Tag: Fresno State Bulldogs

Nov 8, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster leaves the field with the game ball after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

UCLA bids to bounce back in finale vs. Fresno State

Posted on | by Field Level Media

UCLA was hoping its season would last until at least December.

Unfortunately for the Bruins, they weren’t able to secure a bowl berth and their 2024 campaign will conclude on Saturday afternoon with a nonconference game against visiting Fresno State.

UCLA (4-7) needed to win its final two games to qualify for a bowl, however those hopes were dashed with a 19-13 loss to crosstown rival Southern Cal last Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

“They kept rebounding this whole season, so they will continue to be resilient and be the type of football players that I know they are,” UCLA first-year coach DeShaun Foster said. “The season is not over. They signed up to play ball, and we are going to finish the season on a good note. Our guys will get out there, and I am going to try to send the seniors off the right way.”

UCLA recovered from a five-game losing streak by winning three in a row, but a 31-19 loss at Washington on Nov. 15 put the Bruins into a must-win situation against the Trojans.

UCLA held a 13-9 lead entering the fourth quarter versus Southern Cal but only managed one first down on its final three possessions.

“We let one slip through our hands,” Foster said. “All of these losses have come to, pretty much, us just letting it slip through our hands. We have to find a way to finish games and just keep coming out after the half and play better and finish a game. We have to really put our stamp on the end of it. We’ve just got to learn from this.”

Fresno State (6-5) secured a bowl bid with a 28-22 win against visiting Colorado State on Saturday.

Bulldogs running back Bryson Donelson rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, but the true freshman sustained a leg injury late in the game. He will be a game-time decision against UCLA.

“Hopefully, he can go,” Fresno State coach Tim Skipper said.

–Field Level Media

Sep 30, 2023; Fresno, California, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs wide receiver Jaelen Gill (5) reacts after catching a pass for a touchdown against the Nevada Wolf Pack in the first quarter at Valley Children's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

No. 25 Fresno State tops Nevada, continues its best start in 10 years

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Mikey Keene threw two touchdown passes to Jaelen Gill and No. 25 Fresno State continued its best start in 10 years by posting a 27-9 victory over Nevada on Saturday night in the Mountain West opener for both schools at Fresno, Calif.

Malik Sherrod had a 72-yard touchdown run as part of a 123-yard performance for the Bulldogs, who are 5-0 for the first time since the high-powered 2013 squad featuring Derek Carr and Davante Adams won their first 10 games.

Keene completed 26 of 34 passes for 269 yards and two interceptions for Fresno State. Gill had eight receptions for 126 yards as the Bulldogs won their 14th consecutive game, the second-longest active streak behind top-ranked Georgia (22).

The streak is also the second longest in Fresno State history behind a 17-game stretch in 1988-89.

Nevada (0-5) lost its 15th straight game, the longest active skid among FBS programs.

The Wolf Pack used two quarterbacks. Brendon Lewis was 10-of-21 passing for 70 yards and two interceptions, while AJ Bianco completed 9 of 14 attempts for 97 yards, including a late touchdown pass to Spencer Curtis.

Emany Johnson recorded two interceptions for Nevada, which was outgained 410-220.

The Wolf Pack chewed up 9:18 on the game’s first possession but the 18-play drive eventually stalled and they had to punt.

Fresno State answered with a six-play, 88-yard touchdown drive. Gill lined up in the backfield and caught a short pass in the left flat from Keene and broke loose down the sideline for a 65-yard scoring play.

The Bulldogs’ second touchdown came after Sherrod appeared to be stopped after a 5-yard gain to his own 33-yard line. But Sherrod was on the back of a Nevada defender and never hit the ground. He got up and raced for the 72-yard touchdown run with 4:15 left in the first half.

Dylan Lynch kicked field goals of 48 and 40 yards in the third quarter to increase Fresno State’s advantage to 20-0.

Keene connected with Gill on a 12-yard scoring pass to make it a 27-point margin with 12:37 left in the game.

Fresno State’s Carlton Johnson later picked off his fourth pass of the season to snuff out a Nevada drive. The Bulldogs took over at their 2 and Elijah Gilliam was dropped in the end zone by multiple Wolf Pack defenders for a safety with 8:22 left in the game.

Bianco tossed a 19-yard scoring pass to Curtis with 11 seconds remaining.

–Field Level Media

Fresno State Bulldogs defensive lineman Jacob Holmes (23) reacts after recovering a fumble by Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Drew Pyne (10) in the first half at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Sept. 16, 2023.

