Fresno, California
After a gut-wrenching 25-17 loss, the Fresno State Bulldogs look to snap their losing streak as they take on fellow Mountain West opponent, Nevada (3-4) on Saturday. The Wolf Pack are coming off of a landmark win against Oregon State. They hope to continue their momentum and beat Mountain West powerhouse Fresno State at home. If Nevada win, it can give help them turn around their season as well as their culture, with two back-to-back wins against top – tier opponents. If Fresno State wins it can also help them turn around an extremely disappointing season.
How to watch Fresno State vs. Washington State on TV
- Kickoff: Friday 7:30 PT
- Channel: CBS Sports Network / Fubo TV
Bulldog Notes
The Bulldogs enter Week 8 trying to turn the corner following two straight losses. Last week the Bulldogs did a tremendous job defensively, holding a highly explosive Washington State Offense to only 295 total yards. They look to replicate their strong defensive performance going against a team very similar to Washington State. Last week the Bulldogs played in a flex formation for most of the game which resulted in the Cougars only averaging 3.6 yards per carry as a team. They will do the same in this game as Nevada has been a team that has run the ball 273 times this season. By stopping the run, especially in the first quarter, it could force Nevada to throw the ball more, putting them in unmarked territory as Quarterback Brendon Lewis has only had to throw the ball 167 times this year. Another notable fact is that there is no new key injuries on the defensive side of the ball for Fresno State, which is great news as they will need to be operating at 100% this week against a great Wolf Pack offense.
The Bulldogs Offense has had some consistency issues this season. On some drives they move the ball downfield effortlessly, and on others, they can’t really get anything going. When they do manage to get something going, a turnover occurs. Mikey Keene has thrown 8 interceptions this season (2 during the last game). However, most of his turnovers have come deep into the second half, after he has been pushed around a lot. This Fresno State air-raid also loses some of their biggest playmakers, as both Tight End Jake Tarwater and Wide Receiver Tim Grear are questionable for Friday’s game. One of Mikey Keene’s favorite weapons, Wide Receiver, Josiah Freeman (who caught a 34-yard touchdown last week) is probable. Even if Freeman plays and isn’t 100%, some of the other receivers such as Raylen Sharpe, Jalen Moss, and Mac Dalena are really going to need to step up to make Mikey Keene’s job easier. Because of the key Fresno State Receivers that will be out this game, the Bulldogs will likely turn to the ground game. Star Running Back Malik Sherrod is questionable to play, but his backup, Elijah Gilliam has been nothing short of spectacular, with 20 rushes for a 120 yards and a touchdown last week. He will likely play a bigger role this weekend as Fresno State looks to control the tempo of this game.
Star Watch: WR Mac Dalena
Without a clear WR1 for this Fresno State team, Dalena has played himself into consideration for that 1A spot. He has 22 receptions in the season and 501 yards, as well as four touchdowns. Even though the Bulldogs should run the ball more, over the past few weeks, time and time again, they have not run the football enough. This makes Fresno State fans lose trust in offensive coordinator Pat McCann. If this is another game where Fresno State will throw the ball a lot, Wide Receiver Mac Dalena is in for a big game.
Nevada Notes
Defensively, Nevada has been very inconsistent this year. In their most recent game they gave up 37 points and 562 yards to Oregon State. The defensive gameplan will be to try to get pressure into Keene’s face, which is usually when he gets intercepted. However this Nevada defense has been 130th in to FBS for getting to the Quarterback. They also lost one of their best Defensive Lineman, Kaden Johnson, which will make it harder for UNR to put pressure on Mikey Keene. Nevada’s run defense hasn’t been great either, allowing 4.6 yards per carry to their opponents. The one place where the Wolf Pack defense has shined is in their secondary, with only ten passing touchdowns thrown on them, compared to seven interceptions this season (four of seven where against Oregon State). Expect them to play in a Cover 2 zone, which will make it hard for Mikey Keene to read the defense, and also to limit Fresno’s big-play ability on offense.
Nevada has an old-school mentality on offense. They run the ball on about 61% of their offensive plays and will likely do the same in this game. Last time out on the field Nevada Quarterback Brendon Lewis had 151 rushing yards on just 9 carries. Running Back Savion Red had 137 yards on 23 carries as well as four touchdowns. If Nevada’s run game can’t get going or they are down late in the game, Brendon Lewis is going to need to make some big plays with his arm, and we haven’t really seen that this season. Last game he only had 12 pass attempts and only completed 5 of them. Fresno State will likely be blitzing for a majority of the game and because of this Nevada might have an opportunity, to convert on a deep shot. However, Brendon Lewis has not had to do much this season and only time will tell if in this game, he and Nevada’s offense can break out through the air.
Star Watch: RB Savion Red
It feels like Red is the star of Nevada’s offense every week, and for good reasoning. He has been averaging 6.9 yards per carry and has 593 yards on 86 rushes this season. Although Fresno State did a great job stopping the run, it’s hard to envision a game where Nevada can move the ball downfield through the air, based on their track record. It is likely that Red will be highly used in this game, and will likely get over 25 carries and reach the end zone multiple times, continuing his already highly impressive season.
Final Thoughts:
We can expect an absolute dogfight due to both teams gritty play-style. This game will be won or lost based on which offense can make the big play late in the game. Under the bright lights on Friday night, We expect Mikey Keene to make the big play and shine showing everyone why he is Fresno’s QB1.
