Moving forward, Fresno State’s defense will look to build on its best performance of the year last Friday when it held the San Diego State Aztecs to just 13 points.
The 13 points were the fewest that Fresno State (3-3, 2-0 Mountain West) has allowed this season in its six games to date. The Bulldogs held the Aztecs’ starting quarterback, Nick Bawden, and running back, Donnel Pumphrey, to under 100 yards each en route to their third-straight win.
“I was happy that we played better and that we’re getting closer to looking how we want to look,” Bulldogs defensive coordinator Nick Toth said. “There’s still plenty of things to fix, and I don’t think we’re going to be satisfied until we accomplish our goal tendencies. We know that we need to get better every day.”
Among those making big plays en route to the solid defensive effort was redshirt sophomore cornerback Jamal Ellis who has been pushed into the rotation in the secondary. The third-year defender got one of the two interceptions for the Bulldogs late in the fourth quarter when he picked off a tipped ball to help seal the game versus SDSU.
“He’s becoming more consistent,” Toth said. “His fundamentals are becoming better, but there’s still plenty of things he needs to work on. But fundamentally, he’s becoming more sound. His sense of urgency has increased, and his lazy reps have gone down considerably. I’m happy that he’s working harder every day to be better on Saturday.”
Toth has shuffled players around at corner, featuring various combinations with Curtis Riley, Ellis, Malcolm Washington and Charles Washington. But he said he will continue to evaluate Ellis on a day-to-day basis to determine his playing time.
Junior Charles Washington is another of those in the secondary who has stepped up to make key plays while playing three positions this season for the Bulldogs. The 5-foot-11 197-pound defensive back made a crucial play two weeks ago against New Mexico. He stopped Lobos quarterback Lamar Jordan behind the line of scrimmage on a 4th and 1 to prevent UNM from increasing its lead.
The stop provided a spark, as from that point on, the Bulldogs scored 14 unanswered points to take a 35-24 lead and win the ballgame. Now, Washington is up to the challenge of playing wherever the team needs him that week.
“It’s been interesting not knowing where I’ll play,” he said. “It’s a week-to-week thing, but I’m ready for whatever. Coaches have prepared me to play cornerback, nickel, free safety and strong safety. So wherever they want to put me, week in and week out, I’ll be ready to play.”
The junior has played a critical role in the Bulldogs’ defensive turnaround. Toth said Washington’s athletic capabilities have made his job easier because he provides versatility and flexibility for his defensive schemes.
“It’s letting us get our best 11 on the field whether we need him as a corner, safety or nickel,” Toth said. “It’s letting us adjust to the scheme that we’re playing against. It’s letting me have a little bit more flexibility as a coordinator because I get to make some different calls based on where he is. So he’s letting me be a little bit more adjustable with the defense.”
Fresno State has not let the overwhelming start of this year define its season. After allowing an average of 55.3 points per game during the first three contests, the Bulldogs have dropped that number dramatically in the past three, giving up just 17.6 each match. Those last three have not only resulted in wins but served as confidence boosters as the ‘Dogs get ready to battle UNLV Friday for what will be their third conference showdown.
“Those first three games were rough,” Washington said. “But once we cleared Nebraska, we started to get things together. We’re not where we need to be, but we’re getting things together. We’re on track to move forward and be the best defense in the conference.”