Bulldog Stadium was not anywhere near full, but it felt full enough to head coach Kalen DeBoer.
DeBoer saw players and coaches’ families and friends in the stands last Friday for Fresno State’s football Spring Preview, a 90-minute scrimmage between the first and second-team offense and the first and second-team defense.
“I saw a picture over the course of the winter months of the stadium completely empty and a game played out in the middle of it,” DeBoer said. “It looked like there was a practice going on.”
“Hopefully, we never have to go back to anything like that ever again.”
After the scrimmage, the invitees entered the field, and DeBoer and the coaching staff began introducing themselves — almost a full year and a half after arriving at Fresno State.
“It was the second time as an entire staff we have introduced ourselves to anyone,” DeBoer said. “‘The first time was National Signing Day… normally, you have recruit days, official visits, junior days.”
Before the coaches introduced themselves to families, the 2021 Fresno State football team introduced themselves on the field with a high-powered offensive performance.
Fresno State scored 11 touchdowns between its first and second-team offense, with five of those scores coming from 20 or more yards out. Redshirt freshman running back Malik Sherrod was the offensive star of the preview, scoring three touchdowns.
Sherrod’s big day on the ground highlights the first of three takeaways from spring camp and preview.
- Running back room runs deep
With Ronnie Rivers, Jordan Mims, Jordan Wilmore and Jevon Bigelow out due to rest or minor injuries, Sherrod took on the majority of running back snaps at the Spring Preview.
He took his first handoff 62 yards to the end zone. He was targeted out of the backfield often during the next two first-team offense drives, catching a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jake Haener on a wide-open wheel route.
Sherrod finished his day by running through safeties Evan Williams and Kosi Agina for a two-yard touchdown, spurring a roar from the crowd. Excited Bulldog offensive players spilled onto the field to celebrate the truck stick move from the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Sherrod.
“It was a live game out there,” Sherrod said. “Coach [DeBoer] said it’s live, so whenever we hear ‘live’, it’s full-throttle and everybody on both sides know that.”
“[Williams] was between me and the goal line, and ain’t nothing stopping me from getting in that end zone.”
Sherrod appeared in two games in 2020, getting only one carry for three yards against Nevada. He figured to be the fifth-string running back headed into spring camp, sitting behind three backs who received more playing time last year — Rivers, Mims and Bigelow — and Power 5 transfer Wilmore.
The addition of incoming freshman running backs Jordan Hornbeak and Johnathan Arceneaux will bring even more competition in the backfield.
Yet, Sherrod looked like a star first-stringer against the Bulldogs’ first-team defense. Friday’s performance speaks to how deep the Fresno State running back room is, which will come in handy if one of the top three backs misses time next season. Rivers, Mims and Bigelow have all dealt with injuries at some point in their careers.
In addition to Sherrod, redshirt freshman running back Elijah Gilliam caught a 50-yard pass from Logan Fife for a score and ran in another touchdown. Sophomore running back Estevan Barragan scored a rushing touchdown as well.
“Even though the starters and big names were out, we are deep in that room,” Sherrod said. “Coach Marks prepared us to always be ready and if we get that shot, we go out there and know what we’re doing. That’s exactly what we did today. Running backs had six touchdowns [at the Spring Preview] so we are deep in there.”
- Defense still in learning mode
Giving up explosive plays on defense was the thorn in Fresno State’s side in 2020.
Despite a full spring camp to give players more experience in the 4-2-5 defensive scheme, there were still big plays given up in a rough Spring Preview performance for the first-team defense.
That was one of three main things the defense struggled with against the first and second team offenses; the defense surrendered big plays (five touchdowns from 20-plus yards). There were blown coverages and missed assignments leading to wide-open touchdowns. The Bulldogs’ run defense allowed big-chunk plays, and the bottom three running backs in the depth chart scored six touchdowns.