No. 25 Fresno State looks to keep rolling vs. Nevada

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No. 25 Fresno State figures to have few issues stretching its winning streak to 14 straight games when it hosts struggling Nevada in the Mountain West opener for both schools on Saturday night.

The Bulldogs (4-0) own the second-longest winning streak in the country behind top-ranked Georgia (21), while the Wolf Pack (0-4) have dropped 14 straight contests, the longest FBS losing skid in the country.

But don’t make mention of a possible easy night on the football field to Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford. He’ll quickly remind you about the Bulldogs losing four of their first five games in 2022 before starting the winning streak.

“When you’re 4-0, that can be even more challenging than 1-4 because of expectation and everybody patting you on the back and all that type of thing,” Tedford said during a press conference. “It’s human nature to get in your comfort zone, so we have to do our best to stay out of that.

“We’re just going to go to work each week, one day at a time and just try to continue to get better every week.”

The Bulldogs’ winning streak is the second-longest in school history behind a 17-game stretch in 1988-89.

Fresno State’s season resume includes a 39-35 victory over Purdue of the Big Ten and a 29-0 trouncing of Arizona State of the Pac-12. Both games were played on the road.

Last week, the Bulldogs rolled to a 53-10 victory over visiting Kent State. Quarterback Mikey Keene was 24-of-31 passing for 325 yards and four touchdowns.

Keene has thrown for 1,205 yards, 12 touchdowns and two interceptions while helping Fresno State average 38.8 points per game.

Meanwhile, Nevada is allowing 41.3 points per game and its defeats include being trampled at home 33-6 by FCS program Idaho. Last week, the Wolf Pack led by 17 at halftime before succumbing 35-24 at Texas State.

Tedford urges his troops to pay no attention to Nevada’s 0-4 record.

“You’ve got to bring your ‘A’ game every week in the conference,” Tedford said. “People are extra motivated for conference play, so you know you’re going to get everybody’s best shot.”

Wolf Pack coach Ken Wilson is trying to remain upbeat despite the program’s long victory drought. This season’s four setbacks are by an average of 24.3 points, including a 66-14 loss at then-No. 6 Southern California.

“Well, we haven’t won a game, so (we are) not where we need to be,” Wilson said during a press conference. “We played some really good football teams. The last two games, we’ve been ahead or tied at halftime and lost those games in the second half. We’ve got to learn to finish games and do disciplined football at the end of games. I think our better days are ahead of us.”

Wilson insists the skid is close to ending.

“It’s going to happen,” Wilson said. “They’re going to play that way. Every win means something. … At the end of the day, if you do the little things play after play after play and you continue to improve like we are, you’re going to win football games.”

Nevada quarterback Brendon Lewis hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass while compiling 550 yards and tossing two interceptions. Lewis leads the squad with 171 rushing yards and has scored two touchdowns.

Fresno State has won the past two meetings and four of the last six. The Bulldogs won 41-14 in Reno last season.

–Field Level Media

Fresno State Bulldogs wide receiver Mac Dalena (0) stiff-arms Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Markevious Brown (1) during the NCAA football game, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind.

Fresno State scores last in dramatic win at Purdue

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Mikey Keene hit Erik Brooks with a 22-yard touchdown pass with 59 seconds left Saturday, lifting Fresno State to a wild season-opening 39-35 win over Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

Playing their first game under new coach Ryan Walters, the Boilermakers took a 35-32 lead with 4:36 left on Devin Mockobee’s 11-yard touchdown run. That came two plays after Keene was intercepted on the left sideline by Dillon Thieneman.

But Keene, a transfer from Central Florida, bounced back on the final drive to go 6 of 6 for 76 yards. He finished the day 31 of 44 for 366 yards with four touchdowns and the interception as the Bulldogs earned a 487-364 advantage in total yards.

Brooks caught nine passes for 170 yards and two scores in Fresno State’s 10th straight win dating back to last year.

Hudson Card completed 17 of 30 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions in his first game for Purdue. But the Texas transfer misfired on a fourth-and-2 pass at the Boilermakers’ 44 with 31 seconds remaining to quash his team’s final chance.

Tyrone Tracy scored two touchdowns for Purdue, including a 98-yard kickoff return to open the second half.

