The Bulldogs have established some renewed energy and confidence after the 42-14 blowout win over Hawaii and that will be put to the test Saturday when they go on the road for the second consecutive week to take on BYU.
Fresno State (3-7, 2-5) is out of bowl game contention because you need at least six wins to be eligible, but consistent, prolific quarterback play like was displayed over the weekend could help it remain competitive down the stretch of the 2015 season.
The offense has shuffled around multiple quarterbacks this season due to injuries. In Week 6 — desperately looking for a spark to turn the season around — the Bulldogs went with redshirt freshman Kilton Anderson and stuck with him for the next three games.
But after inconsistency with Anderson plagued the passing game, head coach Tim DeRuyter and his staff made the change to go with sophomore Zack Greenlee in last week’s conference win against the Rainbow Warriors, and it paid off as he completed 20-of-35 passes for career highs of 285 yards and six touchdowns. Greenlee’s performance injected some life into the offense, which is why DeRuyter will stick with him now in Week 12.
“Hopefully, we continue to grow off of last week,” DeRuyter said. “I thought offensively Zack [Greenlee] made some really good strides. He stood in there under pressure, and they roughed him up pretty good after the whistle. But I think that gave him some resolve, and we’re playing a team that’s going to bring pressure again this week. If he grows and our offense grows, we’ll have a shot.”
But this week’s task involves traveling to a more daunting environment in Provo, Utah, to battle a solid team in BYU that can make a case for belonging in a Power Five conference.
From breaking down game film, DeRuyter noted the Cougars have an automatic advantage over the ‘Dogs in terms of athleticism and size, and they are also equipped with more experience. BYU (7-3) is coming off a 20-16 road loss to Missouri, which snapped a five-game win streak for the team that has racked up quality wins over a number Power Five schools this year.
So matchupwise, the Bulldogs get the short end of the stick, and as of Tuesday, ESPN has BYU listed as a 26-point favorite over the ‘Dogs. The Football Power Index gives the Cougars a 95.9 percent chance to win.
“They’re a much better team athletically and physically. They’re bigger, so we’re going to have our hands full,” DeRuyter said. “They’re very physical. With their program, they have a lot of older players, so they’ve been developing a little bit longer than most teams you play. They’re very well-coached, and they’ve been running that system for a long time on both sides of the ball.
“They’ve gone through a meat grinder of a schedule, and they’re 7-3 and have done a heck of a job with wins over Nebraska and Boise [State] among others. Our guys see the talent they’re playing against and competing well again so we know we have to execute as well as we have all year to have a chance.”
The setting for this week’s nonconference bout with the Cougs is LaVell Edwards Stadium — the stadium with the largest capacity the Bulldogs have played in this season at 63,470. It is tough enough to go toe-to-toe with a Power Five-esque school like Brigham Young, but it being on the road only skyrockets the difficulty level for the ‘Dogs, which are 1-4 away from Bulldog Stadium this season.
“Any time you go on the road, it’s tough,” DeRuyter said. “It was tough mileagewise last week, but this is going to be a very different environment. There’s going to be 65,000 people, and it’s loud — I’ve played there before, coached there before. They do a tremendous job supporting their team, so we’ll have noise at practice and have our guys ready for the noise and all the congestion so that we can focus on the task.”
