A win on Saturday could help the ‘Dogs erase the bad memory
of the near upset that North Dakota nearly delivered as the
‘Dogs squeaked out a victory.
Dalton Runberg / The Collegian
Breakdown: Bulldogs
Fresno State is coming off a tough matchup with North Dakota last Saturday. The ‘Dogs eventually won against the Fighting Sioux, 27-22.
The offense was very productive early with sophomore quarterback Derek Carr hitting sophomore wide receiver Jalen Saunders for two touchdown strikes. After that the offense fell into a funk. There weren’t many big plays after that.
Fresno State’s defense has dealt with injuries so far this season, especially in the defensive secondary. In the North Dakota game, the ‘Dogs lost starting strong safety Derron Smith for the season and they were already without safety Terrance Dennis. For the first half of this week’s game, Fresno State will be without reserve defensive end Tristan Okpalaugo, but Dennis will return from his suspension. Dennis should help the inexperienced secondary.
If the ‘Dogs can contain the Idaho offense and make enough plays on the offensive side of the ball, look for the ‘Dogs to come out of Saturday’s matchup against the Vandals as 1-0 in conference play.
Breakdown: Vandals
The Idaho Vandals traveled to College Station, Texas last Saturday to play against Texas A&M. The Vandals came up well short against the Aggies, 37-7.
The week before, Idaho played against North Dakota and won the game, 44-14. The Vandals dominated the game against the Fighting Sioux. Now, Fresno State will be traveling to Idaho to play the Vandals.
Idaho has senior quarterback Brian Reader behind center in his first season as the starter. Reader has been waiting for his time to be the starter and has been successful as the starter, passing for 607 yards and six touchdown passes. Freshman wide receiver Mike Scott is the team-leading receiver with 22 catches for 285 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Vandals have linebacker Tre’Shawn Robinson, who led the team in tackles against North Dakota with seven.
This is the first Western Athletic Conference game for both teams. If both teams have major championship aspirations, then this is a must-win game for both programs with Nevada already winning its first WAC game.
Keys to Victory
1. Make ‘Big’ plays
Early on in last week’s game, quarterback Derek Carr hit sophomore wide receiver Jalen Saunders for two touchdowns of 50 yards or more. The ‘Dogs need to continue this so running back Robbie Rouse can have more running room moving into the toughest stretch of the season.
2. Establish a run game
Junior Robbie Rouse needs to establish the tempo with the running game early so it can open up one-on-one matchups on the outside for Carr to exploit. Rouse will help establish more balance for the Fresno State offense.
3. Limit the ‘Big’ plays
North Dakota had some big plays this past Saturday. The ‘Dogs have had problems minimizing the big play so far this season and they will need to limit them against Idaho if they want to win.
Matchups
When Fresno State runs:
Advantage – Fresno State
Junior Robbie Rouse continued his recent tear against North Dakota, hitting the century mark again.
When Idaho runs:
Advantage – Even
Fresno State’s rush defense couldn’t stop the big plays by North Dakota so now they will face a bigger challenge against Idaho’s rushing attack.
When Fresno State passes:
Advantage – Fresno State
Quarterback Derek Carr hit the deep ball twice against North Dakota, so we could see more of that on Saturday.
When Idaho passes:
Advantage – Even
Fresno State is battling injuries in the secondary so the ‘Dogs will have to step up their game against Idaho.
Special teams:
Advantage – Even
The Bulldogs’ kicker Kevin Goessling has been consistent, converting three of four field goals so far this season. He hasn’t hit a field goal over 40 yards, but he is capable.