The Fresno State Bulldogs outlasted the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in the final installment of a historic Mountain West matchup.
Fittingly, the finale came down to the wire with the ‘Dogs on top by a final score of 23-21.
It wasn’t pretty, but the Bulldogs found a way to get it done in a tight game.
Kicker Dylan Lynch struggled, only making one of his four attempts. While he did make a 54-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, a pre-snap timeout made Lynch do it again. On the second attempt, he missed wide right.
A 54-yard field goal is no easy task, but a 26-yard field goal is a must-have, especially in a close game.
Lynch had been lights out before this game, even being named Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week just a couple of weeks ago. Expect better days from Lynch.
Quarterback E.J. Warner managed the game well. With the run game struggling, it was up to Warner to drive the offense in any way he could.
Warner threw for 230 passing yards and one passing touchdown. He was also the Bulldogs’ leading rusher with 38 rushing yards. Warner showed off his athleticism, scrambling outside the pocket for first downs multiple times.
When he wasn’t using his legs, his arm talent was on full display. Warner made the right decisions and showed elite ball placement.
Warner tried to find wide receiver Josiah Freeman in the end zone and threw an arguably perfect ball twice. While the two couldn’t connect, he gave his receiver a chance and kept it out of the way from the defensive back.
The stats don’t fly off the paper, but it’s efficient games like this that can give the team and the Red Wave confidence in their guy.
This was a weird game, even disregarding the 9 p.m. PDT kickoff and seemingly no place to watch the game.
The Bulldogs had chances at points in two of their first three drives but came up empty-handed.
E.J. Warner was sacked for a safety in the second quarter, giving Hawaii a 2-0 lead, a score you would see at Bob Bennett Stadium.
Later in the quarter, Warner tried to find his running back for a dump-off pass, but the two couldn’t connect on what seemed like a forward pass. The referees let the play go, thinking that it was a backward pass resulting in a live ball.
A Hawaii defender then picked up the ball and ran 37 yards into the end zone, giving Hawaii a 9-0 lead.
After replay review, the referees confirmed that the ball was somehow a backward pass, resulting in a fumble and not an incompletion.
There was even a targeting call on a point after attempt. The call was overturned, but it was still a head-scratcher.
All things considered, the Bulldogs won a game on the road and beat a tough team in a tough environment.
The Bulldogs now have a four-game winning streak heading into their first bye week of the season. There are definitely things to clean up on both sides with the week off.
Stronger blocking from the offensive line and limiting penalties should be near the top of the list.
Coming up with a stop in crunch time is essential, especially against good teams in the Mountain West.
The Rainbow Warriors drove right down the field in their two-minute offense. Hawaii was just a successful two-point conversion away from taking this game to overtime.
The bye also offers a chance to get healthy. Left tackle Brayden Walton left Saturday’s game with a lower leg injury. No word has been said on his status moving forward.
The Bulldogs will have to wait two weeks before they see the field again. The ‘Dogs will next take on the University of Nevada, Reno at Valley Children’s Stadium on Oct. 4, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.
