San Jose, Calif. ? Pat Hill has been perturbed that UCLA and the other West Coast football powers decline to play his Fresno State Bulldogs.

So, for now at least, the coach will settle for beating those schools when he does get the opportunity — in the postseason.

Bryson Sumlin made his first career touchdown catch and also ran for a score, and Fresno State defeated UCLA, 17-9, in the Silicon Valley Classic late Tuesday night.

“We’ll play anybody, anywhere, any time,” Hill said. “Tonight was great exposure.”

Fresno State (9-5) made its school-record fifth straight bowl appearance and fourth in a row in this game.

Sumlin, a sophomore backup who began his career as a cornerback, capitalized on two big chances to score and helped the Bulldogs beat the Bruins for the first time in six meetings.

Again, the Bulldogs seized the opportunity to spoil things for a bigger, more prominent program in a game dominated by defense.

“Coach Hill wanted this win more than anybody,” said running back Rodney Davis, who won his second straight Silicon Valley offensive MVP award.

“He said UCLA has been ducking us for a long time. They looked down on us, they didn’t respect us. We had to change that.”

UCLA (6-7) lost its last five games to turn what was a promising season into a disappointment under Karl Dorrell.