The Fresno State football team (8-4, 5-3 MW) has one more game left before it calls a wrap on the 2025 season. The Bulldogs under first year head coach Matt Entz will play against Miami (OH) (7-6, 6-2 MAC) on Saturday, December 27 in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Presented by Ginn & Juice by Dre & Snoop. Kickoff at Casino Del Sol Stadium in Tucson, AZ is set for 1:30 p.m. PT. The game will also be televised on The CW Network.
Head Coach Matt Entz said earlier this month that the team is looking forward to the change of scenery.
“Playing in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl just seems fitting…I’ve heard through the grapevine that everyone is looking forward to it. It’s something different, something new,” Entz said. “We’re excited to represent the Central Valley, the Green V and the Red Wave as we come down there.”
Fresno State will be competing in its fifth consecutive bowl game, going 3-1 the last four years. The program is 17-16 all-time in bowl games, including a 4-3 record against MAC opponents.
Saturday’s matchup will be the first ever meeting between the two programs. The RedHawks are also participating in its 5th straight bowl (2-2) and are 9-7 overall in bowls. They are 3-5 against the Mountain West all-time with all three wins coming against Colorado State, including a 43-17 win over the Rams in last year’s Arizona Bowl.
Welcome Miami
After an 0-3 start to the year, the RedHawks rallied together under Head Coach Chuck Martin (72-73 record in 12 seasons) to win seven of its final nine games in the regular season before falling 23-13 to Western Michigan in the Mid-American Conference championship game on Dec. 6.
Offensively, the RedHawks present a balanced attack (25.1 PPG) averaging 196.2 yards per game through air and 152.6 per game on the ground.
The RedHawks began the season with Dequan Finn at quarterback, but he left the team in November to prepare for the NFL draft. They are expected to go with redshirt freshman quarterback Thomas Gotkowski under center on Saturday, who completed 50% of his 64 pass attempts for 503 yards and 4 TD in 4 games played (3 starts). He’s also ran 25 times for 99 yards and a score.
Miami (OH) had nine players earn All-MAC accolades this season, including 5th-year safety Eli Blakey (105 total tackles, 2 INT’s) and kicker Dom Dzioban (19-22 FG, 51 LFGM). Dzioban was named a semi-finalist for the Lou Groza Award for the second straight year.
In addition to Blakey, linebackers Corban Hondru, Jackson Kuwatch and strong safety Silas Walters also helped lead a stout defense that had 40 sacks, 50 quarterback hurries and a MAC-leading 14 interceptions (15th in the FBS) while allowing 22 points per game (43rd in FBS). That defense will be missing a few key pieces though.
Transfer portal
Edge linebacker Adam Trick (MAC first-team, who had 59 tackles, a FBS-leading 72 pressures and a team-leading 8.5 sacks, will not be playing on Saturday, along with a few other Redhawks that have expressed their intentions of entering the transfer portal, including defensive end Joshua Lukusa and starting cornerbacks Luke Evans and Mychal Yharbrough.
MAC first-team wide receiver Kam Perry (42 rec, 966 yards 6 TD) and second-team right tackle Drew Terrill also have opted out and entered the portal. Perry’s 23.0 yards per reception ranked second in the FBS this season. He had four games with 100+ receiving yards this season, including 122 against UNLV. 6 ‘5 ” sophomore wideout Cole Weaver (43 rec, 599 yards, 1 TD) should receive the largest share of targets with Perry gone.
Fresno State saw a sleuth of players enter the portal last season, which wasn’t a big surprise given the change in head coaches from Jeff Tedford to Tim Skipper to now Entz. This time around, there are still a few names (but no starters) that have announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal, which officially opens on Jan. 2, 2026, and runs for two weeks.
Linebacker Tim Thomas only played in two games this season before leaving the team due to personal reasons. Wideout Josiah Ayon, safety RL Miller and edge/defensive linemen Damarrion White and Isiah Chala Jr. have all suited up in minimal capacity, and will be looking for opportunities elsewhere next year as well. Backup quarterback Brayden Turner and defensive lineman Jack Metzler also have entered.
Arguably the biggest notable of the players leaving is safety Jayden Davis. The Fresno native (Bullard HS) suited up 33 times for the Bulldogs with several starts the last two seasons. He also had an interception at San Jose State to finish the regular season. Davis saw his playing time dip in the second half of the year though, due to the rise of Ethan Tierney. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.
Keys to victory
Speeding things up — Former Arizona Wildcat Rayshon “Speedy” Luke returns to his old stadium on Saturday. Luke began his football journey in the Snoop Dogg Youth Football League, a non-profit organization Snoop Dogg founded in 2005 to provide inner-city kids a chance to play football, teaching discipline and teamwork while bringing communities together.
Getting Luke going, both in the running and receiving game and will be paramount to offensive success for the Bulldogs. One of the most explosive players in the country, Speedy had 916 yards from scrimmage and 8 total touchdowns during the 2025 season. He added 341 kick return yards as well.
Holding Brunson under 60 — Fresno State possesses one of the more well-balanced defenses in the country, allowing just 20.1 PPG (24th in FBS) and 293.5 yards per game (14th in FBS), marking the fewest yards allowed per game in a season since 1976 (269.64). The Bulldogs are 5-0 this season when allowing under 300 total yards of offense.
Doing that again on Saturday will require stopping the run. The most consistent performer for the RedHawks has been senior running back Jordan Brunson (155 carries, 724 yards, 4 TD), who carried the ball 11 times for 34 yards and a pair of 4th quarter touchdowns in last year’s Arizona Bowl. Miami (OH) is a perfect 8-0 when Brunson has rushed for at least 60 yards in his career, including a 5-0 mark this season.
Brunson shares the backfield with 245-pound freshman short-yardage specialist D’Shawntae Jones (7 TD) who carried the ball 58 times for 262 yards this season.
Limiting the RedHawks rushing attack and forcing Miami (OH) to air it out with a passing attack that is short-handed and not seem consistent results to end the season could be the key to victory.
Forcing the issue — Neither team consistently sustains drives and moving the ball down the field will be difficult against solid defenses. The team that gets to the quarterback more and wins the turnover battle will have a better chance to score with short field position.
The Fresno State defense excels in this department, having forced 24 turnovers (10th in FBS), including 19 interceptions (t-4th in FBS). Nickelback Simeon Harris led the Mountain West with five interceptions. Corner Al’zillion Hamilton had four himself, for the second straight year. Eight other Bulldog defenders had picks in 2025, including two from safety Camryn Bracha and linebacker K’vion Thunderbird.
The ‘Dogs also recovered five fumbles, four of which fell in the hands of defensive lineman Jahzon Jacks (1st in FBS).
Score prediction: Fresno State 24, Miami (OH) 16
With how hard the portal hit the RedHawks, I would give Fresno State the advantage with Luke finding the end zone at least once and kicker Dylan Lynch redeeming himself after a poor bowl game performance a year ago.
Preview written by Al Scott, cover photo of Rayshon “Speedy” Luke taken by Ryan Sepulveda (FSM).