While junior Daniel Libre's strong debut as running back last night may have caught a few people with their guard down — including the Fresno State defense — Libre's friend, rival and teammate Leon Wright-Jackson couldn't have been less surprised. Or more proud.

"He's a great athlete, he works hard in practice and he deserves to be here," Wright-Jackson said. "He did a great job tonight, and I knew he would."

With starter Kealoha Pilares out with a recurring medial collateral ligament (knee) injury, Libre got his first chance to demonstrate to Warrior fans what his teammates already took for granted.

Splitting possessions with Wright-Jackson and David Farmer, Libre totaled 61 yards on six carries.

He was at his most impressive during a prolonged drive that spanned the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second.

After a personal foul call against Fresno State saved the Warriors from having to punt from deep in their own territory, the Warriors turned to Libre to establish a ground presence. He responded with consecutive runs of 22 and five yards to advance the ball to the Bulldog 39. That opened things up for quarterback Colt Brennan to complete passes to Ryan Grice-Mullins and Davone Bess.

Then, on first-and-10 on the Bulldog 20, Libre took a handoff, spun out of an almost certain tackle and powered his way to the 5-yard line. Two plays later, Brennan hit Bess for a touchdown to tie former Brigham Young quarterback Ty Detmer for most career touchdown passes in NCAA history.

"It was great to be a part of such a big game," Libre said. "I'm happy that we won and that I was able to contribute to that win in some way."

As Libre eased into a groove, the Bulldog defense was forced to adjust.

"After a while, they weren't coming off the blocks at all," Libre said. "They really started to key up on me."

But that didn't fluster Libre, not with Wright-Jackson waiting on the sidelines with advice and encouragement.

"Whenever I came out, he'd tell me what to look for and how to react," Libre said. "He's always been encouraging to me and (sharing downs) with him makes it easier because all the pressure is not on me."

The two backs became close friends after rooming together on the road.

"Me and (Libre) had a game plan together," Wright-Jackson said. "We were going to forget the rivalry and just play the game 110 percent, just like in practice. It's a new relationship between us and we've become really close."

Wright-Jackson was his usual efficient self last night, racking up 65 yards and a touchdown on just five carries.

David Farmer complemented the effort with a 14-yard run.

"When Kealoha is here, me and him are 1 and 2, with David Farmer in there, too," Wright-Jackson said. "With him out, Libre had to step up and he did. I think (Fresno State) figured we weren't going to run much, but when (Libre) and I did, they were forced to adjust."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.