The first half was dominated by the passing game. Purdue initiated scoring 3:20 into the day when Card threw a short pass to Deion Burks. He broke a couple of tackles and zipped 84 yards for the first of his two scores, starting a string of alternating touchdowns that lasted nearly the entire half.

Keene found Brooks for a 29-yard touchdown pass at the 7:26 mark of the first quarter, followed by Tracy’s 1-yard plunge to start the second quarter. Fresno State equalized less than 2 1/2 minutes later when Keene hit Jalen Moss for an 8-yard score.

Card and Burks connected for a 17-yard touchdown with 9:05 left to make it 21-14 Boilermakers. The Bulldogs took momentum into halftime when Dylan Lynch bombed a 52-yard field goal as time expired.

–Field Level Media

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Ryan Walters coaches players during Purdue football practice, Wednesday, August 2, 2023, at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.

Transfer QBs clash as streaking Fresno State visits Purdue

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For Fresno State, it’s a chance to build on the history it made last year.

For Purdue, it’s a chance to start the Ryan Walters era with a splash.

When the Bulldogs visit West Lafayette, Ind., on Saturday for a matchup with the Boilermakers, they’ll try to extend the third-longest active winning streak in FBS. After starting 1-4 last year, Fresno State ripped off nine straight wins, claiming the Mountain West Conference title and winning the LA Bowl to cap a 10-4 season.

“Tells you how tough they are, how together they are in that building,” Walters said of the Bulldogs. “It’ll be a challenge.”

How much of a challenge depends on how new faces respond to bigger roles. Fresno State lost its top passer (Jake Haener), top runner (Jordan Mims) and top three receivers (Jalen Moreno-Cropper, Nikko Remigio and Zane Pope). Mims’ 1,372 yards made him the first Bulldog to pass 1,000 yards in eight years.

UCF transfer Mikey Keene earned the starting job at quarterback, beating out Logan Fife, Joshua Wood and freshman Jayden Mandal. Keene started 10 games as a freshman for the Knights in 2021, completing 63.6 percent of his passes for 1,730 yards with 17 touchdowns and six interceptions.

“Mikey is going to start but we’re very fortunate to have a really good quarterback room,” Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford said.

Identifying a new quarterback has also been a top priority during the preseason at Purdue, which reached the Big Ten title game last year behind Aidan O’Connell. O’Connell threw for 3,490 yards and 22 touchdowns, connecting 110 times with top receiver Charlie Jones.

Texas transfer Hudson Card, who played in 20 games and started five the past two years with the Longhorns, has won the job. Card has thrown 11 touchdowns and only two interceptions in 194 career attempts, rolling up 303 yards and three scores last year in a win over West Virginia.

This will be the first meeting of the Bulldogs and Boilermakers.

–Field Level Media

Sep 3, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) reacts during the game against the Rice Owls at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

No. 7 Trojans host dangerous Fresno State

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Seventh-ranked USC returns home to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday for a nonconference game against Mountain West Conference favorite Fresno State.

The Trojans (2-0) continued to dazzle offensively early into first-year head coach Lincoln Riley’s tenure last week at Stanford — at least, in the first half.

USC scored five first-half touchdowns of the Pac-12 Conference opener but managed a pair of field goals in the second half against the Cardinal. It marked the second time in as many games that the Trojans did not have to punt until the fourth quarter of a blowout win.

Quarterback Caleb Williams went 20-for-27 for 341 yards with four more touchdown passes, giving him six for the season to go with the team’s five rushing touchdowns and three field goals. His performance earned Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week.

Jordan Addison has four of those touchdown receptions among his 12 catches for an average of 113.0 yards a game.

The Trojans offense cooled off, however, and Stanford pushed around the USC defense for 221 yards on a 441-yard day of total offense. Yet, the SC defense stiffened in the red zone, forcing two turnovers inside the 3-yard line.

“The positives, I think, are pretty obvious on all sides,” Riley said Tuesday. “The errors where we’ve got to get better: Too many mental mistakes. Whether it’s a lack of focus, or a lack of complete trust in what we’re doing, that’s got to grow.

“And the reality is, I’ve had players (who) have been in our systems for multiple years and it’s still not 100 percent trust,” Riley added.

Fresno State (1-1) is no stranger to facing USC and higher-profile teams. The Bulldogs are 1-4 all-time against USC, but last season beat then-No. 13 UCLA (40-37), lost to then-No. 11 Oregon by a touchdown (31-24), and have won four of their past five games against ranked opponents.

