The first game of the season, for the handful of first-time Fresno State starters, was full of lessons learned and plays made.
Safety Charles Washington, a first-timer, made the final play of the game. Slot receiver Dillon Root made a 56-yard return in the fourth quarter that helped the Bulldogs push the game into overtime. Kicker Colin McGuire made a game-saving 48-yard field goal in the Bulldogs’ 52-51 overtime win last Thursday.
Sophomore Justin Northern played in his first game, as well, and quietly had an impressive performance in his first start at right tackle. He didn’t give up a sack, contributing to an offensive line that helped protect quarterback Derek Carr as he attempted a Mountain West Conference record 73 passes.
“For us, it was eventful,” Fresno State head coach Tim DeRuyter said. “The offensive line, they don’t usually get a stat line, so you can’t tell until you watch the tape, but [Justin] played great for his first start. He was very impressive because he played against a really good defensive line, and his guy didn’t get close.”
Northern was one of the final pieces to the offensive line puzzle. The Bulldogs spent most of fall camp mixing and matching the starting lineup, shifting guys at different positions along the line to find the best combination.
Along with running back, the offensive line was one of the position groups that weren’t finally settled until the days leading up to the season opener.
It’s a lineup that DeRuyter said will not change heading into its matchup against Cal Poly at Bulldog Stadium on Saturday, though Fresno State is looking to involve more of its depth chart in the rotation.
The Bulldogs powered through 96 plays on offense in a game that lasted 4 hours, 26 minutes.
“I’d like to say our conditioning is pretty good,” Northern said.
“The first drive, we drove all the way down the field. That kind of gets you a little bit, because all of your adrenaline is pouring out of you. We caught a second wind, and the game was such a thriller. We’re so into the game, we weren’t even thinking about how tired we were.”
Northern, a 6-foot-5-inch, 285-pounder who spent the last two seasons on the scout team offense, said, “Prior to the game, a couple hours before, I was pretty nervous.”
“As it got closer and closer, we did pregame warm-ups, and by then, we’d already seen the guys. We’d been working all through camp as a group. I didn’t feel like it was just myself out there. We were going out there as a unit. I wasn’t too nervous.”