The Fresno State (5-2) football team welcomes San Diego State (5-1) for its first and only home rivalry game of the 2025 season.
Football at Valley Children’s Stadium (VCS) this Saturday will look a bit different than it usually does. Not only are the Bulldogs donning all-black uniforms, kickoff will be at 12:30 p.m. in the afternoon with the game being broadcasted on Fox Sports 1.
What’s at stake?
A win for either team would mean that the winning school would 1) reach bowl game eligibility and 2) would control its own destiny towards a spot in the Mountain West Conference (MWC) championship game at the end of the season.
The winner would also get to hoist the honorable Oil Can trophy.
Battle for the Oil Can
Saturday will be the 63rd meeting between the two schools, the second most-played opponent (San Jose State) in program history. Despite being 27-31-4 during the rivalry; Fresno State has won seven of its last 11 games against SDSU since moving to the MW, including four of its five matchups at VCS.
The trophy itself stems from the discovery of an old oil can from Fresno (circa 1935) that was rediscovered at San Diego State during a campus building project.
The Aztecs are currently 3-point favorites to win on Saturday.
Fresno State Head Coach Matt Entz understands though that this Aztec team has certainly upped its level of play since the last time they came to Fresno.
“Great opportunity, in my opinion, they’re probably the best team we play and have faced since Kansas. I have a ton of respect for what Coach Lewis has done,” Entz said on Monday morning. “I know Sean is going to challenge you both offensively and defensively. You can tell they’ve just continued to grow. They’ve grown in personnel, but also you can tell the environment is that of learning, those kids have gotten a ton better from year one to year two.”
Tedford Legacy Game
Fresno State will honor former Bulldog quarterback and head coach Jeff Tedford at halftime as he joins the Ring of Honor, becoming the 3rd coach and 13th overall member in the exclusive club.
Over two head coaching stints in five years, he amassed a 45-22 overall record and four bowl wins.
Under his leadership, the Bulldogs achieved three 10‑win seasons, three West Division titles, two Mountain West titles, four bowl games and two AP Top‑25 finishes.
“Coach Tedford has been tremendous. He’s been a huge support and helped me get my feet on the ground,” Entz says.
Keys to victory for the ‘Dogs
Taking care of the football. The Bulldogs are 4-0 this season when committing two or less turnovers. E.J. Warner has played a lot of football. In fact, he is the only player in the country with over 10,000 career passing yards. Making sure the ball is going to his team is another conversation though and one that ought to be discussed. Entz says EJ Warner is still his Quarterback, but says he needs “to have more skin like a duck.”
“He needs to let some things go. I worry that when things compound, when he has one bad play, one turns into two. Turn two turns into four.”
Warner had four turnovers last time out, including three interceptions (nine this season). The Fresno State offense is at its best when the ground game is working. In order for that to happen, they need to be able to take care of the football and that includes Warner being able to throw the ball on long downs to extend drives.
Coming out of the second half on a strong note. The Bulldogs have yet to score points on a drive coming out in the third quarter this season. Doing so Saturday could go a long way to setting the tone in the second half to finish the game on a strong note.
Getting the Black Wave…yes, black, to take over. For the second straight year, Fresno State players and fans will be donning all black for its homecoming game, which seems to be becoming an annual tradition. The Red Wave has been averaging nearly 40,000 fans a game this season, eclipsing the mark for the first time this season against Nevada on Oct. 4. That mark is expected to hit again against San Diego State.
Despite the impressive numbers, keeping fans in the stands after halftime has been an ongoing issue. Perhaps the earlier start time will keep fans in their seats long enough to make a difference late in the game.
X-factors
Josiah Freeman (Fresno State) – The Bulldog wideout has 10 receptions for 129 yards and four touchdowns in his last two games, becoming the first ‘Dog since Jalen Cropper in 2022 to score 2+ TD’s in back-to-back games.
Trey White (San Diego State) – The Aztec junior defensive end is a “future player on Sundays” as Entz put it on Monday. White has 25 total tackles on the season, including four sacks and six tackles for loss. He has an opportunity to make things extremely uncomfortable for a Bulldog offensive line that has been shaken up during the month of October.
Chris Johnson (San Diego State) – The Aztec was recently named to the Associated Press Midseason All-American Team after a strong start to the season (27 TKL / 1 TFL / 3 INT / 3 PD). Per PFF, Johnson’s 15.0 passer rating when targeted is the second best mark in the FBS among cornerbacks.
Injury report
Aztec running back Christian Washington (198 rushing yards, 3 total TD’s) and wide receiver Jacob Bostic are both questionable to play.
Fresno State linebacker K’Vion Thunderbird has been officially ruled out. Wideout Ezekiel Avit is also questionable to play.
Click here for full injury report.
Cover photo provided by Fresno State.