The Fresno State football team will begin its final Mountain West Conference schedule with a road game at the University of Hawaii on Sept. 20.
The Bulldogs are looking for their first win in Hawaii since 2019. The travel alone has given Head Coach Matt Entz plenty to think about as to how to manage his squad for the long trip to the islands.
“We’re going to make sure we’ll practice before we leave and try to get as much done as possible,” Entz said during his press conference on Sept. 15. “We’re going to stay on our schedule throughout the entire trip, and it’s treated as if, once we arrive, it’s a home game.”
With kickoff set for 9 p.m. PDT, Entz has no worries about his players being tired for the game.
“Most things don’t start until 9 p.m., so I think they’ll be just fine,” Entz said.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 56-7 win against the Southern University Jaguars, which was highlighted by quarterback E.J. Warner throwing his first four passing touchdowns as a Bulldog.
Freshman quarterback Micah Alejado returns for the Rainbow Warriors. He sat out the last two games with a right ankle injury, which he suffered in a 23-20 win over Stanford University, but re-aggravated the injury in a 40-6 loss to the University of Arizona.
Head Coach Timmy Chang cleared Alejado after practice on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
In his two starts, Alejado has 367 yards passing with two touchdowns and one interception. He has also added 20 yards rushing on the season.
The Bulldogs will get a break from the dual-threat quarterbacks, but will have to game-plan for a very unique offense.
The Rainbow Warrior offense is notorious for its run-and-shoot style. It’s something that the Bulldogs will have to look out for.
“They do a great job of getting the ball in space,” Entz said. “Forcing you to have to tackle in space, lulling you to sleep with a bunch of hitches and outs and drive routes. Then all of a sudden, here comes ‘all-vertical’ or some sort of ‘all-goes’ special concept.”
Entz has shown immense trust in his quarterback throughout the season. That trust paid off against the Jaguars. Entz is hopeful that Warner can continue his success against the Rainbow Warriors. Warner is coming off his best statistical game as a Bulldog, where he completed 20-of-24 passes for 240 yards and four touchdowns.
Since joining the Mountain West in 2012, the Bulldogs are 3-4 in conference openers on the road. They won their last conference road opener against the University of New Mexico 38-21.
With it being Entz’s first season in the Mountain West, he’s needed some help with the history of the rivalries that the ‘Dogs have.
“[Special Teams Coordinator John Baxter] has given me the kind of a two-cent tour of what that rivalry looks like,” Entz said.
In 2024, the Rainbow Warriors came to Valley Children’s Stadium and stunned the Bulldogs in a 21-20 upset victory. Defensive back Phoenix Jackson took an interception 89 yards to the house to put the ‘Dogs up 20-7 with 6:34 to go in the third quarter.
After the pick-six, the Bulldog offense had four drives. They ran 17 plays and totaled 72 yards.
The Bulldogs were also ineffective in running the ball. Twenty-one rush attempts resulted in just 19 yards rushing.
The last time the ‘Dogsogs won in Hawaii, kicker Cesar Silva nailed a game-winning 37-yard field goal as time expired to give the Bulldogs a 41-38 victory over the Rainbow Warriors.
It was their last victory in the 2019 season, where the ‘Dogs went 4-8. Head Coach Jeff Tedford resigned after the season due to health concerns — his first stint as the Bulldog head coach.
Running back Ronnie Rivers took 19 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns. The entire running back room ran 40 times for 290 yards. Quarterback Jorge Reyna added 188 yards passing and one touchdown.
With the late start time and extra travel day, the ‘Dogs will make time for a team excursion to the Pearl Harbor National Monument in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Kickoff for the Bulldogs’ Mountain West opener is set for Sept. 20 at 9 p.m. PDT on the Mountain West Network.