This is Fresno State’s first visit to USC since 2019 when the Bulldogs lost the season opener to the Trojans, 31-23.

That season marked the end of Jeff Tedford’s first tenure as Fresno State head coach. Heart procedures prompted him to step down and after a year off he served last season as a consultant to coach Kalen DeBoer. When Washington hired DeBoer, Tedford returned to his old office as head coach of his alma mater.

The veteran Tedford led Cal when it forged a rivalry with USC in the mid-2000s, and then produced seasons of 10 and 12 wins (2017 and 2018) at Fresno State. Tedford’s reputation is well established on the West Coast, even for a regional newcomer such as Riley.

“Not many weaknesses,” Riley said of Fresno State. “They’re good everywhere.”

The Bulldogs opened 2022 with a rout of Cal Poly, 35-7, and last week lost a heartbreaker to Oregon State on the final play. On a night Fresno State’s Jake Haener passed for 360 yards and Jordan Mims rushed for 122 yards with two touchdowns, the Beavers scored from the 2-yard line as time expired for a 35-32 OSU victory.

With Haener leading one offense — coming off a breakout 2021 in which he passed for almost 4,100 yards with 33 touchdowns — and Caleb Williams captaining the other, the quarterbacks promise to occupy the spotlight on Saturday.

“The quarterback is really good at getting (the USC wide receivers) the football,” Tedford said of Williams. “He’s very poised. He can beat you with his legs, as well, when he pulls it down.”

Tedford praised Williams, Addison, and USC running back Travis Dye — all of whom Riley convinced to join him during the offseason.

“It’s a tough place to play,” Tedford said of the Coliseum. “It’ll be a great environment for our kids to go into, against a great football team.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 30, 2021; Carson, California, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs quarterback Jake Haener (9) throws the ball against the San Diego State Aztecs in the first half at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Fresno State, UTEP enter New Mexico Bowl in different places

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There will be plenty of history at stake when Fresno State battles UTEP in the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday in Albuquerque as one team looks to turn a page and the other is still writing the book.

The page-turning team is the Bulldogs (9-3), who over the three weeks since the end of their successful season have seen their head coach and offensive coordinator leave the program for other jobs.

Fresno State also watched as its senior starting quarterback, Jake Haener, entered the transfer portal and then thought better of the move once Jeff Tedford was hired as the Bulldogs’ next coach.

Tedford, who had a successful run at California and an aborted early retirement, will not coach the Bulldogs in the bowl game — that job falls to interim coach Lee Marks.

Marks’ charge will be to focus his team on the task at hand rather than the future. A win in Albuquerque would give Fresno State its first double-digit victory campaign since 2018, when it went 12-2 and won the Mountain West Conference championship.

“Practice has been going really, really well,” Marks said earlier this week. “The excitement that’s in the program right now is electric. The guys are moving around, they’re bouncing around and they’re really excited to get a chance to play against the Miners. We also know that we earned a spot to be down here and to do what we need to do to make sure we finish the right way.”

Marks would not reveal who would start at quarterback for the Bulldogs between Haener and freshmen Jaylen Henderson and Logan Fife.

“All those guys are doing a really, really good job with the plan right now,” he said. “(We are going to) keep everything in-house.”

UTEP (7-5) is a program on the rise, matching its highest win total since the 2014 season while finishing fourth in Conference USA’s West Division.

It’s the Miners first bowl game since 2014 (also the New Mexico Bowl) and the 15th bowl game in program history. UTEP is looking for its first win in postseason action since the 1967 Sun Bowl. That’s the longest postseason victory drought in FBS as the Miners have a six-game postseason losing streak.

“What you want in a bowl game is a chance to make history, and we have that,” UTEP coach Dana Dimel said. “At UTEP we haven’t won a bowl game in 40 years (actually 54). It’s a blessing to go out there and compete and hopefully win.

“When you play the game, it brings a lot of unity to our football team. That’s a big part of it. The unity gets even better.”

The Miners did not beat a team with a winning record this year, with the teams UTEP bested going a combined 23-60. The Miners are a two-touchdown underdog, the biggest longshot in the 42 bowls.

The Bulldogs and Miners will meet for the 13th time in program history, with Fresno State owning an 8-3-1 series edge. It will be the first meeting between the teams since 2004.

–Field Level Media

Sep 15, 2018; Pasadena, CA, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs head coach Jeff Tedford watches his team run pregame drills during warmups before a game against the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Fresno State rehires Jeff Tedford as head coach

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Fresno State hired Jeff Tedford on Wednesday for his second stint as head coach of the Bulldogs.

