A night that began with celebrating 27 seniors, ended in agony following a rough second half that saw Utah State outscore Fresno State 21-0. The result would be the Bulldogs (7-4) falling 28-17 to the Aggies (6-5) on Saturday night at Valley Children’s Stadium.
“Frustrating night, one that we wish we’d probably have back,” Head Coach Matt Entz said. “Too many errors, we got in our own way.”
What happened
Despite allowing a pair of chunk plays, the Fresno State defense got a first drive stop thanks to a pass breakup from Ryan Wilson.
In a surprise twist, Entz opted to switch quarterbacks from sophomore Carson Conklin, back to senior E.J. Warner.
Two possessions later, the Bulldogs took over on its own 31-yard line. Rayshon “Speedy” Luke broke away to the outside, running 69 yards down the Fresno State sideline for a touchdown (6th rushing TD of the season) to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead.
Utah State responded late in the first quarter, a lateral throw from Bryson Barnes to Anthony Garcia, who then found Brady Boyd open in the end zone to tie the game.
Fresno State began the second quarter with a wide receiver reverse to Josiah Freeman, who ran 55 yards into the end zone. The play was called back, however.
Seniors Finn Claypool and Korey Foreman both had drive ending sacks in the first half, the latter of which led to a 30-yard field goal from Dylan Lynch.
Fresno State took over again late in the first half. On the seventh play of the drive, Warner evaded a pair of Aggies defenders before finding Jahil McClain over the middle of the field for a 43-yard touchdown.
Utah State moved the ball down the field but missed a 46-yard field goal attempt heading into half, down 17-7 to the Bulldogs.
Warner went 12-of-15 in the first half with 129 passing yards, leading them to 256 yards of total offense, the most first half yards in a game this season.
Following a three-and-out from the Bulldogs, Barnes led the Aggies down the field on a 15-play, 78-yard drive, resulting in another lateral for a touchdown, this time from Barnes to Garcia, back to Barnes.
With just over a minute remaining in the third quarter, the Fresno State safety Camryn Bracha forced a fumble from Aggies running back Miles Davis, picked up by Bulldog linebacker Jadon Pearson in the Utah State red zone.
The ‘Dogs fumbled the prime opportunity a few plays later though, as Warner was intercepted over the middle of the field by linebacker Bronson Olevao Jr.
Utah State got the ball back to end the third quarter and took advantage of a pair of massive Bulldog defensive penalties, including a third down facemask from Mordecai Hines. Utah State ended up moving the ball down the field. The drive would end in a 19-yard rush up the middle for a touchdown from tailback Javen Jacobs.
The Bulldogs had a 3rd and short opportunity, but opted to throw instead of running it. Aggies safety Ike Larson read it perfectly, breaking up a pass intended for Elijah Gilliam, giving the ball back to Utah State following a three-and-out.
Utah State went on to win 28-17.
What’s next
The Bulldogs will wrap up the regular season next Saturday, Nov. 29, at San Jose State with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. It will also be the third rivalry game of the season as the two teams will battle for the Valley Trophy.
The next official game at Valley Children’s Stadium will come on Sep. 12 next year against Sacramento State for week 2 of the 2026 season.
Recap written by Al Scott, cover photo by Ryan Sepulveda (Fresno Sports Magazine)