After seeing a dismal performance put on by Fresno State Bulldogs’ defense against the Air Force Falcons in Fort Collins, Colorado, in which the ‘Dogs allowed 340 rushing yards and 43 points to the Falcons, this past week’s game against the UNLV Rebels should be seen as crucial not only for the Bulldogs in their standings, but in finding out if the defense is as good as once thought.
Throughout the season, the ‘Dogs’ defense has shown signs of being one of the best, if not the best, defenses in the Mountain West (MW) and at times, most evident against Air Force, the inconsistency of play has begun to manifest on the field.
Hopefully, for the Bulldogs, following a convincing win against UNLV, 56-27, they are able to turn the corner and continue to contend in the MW.
Much of what allowed Fresno State to stop a UNLV offense very capable of running the ball, which the Bulldogs had trouble defending a week prior, was the play of the defense.
The Fresno State defense was able to produce 28 points off of five turnovers, including a fumble recovery by linebacker Justin Rice, who has emerged as one of the unsung heroes of the season so far by turning the fumbles into points and returning it for an 18-yard touchdown.
Along with Rice, linebacker Arron Mosby and defensive back Juju Hughes continued to play at a high level for the ‘Dogs, each chipping into the defensive takeaways with one apiece. Even true freshman Levelle Bailey found his way into the action with two takeaways of his own, picking up a fumble and snatching an interception in the first quarter.
If the defense continues to play the way it did last week in upcoming games against very good conference opponents Utah State Aggies and San Diego State Aztecs, then some of the expectations that the Bulldogs came into the season with may still be fulfilled.
Luckily for the Bulldogs, they are currently sitting in second place in the parity-laden Mountain Division of the MW and having one loss in conference play still leaves room for the Bulldogs to end this season with an appearance in the MW Championship game.
San Diego State is currently in first place (6-1 overall, 3-1 MW) and has emerged as the only feasible team in the West Division standing in the way of the ‘Dogs heading to another trip to the championship game. The Bulldogs will face the Aztecs on Nov. 15, with the ‘Dogs traveling down south.
In a few short months, true freshman Jalen Cropper has transformed from highly-touted valley product to impact player for the Bulldogs, showcasing his versatility and big play ability throughout the season.
With a huge turnover at the wide receiver position coming into 2019, it was initially thought that Cropper’s impact within the offense would come in the receiving game but much of his success so far has been in the run game.
It hasn’t taken much time for Cropper to etch his name in the Fresno State record book by recording a 79-yard run earlier this season against the New Mexico Lovos — the 13th-longest run from scrimmage in school history — and eclipsing that mark two weeks later by sprinting for an 82-yard run and setting the 10th-longest run from scrimmage in program history.
Tedford has made the most of Cropper’s speed and playmaking ability by lining him up at slot receiver and motioning him for end arounds and jet sweeps, allowing a sliver of space and lead blockers, further leading Cropper to get to the second level and beyond.
As Cropper continues to prove to be a spark plug when the Bulldogs call his number, given his multifaceted athletic capabilities, it will be exciting to see how far his skills can take him going forward.