Fresno State football lost some key players in their starting line up against their Pac-12 matchup USC on Saturday, Sept. 17. The Trojans claimed a 45-17 victory over the Bulldogs.

Captains Evan Williams and Jake Haener’s injuries had a significant impact on the team, with Fresno State losing their leaders on both offense and defense. 

In the first half Williams went down when USC’s offense rushed through Fresno State’s defensive line. One of USC’s athletes was carried off the field in the same play, deflecting the attention from Williams’ injury. 

In the third quarter the Trojans sacked quarterback Haener in a play where they were able to recover the ball as it fumbled.

As fans in the Coliseum rose to their feet, Haener remained on the floor when USC’s Solomon Byrd landed on his right ankle. Haener was later carried off the field and remained off it for the remainder of the game.

Fresno State’s quarterback could be seen mouthing the words, “I heard it pop.”

In Haener’s absence, backup quarterback Logan Fife stepped up to lead the offense for the remainder of the game. 

“It hurts to lose your two captains, leaders on offense and defense,” said head coach Jeff Tedford. “But it’s our job to step up, and Fife came out and did the job.”

Haener and Williams left the field injured and returned on crutches, both with injuries that require time to heal. 

Senior Dontae Bull from the ‘Dogs’ O-Line was carried off the field in the final quarter with a pulled muscle, Tedford said.­

Initial X-ray reports revealed that Haener didn’t have any season ending injuries, but had suffered a high-ankle sprain. Though his ankle is not broken, it still needs significant healing time, so Haener’s status for the upcoming UConn game is unknown. 

According to sportsmd.com, the healing time for a high-ankle sprain can take up to two weeks, depending on the severity of the injury.

Williams, on the other hand, suffered an injury that still requires more examination with possible ligament damage. His status is still unknown, but it may require a long period of healing for his knee.

“That looked a little bit more serious, like a ligament thing. It kind of loosened his knee. So we have to get an MRI back and see what’s going on there,” Tedford said. 

Tedford noted Fresno State’s bye week this week, giving the athletes time to rehabilitate and focus on healing their injuries. 

Fresno State continued its drive, but with the defensive line losing their safety, Williams, earlier in the game, and the offensive team losing Haener, the team struggled to keep USC out of the red zone and struggled to score with a big part of their offense in crutches. 

Tedford described what the team needs to work on for their bye week, including returning to their fundamentals and execution. 

“We have to do a better job at attacking,” Tedford said. “Getting them stopped before they get started.”

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He explained that the team needs to gain their confidence back after going up against a bigger team. 

USC’s head coach Lincoln Riley praised the team’s performance despite Fresno State losing its senior captains. Although the ‘Dogs’ starting quarterback was injured, Riley expected a quarterback coach like Tedford to have a strong person to step up when needed. 

“Jeff Tedford is one of our best quarterback coaches our game has ever seen. Right? He’s going to have someone else ready to go, and they still got all these other good players that have been a big part of their success,” Riley said. 

Losing key players to the starting line-up can show a new momentum on the Bulldogs’ offensive and defensive line-up.

The Bulldogs will travel east next week for their game against UConn on Oct. 1 in their final non-conference matchup. It is still unknown if the Red Wave will see Haener and Williams against the Huskies that day.