The Fresno State Bulldogs escaped senior night with a win against the Colorado State Rams in their final home game of the year. 

With the win, the Bulldogs are bowl eligible for the fourth straight season. With everything that has gone on this year, from the lack of a consistent run game to conservative play calling, the ‘Dogs somehow find themselves with a chance to finish two games above .500 if they win against UCLA this coming weekend.

Should fans be satisfied?

While the Red Wave was able to see one final win at home, it was too close of a game than it should have. The offense looked great in the first half, scoring in three out of their four trips to the red zone. But the second half showed why the Bulldogs aren’t going to be playing in a conference championship this season.

The offense didn’t score at all in the second half and only came across the 50-yard line once. In spite of this second half that is all too familiar with Fresno State fans this year, the ‘Dogs held on to win 28-22.

“We’ve been through a lot of adversity, but we just kept on swinging,” said Interim Head Coach Tim Skipper.

The offense used a balanced attack with the run-and-pass game to move the ball downfield in the first half. Quarterback Mikey Keene managed the game, making the right reads without forcing throws.

The defense bounced back following the loss to Air Force, which saw the Falcons run all over them. The Bulldogs got after the Rams quarterback, Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, and forced him to make tough throws with pressure breathing down his neck.

With the win, the Bulldogs now have a 6-5 record and finish the season at 4-3 in Mountain West play. Their hopes of a Mountain West Championship may be gone but this team still has a chance to finish the season on a high note.

Skipper makes history

The win over Colorado State makes the Bulldogs bowl-eligible for the fourth straight season. 

Skipper becomes the fourth first-year head coach to lead the Bulldogs to a bowl game. With a bowl game victory, Skipper would become just the second of those four to win the bowl game.

The Bulldogs have won their last five bowl games, which is third in the nation behind Georgia and Minnesota with seven bowl wins each.

Play calling has been questionable at times this season. With two minutes to go in the first half against Hawaii, the offense played safe, opting for just one pass despite having two minutes to work within the half. While the Bulldogs had a 13-7 lead at that point, there still needs to be a sense of urgency to try a field goal at the least. Hawaii went on to win the game 21-20.

The offense has failed to carry over a strong first-half performance into the second half. In Saturday’s game, the Rams seemed to have made the right halftime adjustments as the Bulldogs struggled to sustain drives or put points on the board. Instead of making adjustments themselves, it seemed like the offense had no plan of attack. The offense had four three-and-outs in the second half, forcing the defense to step up.

The players on this team clearly want to play for him. When the portal window re-opened with Skipper stepping in for Tedford in the summer, only one player left during that 30-day period.

The Red Wave celebrated Senior Night

Before the game kicked off, Fresno State fans honored the 16 seniors on the team. 

Each player was announced one by one as they ran to midfield where they were greeted by their friends and family. 

“It was an emotional thing,” said linebacker Malachi Langley. “I was walking out and thinking about my whole journey and all we’ve done for the program.”

The group of seniors has won 41 total games, with three bowl game victories and a Mountain West title dating back to 2019.

This class of seniors will most definitely be missed next season on both the offense and defense.

Wide receiver Mac Dalena leads the team in receiving and is also fifth in the Mountain West in receiving yards per game. Dalena and Keene have shown their connection all year long, from the 73-yard touchdown against Air Force to Dalena’s 235 yard performance against Sacramento State. 

As for the defense, the team will be missing their top four leaders in tackles. Linebackers Tuasivi Nomura and Langley are first and second in tackles for the Bulldogs with Langley tied for first on the team with 3 sacks. 

Defensive backs Dean Clark and Cam Lockridge will be missed in the secondary. Clark is third in tackles and has an interception this year. Lockridge has cemented himself as one of the best defensive backs in the conference with five interceptions and seven passes defended.

It will be interesting to see how the team builds back these missing positions whether that is younger guys stepping up or through the transfer portal.

The run game does exist

The Bulldogs’ rushing attack flourished against Colorado State with freshman running back Bryson Donelson leading the way. 

Donelson finished with 150 rushing yards and added a rushing touchdown on his career night. He was able to bounce off tackles and find the second level in a game where averaged 11.5 yards per carry. 

