“They earn first downs, explosive plays, and they’re gonna get back on the ball and go quick.“
By Al Scott
The Matt Entz era in Fresno State (0-1) is off to a sour note following its 31-7 loss at Kansas on Saturday. But a sour note is all that it is.
As Entz pointed out during the weekly press conference on Monday morning, “there’s 11 games left. We can’t let one turn into two.”
The next one comes on Saturday night as Fresno State looks to win its 200th game in Valley Children’s Stadium, facing Georgia Southern.
The Eagles are coming to Fresno off of a formidable 8-5 season a year ago under Head Coach Clay Helton and quarterback JC French who threw 2,831 yards and 17 touchdowns during the 2024 season.
French will have a pair of strong returning targets to throw to in Josh Dallas (46 rec, 614 yards, 6 TD) and Dalen Cobb (52 rec, 599 yards, 4 TDs).
A fast style of play, expect Georgia Southern to push the ball down the field, take chances, and do so quickly.
“Tempo is always a scary deal,” Entz says. “They earn first downs, explosive plays, and they’re gonna get back on the ball and go quick.
Entz added that his team will be stressing the importance of being ready on every play and not getting beat because of miscommunication.
Defensively, the Eagles run a 4-2-5 defense, similar to Fresno State. But unlike Kansas, it is not quite as resilient against the run.
Eagles opponents ran for 210 yards per game and 28 touchdowns on the ground last season. They were actually better against the pass (208 YPG).
Key players
Bryson Donelson – Fresno State
Donelson led the Bulldogs with 73 yards from scrimmage on Saturday, including a touch pass from Warner that the Visalia native was able to break a pair of tackles for a 39-yard gain, leading to the only Bulldog touchdown for the game.
The ‘Dogs starting running back is capable of more though, especially on the ground. If the offensive line can create some holes, Donelson has the ability to attack the second line of defense and establish the tempo for Fresno State.
Chance Gamble – Georgia Southern
The Eagles defensive back caught three interceptions a year ago and had 10 passes defended. He also had 48 tackles and a forced fumble. Gamble could get his first pick of 2025 on Sunday if Warner isn’t careful.
Keys to winning
- Getting to the quarterback
The Bulldogs struggled to do so this past Saturday. When they did though, they had success though. Drake transfer Finn Claypool had four pressures and a sack on 29 snaps. He also had three tackles in his Bulldog debut.
“He’s an energizer bunny, except his battery never runs out,” Entz says.
Between Claypool, Jahzon Jacks, Korey Foreman and company; putting pressure on the Eagles will be key to slowing their tempo offense and allowing the Bulldogs to force havoc.
- Holding onto the football
Quarterback E.J. Warner has passed for more yards than any other active player in the country, but it has also come at the expense of 39 interceptions (2 vs Kansas).
“We got to learn from our mistakes,” Entz says. “There wasn’t anyone harder on themselves than EJ was after the game. We need to give him the tools to be able to flush it during the game and move on the next place.”
It wasn’t all bad. The son of Hall of Famer Kurt Warner did complete 18 of 29 passes for 179 yards, including a few big third down pickups.
- Establishing the run
Speaking of third downs. The Bulldogs converted 7 of its 15 tries on third down a week ago, a pretty good number. But it likely could have even been higher with some easier opportunities. Of the 15 conversion opportunities, 12 of them came at four or more yards from the sticks..
Fresno State is coming off a rough week in which it ran for just 37 net yards on 29 opportunities. Even when you eliminate the three sacks, 44 yards on 26 opportunities is not going to move the ball downfield.
If the Bulldog offense is going to be successful, it’s going to require getting yards on early downs to allow for more offensive creativity on third and fourth downs.
That starts with Donelson, but it extends to Rayshon Luke, Brandon Ramirez, Elijah Gilliam and Johnathan Arceneaux, all of which should receive opportunities this weekend.
Bottom line
Fresno State is currently 1.5 point underdogs but the power of Valley Children’s Stadium and the Red Wave should not be understated.
The Bulldogs had the highest average attendance (40,600) among Group of Five schools for the second straight year in 2024. If the crowd can be a factor, it could alter Georgia Southern’s tempo offense and create some additional opportunities for Fresno State.
Prediction: Fresno State 31, Georgia Southern 27