The Fresno State Bulldogs rebounded into the win column with a 30-7 victory over the Boise State Broncos on Nov. 1, clinching bowl eligibility for the fifth straight season.
It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but it was reminiscent of how the Bulldogs won games earlier this season — on the ground and with stout defense. An early injury to Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen sure helped the cause, but the ‘Dogs will take a win any way they can. They walked into one of the toughest places to play in the nation and came out with their biggest win of the season.
The Milk Can stays in Bulldog possession going into the Pac-12.
A big game from defensive back Simeon Harris sparked the offense. Rushing touchdowns from running backs Rayshon Luke, Bryson Donelson and Brandon Ramirez propelled the Bulldogs’ offense over the Broncos.
Bulldog running backs saw 47 touches, the most since the Week 1 win over the Georgia Southern Eagles.
Harris’ spotlight is deserved, but the defense as a whole played up to the competition that the Broncos promised. The Bulldogs totaled 10 tackles for loss.
A lot of faith had been lost in this team after their pitiful performance last weekend, and for good reason. However, I think this performance solidified that the Bulldogs can win in any fashion.
Quarterback Carson Conklin still has a lot to work on moving forward, though.
Conklin’s 35 passing yards is one of the lowest totals in a win this season in the FBS. The Bulldogs overcame this with 189 total rushing yards and utilized Conklin in the running game. It was something we did not see with E.J. Warner, and it could finally unlock the running backs for some big games in the final stretch of the season.
The bright spot in his performance on Saturday was the clean game for the offense. For the first time this season, the Bulldogs finished the game with zero turnovers.
Those turnovers were the turning point for the Bulldogs in this game. The Bulldogs gave the ball to the Broncos with just over two minutes left in a tie game with all three timeouts. Boise State looked poised to take the lead and possibly put the game away against a scuffling Bulldog offense.
Instead, the Bulldogs forced the first of their three turnovers on consecutive Bronco possessions.
Harris’ interception flipped the field for the ‘Dogs, and they went into the half with a three-point lead.
With a chance to go two-for-one, the Bulldogs started the second half with a poor kickoff return and a drive starting at the 5-yard line — another point where the Broncos looked primed to take the game away.
Harris came up clutch again for the defense as he pressured backup quarterback Max Cutforth and stripped away the ball.
Six plays later, the Bulldogs forced yet another turnover.
We knew the defense was not the issue coming into the season; the offense was going to have the most question marks. They still have a lot to answer for, but a win is a win.
The Bulldogs head into their final bye week of the season before hosting the University of Wyoming on Nov. 15. Kickoff time has not been scheduled yet.