Tedford, 60, guided his alma mater to a 26-14 record and two bowl appearances from 2017-19 before resigning in December 2019 due to health issues.

“I am incredibly excited to welcome Jeff Tedford back as the head coach of Fresno State Football,” athletic director Terry Tumey said in a news release. “Jeff is a true Bulldog alumnus, an incredible coach and leader, and has continued to be a vital member of our Valley community. The Pride and Tradition of Bulldog Football is alive and well.”

Tedford replaces Kalen DeBoer, who departed last month to become the new head coach at Washington.

Interim coach Lee Marks will lead Fresno State (9-3) against UTEP (7-5) in the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 18.

Before his first stint at Fresno State, Tedford compiled an 82-57 record as the head coach at Cal from 2002-12. He was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator in 2014 and the head coach of the CFL’s BC Lions in 2015.

With the Bulldogs, he inherited a 1-11 team and immediately went 10-4 in 2017. The program reached its greatest heights in 2018, finishing 12-2 and winning the Mountain West championship and the Las Vegas Bowl.

–Field Level Media

Oct 30, 2021; Carson, California, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs quarterback Jake Haener (9) throws the ball against the San Diego State Aztecs in the first half at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Fresno St. upends No. 21 San Diego St., 30-20

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Jordan Mims rushed for a career-best 186 yards and scored two touchdowns to help visiting Fresno State record a 30-20 upset of No. 21 San Diego State in Mountain West play on Saturday night.

Jake Haener completed 25 of 42 passes for 306 yards and one score as the Bulldogs (7-2, 4-1 MW) won their third consecutive game and moved ahead of the Aztecs into first place in the West division. Josh Kelly caught five passes for 107 yards, Keric Wheatfall had a scoring reception and Cesar Silva kicked three field goals for Fresno State.

Lucas Johnson was 14-of-31 passing for 220 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for the Aztecs (7-1, 3-1), who were looking for their first 8-0 start since 1975. Greg Bell rushed for a touchdown and Tyrell Shavers caught a scoring pass.

Elijah Kothe caught four passes for 105 yards for San Diego State, which was outgained 485 to 412.

Fresno State star receiver Jalen Cropper was carted off the field with a non-contact right knee injury in the third quarter. Cropper, who entered the day tied for the FBS lead with 10 touchdowns receptions, had six catches for 84 yards before exiting.

San Diego State trailed by 16 late in the third quarter before Bell scored from the 3 with 13 seconds left. A trick play, two-point conversion pass failed.

But just past the midway point of the fourth quarter, Johnson tried to throw across his body and Fresno State’s LJ Early deflected the ball and Jalen Williams intercepted it and returned it 5 yards to the Aztecs’ 31.

Two plays later, Mims provided the knockout punch with a 15-yard run to make it a 30-13 with 4:29 to play.

San Diego State backup quarterback Will Haskell scored on a 7-yard run with 1:06 left to make the final margin closer.

Fresno State scored the first 20 points and led 20-7 at the break.

Mims got the upset started with a 13-yard scoring run with 3:53 left in the opening quarter. The Bulldogs increased the lead to 14 on Haener’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Wheatfall with 14:17 left in the half.

Silva booted field goals of 49 and 27 yards to make it 20-0. San Diego State got on the board on Johnson’s 19-yard scoring pass to Shavers with 2:15 left in the half.

Silva nailed a 42-yard field goal with four minutes left in the third quarter to make it 23-7.

–Field Level Media

Oct 30, 2021; Carson, California, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs wide receiver Jalen Cropper (5) looks on in the first half against the San Diego State Aztecs at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Fresno State WR Jalen Cropper leaves game with knee injury

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Fresno State star receiver Jalen Cropper was carted off the field with a right knee injury in the third quarter of Saturday night’s game against No. 21 San Diego State and ruled out for the rest of the contest.

Cropper caught a 21-yard pass from Jake Haener and injured the knee without any contact and fumbled the football at the San Diego State 19-yard line. The Aztecs’ Patrick McMorris recovered with 10:19 remaining.

Cropper laid out of bounds holding his right knee before being attended to by team trainers.

Cropper entered the day tied for the FBS lead with 10 touchdowns receptions. He had six catches for 84 yards before exiting to increase his season numbers to 61 receptions for 664 yards.

–Field Level Media