).

He’s now headed for the unemployment line, but likely not for long. Tenuta won’t be on Johnson’s staff, but there are some high-profile coordinator jobs still available.

Still, it was a disappointing end to his short tenure as Yellow Jackets coach.

“It’s tough, it really is,” Tenuta said. “We just didn’t play well.”

It’s Fresno State’s second bowl win over Georgia Tech, after beating the Yellow Jackets 30-21 in the 2002 Silicon Valley Football Classic, and it made the Bulldogs 3-0 against the ACC in bowls. Fresno State has won four of its last five bowl games, all four wins coming against teams from the six conferences with automatic bids to the Bowl Championship Series.

Brandstater was outstanding, completing 23 of 30 passes for 285 yards and a 3-yard TD pass in the first half to Drew Lubinsky, the first catch of Lubinsky’s career. Fresno State’s first three scores came on drives of 82, 90 and 91 yards, and after a punt on their opening possession, the Bulldogs scored on six straight drives.

Brandstater also added a 24-yard touchdown run in the third quarter — thanks to an escort from big tight end Bear Pascoe — to give the Bulldogs a 34-14 lead.

“Luckily I had big Bear Pascoe blocking their guy and it paned out pretty well,” Brandstater said. “That’s probably the longest touchdown run of my life, even Pop Warner.”

Using mostly young backups because of injuries to quarterback Taylor Bennett and running back Tashard Choice, the Yellow Jackets rallied. Jonathan Dwyer’s 2-yard touchdown and D.J. Donley’s 20-yard touchdown catch from Calvin Booker pulled the Yellow Jackets within 34-28 early in the fourth quarter.

Donley’s TD catch came after he blocked a punt, and he caught a towering jump ball from Booker by wrestling it away from Fresno State defensive backs Moses Harris and Damion Owens.

Dwyer finished with 62 yards rushing and added a 36-yard TD run. Choice had 69 yards before leaving with a knee injury.

Fresno tried to put the game away, with Brandstater leading a drive inside the Tech 10. But wide receiver Marlon Moore, who scored on a 6-yard run in the first half, fumbled on a hit by safety Joe Gaston. After Darryl Richard recovered, the Bulldogs’ defense held and Smith capped his career-best day with a 32-yard sprint with 1:50 remaining.

“It was a great way for me to go out,” Smith said. “I’ve had my ups and downs at Fresno State, but the good always outweighed the bad and this is just a sweet ending for me.”

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