The freshman broke away four times for explosive runs, each consisting of at least 15 plus yards. His longest rush went for 43 yards which put the offense in the red zone early in the second quarter.

“It was good to see him tote that thing and be physical and get stronger as the game went on,” Skipper said.

For most of the year, the Bulldogs have struggled to find a reliable run game. The Bulldogs are tenth in the Mountain West in rushing yards per game at just 99.8. And after finishing the game against Air Force with -5 rushing yards, the run game definitely needed to be a point of emphasis, not just against Colorado State but for the rest of the season. 

Mikey Keene has another efficient night

Mikey Keene has been no stranger to criticism over his decision-making this season. While Keene is second in average passing yards per game in the Mountain West, he is also tied for third in interceptions. 

The Bulldog quarterback has struggled in the second half of many critical games. In the first game of the year, Keene threw a pick six late in the game, ending any hopes at a comeback. Against Washington State in the fourth quarter, Keene threw a pick six with seven minutes to go flipping the momentum and the score towards the Cougars. 

When the Bulldogs need a scoring drive, Keene and the offense has failed many times over. 

However, Keene’s play over the past couple of weeks has been focused on taking better care of the ball. At Air Force, he finished with an 88.5 percent completion percentage, which passed Derek Carr for the program’s single-game pass completion percentage record. 

In the victory over Colorado State, Keene went 20-of-28 with 181 passing yards and tossed two touchdown passes. And it wasn’t just on short throws like in the Hawaii game.

One of Keene’s touchdown passes went for 28 yards to wide receiver Mac Dalena. On the play, Keene threw a deep ball to Dalena who made a leaping grab over a defender and into the end zone for the touchdown.

“He definitely threw the ball downfield a lot more this game and gave us opportunities as receivers,” Dalena said. 

While Keene played efficiently with his arm, he also played smart with his field vision.

“He checked us into some good runs,” Skipper said. “He’s a pro, he’s very smart.”

The lone blemish on his night was a fumble at Colorado State’s 1-yard line in the second quarter. 

Say what you want about Keene, but these last couple of weeks have proven why he’s the starter. When he takes care of the ball, Keene can hurt a defense with his arm and his play-calling ability. 

It’s just late in those close games when Keene has failed to get it done. Those late game blunders against Hawaii, Washington State, even Michigan, have left fans with a bad taste in their mouths when it comes to their starting quarterback. To win these late-season meaningful games, a strong second-half performance from Keene will be required.

The defense does it again

Through the first 30 minutes of action, the defense gave up just 7 points. 

The Bulldogs were able to get into the backfield and pressure Fowler-Nicolosi. 

Defensive end Korey Foreman had one of his best games in a Bulldog uniform. Foreman finished with 6 total tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss. 

Fresno State is middle of the pack when it comes to forcing sacks. But the way the defense played against the Rams proved that they can get after a quarterback while also disrupting the run game.

“We made them one dimensional and they threw it a lot the second half,” said Skipper. ” We knew we had to stop the run.”

Al’zillion Hamilton continued to show why he is one of the best defensive backs in the Mountain West. Hamilton had a pass defended and five tackles in the victory. 

Cam Lockridge was out of the game with an injury, but the duo of Lockridge and Hamilton has been deadly for the Bulldog secondary. Hamilton is second in the Mountain West in the number of passes broken up with Lockridge leading the conference in interceptions. 

But much like the offense, the defense has struggled late in games. Against Colorado State, the lead was big enough which forced the Rams into desperation mode. But against Hawaii and Washington State, the Bulldogs failed to come up with key stops. While it is true that the offense needs to score more in the second half, the defense also needs to stay hot in the second half. 

What’s next for the ‘Dogs?

The Bulldogs will head to the Rose Bowl to play UCLA on Saturday, Nov. 30. 

Fresno State has to control its own destiny from here on out. A win on the road against the Bruins can help build confidence going into its bowl game. 

The wins against San Jose State and now against Colorado State prove that this team can compete against good teams. With bowl eligibility, fans will have to wait and see how Skipper’s first year leading the ‘Dogs ends.