The Fresno State football team is back on the road this week.
The Bulldogs will travel to Corvallis to take on the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium on Sept. 6.
The ‘Dogs are coming off a 42-14 win at home against the Georgia Southern Eagles on Aug. 30. Despite a halftime deficit, the Bulldogs rallied in the second half, scoring 29 unanswered points.
The Fresno State running backs had a field day as the team totaled 351 rushing yards on 45 attempts, averaging 7.8 yards per carry.
Running back Bryson Donelson led the way, running for 167 yards and a rushing touchdown. Rayshon Luke averaged nearly 10 yards per carry and found the end zone three times. Brandon Ramirez also got in the end zone in the fourth quarter.
”I was excited for the whole room, I mean, and for the whole offense when you can run for 351 yards,” said Head Coach Matt Entz during a press conference. “I don’t care what level of football you’re at, that’s a tremendous day.”
The win marked Entz’s first win as a Bulldog and at the Football Bowl Subdivision level.
The ‘Dogs now turn their attention to a soon-to-be Pac-12 opponent in the Oregon State Beavers.
The Beavers opened up their season with a 34-15 loss at home against the University of California, Berkeley on Aug. 30.
The Beavers find themselves in a similar position that the Bulldogs were in following their season-opening loss.
“Their backs are against the wall,” Entz said. “There’s a chip on the shoulder. We can’t lose that mentality.”
The Beavers are led by quarterback Maalik Murphy. Before starting in Corvallis, Murphy was the starting quarterback at Duke University in 2024.
“He understands football, he understands the offense,” Entz said. “He’s a competitor. He wants to win.”
Last season, Murphy started in all 12 games and led the Duke Blue Devils to a 9-3 record. He threw for 2,933 yards and 26 passing touchdowns while also completing 60% of his passes.
In the Beavers’ season opener, Murphy had 244 passing yards and threw one interception. He also added 15 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown.
”We’re gonna have to do a great job of trying to impact him with either pressure, meaning stepping on his toes, or trying to change the picture pre- and post-snap in the pass game,” Entz said.
Oregon State wide receiver Trent Walker was Murphy’s lead target in the opener with nine receptions for 136 receiving yards. Walker has spent his last three years at Oregon State.
On the other side of the ball, the Beavers also feature challenges to the Bulldogs’ run game.
”They have a really good, solid defensive line,” Entz said. “They play with great hands and great pad level. And so the first level is going to be a priority for us.”
The Bulldogs will be without starting right guard Campbell McHarg for the rest of the season. McHarg suffered a non-contact season-ending injury in the home opener against Georgia Southern. McHarg has since medically retired from football.
Backup guards Marcus Simien and Julian Polendo both took reps in McHarg’s place after the injury. No word has been said on who the starter will be moving forward.
This will be the 15th meeting between both teams, with Fresno State leading the all-time series at 8-6. The last meeting between the Beavers and Bulldogs was on Sept. 10, 2022, which Oregon State won 35-32.
Entz and the ‘Dogs will look to build off the success of their home opener when they take on the Beavers on The CW Network, with kickoff set for 12:30 p.m.