The biggest defensive play of the game came when linebacker Sherwin King Jr. intercepted Haener in the end zone during the first-team offense’s second drive of the preview. Later, King broke a pass up with a big hit and followed that up with a sack on the next play, solidifying him as the defensive standout of the Spring Preview.
The Sunnyside High product played both in coverage and in the pass rush, part of the flexibility of the linebacker spot in the 4-2-5 defense.
But the complexity of this system is the root of the Bulldogs’ defensive problems. It’s taken an extended amount of time for linebackers like Boise State transfer Tyson Maeva to fully grasp it.
“Defensively, I think we still got steps to take, being in a system that didn’t really have that much time to develop” Maeva said. “This spring is really the deepest this group has had delving into the playbook.”
With only three weeks to implement a new defense before last season’s opener against Hawaii, Fresno State finished in the bottom three of the Mountain West in rush defense and bottom-four of the conference in total defense.
Last season, the defense finished top five in the nation in sacks per game. However, the pass rush did not make a large, game-changing impact at the Preview.
Except for a few sacks and Fife’s 20-yard rushing touchdown, Haener or Fife didn’t feel the need to scramble and instead made throws inside the pocket.
Defensive players spoke throughout spring camp about learning the details of the scheme that they could not pick up during the season. Although many players said they carried a greater knowledge of the defense by camp’s end, the Bulldogs still surrendered 11 touchdowns, including five in a row to end the Spring Preview.
Carrying in an outsider’s perspective after starting 25 games at Boise State, Maeva said the defense still needs more preparation before playing at a higher level.
“[We’re] having a lot of young bucks in here who haven’t spent too much time at this top level,” Maeva said. “If you don’t spend the time playing like that or preparing like that, having a performance like this might be a regular thing.”
- Haener looks better and Fife does too
Quarterback was not an issue for the Bulldogs in 2020, when first-year starter Jake Haener led the Mountain West in passing yards per game (336.8 yards/game) and completed 64.7% of his passes, second-best in the conference.
But Haener said there was still more work to be done this spring, specifically getting more results by doing less.
“At times [last year], I tried to do too much and make too many plays, get out of the pocket and do things I shouldn’t do,” Haener said. “Today, I thought I stayed calm, stayed in the pocket and let the playmakers make their plays.”
Haener threw touchdown passes to three of his targets from a year ago — Jalen Cropper, Josh Kelly and Zane Pope — as part of the Bulldogs’ red zone drill. He was mostly quick with his throws, rarely allowing more than a few seconds to pass before making a decision.
His only mistake of the night was King’s interception in the end zone, but Haener finished spring camp on a strong note, displaying more poise in the pocket than Bulldog fans had previously seen.
“That’s what I have to do if I want to get to the next level and produce at this level first,” Haener said. “I got to find the soft spot of the pocket, manipulate defenders in front of me and be able to throw the ball from the pocket. I think I showed I can throw the ball on the run last year, but I think I can be better standing in there, moving subtly and throwing the ball down the field.”
Haener’s backup Fife passed for two long touchdowns, a 50-yard pass to Gilliam and 55-yard pass to Kelly, and ran in a 20-yard touchdown in the Spring Preview. DeBoer said the redshirt freshman has improved over the duration of spring camp.
“I think this last week was his best week by far,” DeBoer said. “A lot of things were being thrown at him, and he really didn’t get that many reps in the fall. But [Logan] is what you want. You want your guys growing, developing, playing their best football at the end of the spring or end of the season.”
Haener goes into the fall as the clear starting quarterback for Fresno State, with Fife a clear No. 2.
Entering his senior year and second year starting behind center, Haener said he’s looking forward to August 28, when the Bulldogs open the season at home against UConn. He awaits not only the return to action, but the potential crowd in the stands after a season played in front of empty stadiums.
The Spring Preview finally brought the chance for Haener’s parents, who met at Bulldog Stadium, to watch their son play.
“This is the first time [my parents] have ever gotten to see me play at Bulldog Stadium,” Haener said. ‘For me, that was pretty cool. It’s why I play this game: to be able to make those people proud.”
