The Fresno State football team saw its four-game win streak come to an end on Saturday, Nov. 30, with a 20-13 loss against the Bruins of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) at the Rose Bowl.

The Bulldogs were able to settle into the game after the first quarter, as they went into halftime with the lead.

But the second half woes have been all too common with the Bulldogs this year. Four straight punts in the second half would end any chance at the ‘Dogs maintaining their lead.

The Bruins were able to use the clock to their advantage with multiple drives that went deep into Bulldog territory. 

“Today we had some opportunities, especially in the beginning of the fourth quarter,” said Interim Head Coach Tim Skipper. “We just couldn’t make the play that we needed to make.”

Fresno State finishes the regular season with a 6-6 record in Skipper’s first year. The Bulldog’s do have one more game thanks to their bowl clinching victory last week against Colorado State. 

What happened

The Bruins won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. Running back Keegan Jones made a solid return but a holding penalty against the Bruins pushed the offense back to their own 24-yard line.

UCLA was not able to get much going on the opening drive as three false start penalties stalled the offense.

It wasn’t until their next drive where the offense started to heat up. Quarterback Ethan Garbers connected twice for first downs with his big tight end Moliki Matavao. Matavao’s second catch went for 26 yards, setting up the Bruins at the Fresno State 9-yard line.

The Bulldog defense stood tall on their goal line, limiting the damage to just three points.

Kicker Mateen Bhaghani made a 23-yard field goal giving UCLA a 3-0 lead with under five minutes to go in the opening quarter.

UCLA’s next drive ended with a punt. Bulldog receiver Jalen Moss returned it for seven yards before fumbling, giving the ball back to the Bruins in the red zone. 

Despite the mistake on special teams, the defense was able to come up with another stop to prevent the Bruins from finding the end zone. Linebacker Phoenix Jackson sacked Garber for a loss of 10, forcing a field goal attempt.

Bhaghani made the 40-yard field goal, making the score 6-0 in favor of UCLA. 

The ‘Dogs got lucky on their next drive, with a free first down from a face mask penalty against UCLA on fourth down. Keene and the offense took advantage of the penalty, scoring their first points of the game with seven minutes left in the first half.

A 20-yard rush from wide receiver Mac Dalena set the Bulldogs up inside the Bruins 10-yard line. Keene later hit receiver Raylen Sharpe in the end zone, giving the ‘Dogs a 7-6 lead.

The Bulldogs eventually got the ball back on their own 10-yard line with just over a minute remaining in the second quarter. The offense got to work quickly, starting the drive with a 24-yard rush from freshman running back Bryson Donelson.

”You can’t forget he’s a freshman,” Skipper said. “He was at the prom not that long ago so he is a kid that is very strong willed and wants to play.”

The drive was full of Donelson who caught three passes, helping the ‘Dogs get inside the UCLA 40-yard line. 

With four seconds remaining in the half, kicker Dylan Lynch nailed a 48-yard field goal, extending the Bulldogs’ lead to 10-6.

Keene and the offense were able to take advantage of the soft coverage and drive downfield rather quickly. The Bulldogs opted to kick a 42-yard field goal once they got inside the red zone. 

Lynch made the kick, making it a one score game at 20-13 with the Bulldogs needing a miraculous finish with thirty seconds to go.

Despite a good onside kick attempt from Lynch, the ‘Dogs could not recover the ball. 

The Bulldogs lost 20-13.

What’s next

The Bulldogs have one more game left this year. Their six win season earned them a bowl appearance.

”All bowls are good bowls,” Skipper said. “That means you won six and it’s a tribute to the guys in the locker room.”

Bowl season begins on Saturday, Dec. 14. Fresno State’s bowl game assignment has yet to be announced. Skipper led the Bulldogs to a 37-10 win at last year’s Isleta New Mexico Bowl in his head coaching debut.