The biggest party in the Valley is back in Fresno this weekend with Fresno State Football hosting Sacramento State.
Need to know
- What: Sacramento State at Fresno State (18.5-point favorites)
- When: Saturday, Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m.
- Where: Valley Children’s Stadium
- TV: CBS Sports Network (Chris Lewis and Randy Cross)
- Radio: ESPN Fresno – 1430/790 (Paul Loeffler, Pat Hill and Kenny Wiggins) and Caliente – 105.1 (Jose Gonzalez)
Welcome to the FBS
Sacramento State is not unfamiliar with Fresno State. The two schools have faced off five times including in 2024 when Fresno State defeated the Hornets 46-30.
The Hornets have since been promoted from the FCS to the FBS, along with North Dakota State this past offseason.
Opposite weeks
After a 28-17 week 0 loss at Eastern Michigan, Sacramento State bounced back this past Saturday to defeat former FCS mate Mississippi Valley State 52-0.
Filling in for former Fresno State quarterback Carson Conklin (wrist), Jackson Sharman in his first collegiate start completed 18-of-28 passes for 247 yards and four touchdowns (1 INT). Three of those touchdowns found the hands of senior wideout Matt Coleman who caught six passes for 141 yards.
The Hornets pounded the rock most of the night, rushing 41 times for 203 yards and a trio of scores.
Defensively, the Hornets were aggressive getting behind the line of scrimmage (4 sacks, 7 TFL) and held the Dust Devils to just 43 total yards.
The beat down they bestowed on Mississippi Valley State looks similar to the one that Fresno State took on Friday night by USC.
The Bulldogs got behind early on a masterful touchdown drive led by Heisman hopeful Quarterback Jayden Maiava.
The Bulldogs marched back down the field as well with a pair of first down completions from Jayden Mandal to Jahlil McClain and Gavin Correia but a missed thrown ball leading to an interception stalled any momentum the Bulldogs had. Next thing you know, it was 30-0 at halftime.
Fresno State fared better in the second half defensively but much of that could be attributed to the Trojans slowing down its pace and moving to its second string unit.
The offense finished with just 116 total yards (77 passing, 39 rushing) for the night.
Offensive Coordinator Josh Davis described the performance as a “humbling” experience.
“Friday was a opportunity for us to grow up and put four quarters of football on film and grab the good out of it and continue to grow as we as we race to maturity for what it’s going to take here with our next 11 games,” Davis said.
It’s a new week
After a dismal showing in Week 1, the Bulldogs have a lot to prove, not only to themselves, but to the Red Wave. But they aren’t panicking.
Head Coach Matt Entz vowed after the loss at USC that the team is “gonna play better.”
“I think you looked at last year, our product, and we got better every single week. Maybe we had some bumps along the road, but our 13th game was our best football game we played all year. I have the same expectations and the same standard for our football team moving forward,” Entz said.
Starting running back Rayshon “Speedy” Luke (8 carries, 21 yards) spoke to the media at the end of practice on Tuesday morning, echoing his Coach’s moving forward type mindset.
“I mean, we got 11 more, so don’t let one determine our whole season. So that’s kind of just been the whole mindset. We got 11 more to prove to ourselves and to the world why we should be here. So don’t let one loss define our whole season,” Luke said.
Linebacker K’Vion Thunderbird echoed Speedy’s enthusiasm.
“We are feeling good. Just fixing some things, coming out, executing, coming to practice every day. We’re ready to start the season out right at home,” Thunderbird said.
Despite a great individual week which included nine tackles, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble, Thunderbird is hungry for more.
“I feel like I could have actually done way better. I feel like we came out flat. Of course, we lost. That’s why we have practice to come out and get better every day. We got a full season ahead, so we got more games to play,” Thunderbird said.
Thunderbird mentioned that defending the RPO (run-pass-option) has been a point of emphasis in practice this week.
Familiar faces
Along with Thunderbird, Dylan Hampsten (4 tackles, TFL, FF) also had an excellent showing in Week 1 in his Bulldog debut, leading all Fresno State players with a 83.4 PFF rating.
“He plays with a great motor. He loves the game of football. He’s there for his teammates, and he’s always out here working. Him, Coach O, Coach G, they do a great job collectively together putting his plan together for the game coming up, and you know we’re excited for him,” Defensive Coordinator Nick Benedetto said after practice on Wednesday morning.
The edge will be facing a familiar opponent. Hampsten led Sacramento State last season with 13 TFL’s and 8 sacks. He finished the year with 39 total tackles, earning All-Big Sky honors before transferring to Fresno State. For Hampsten, this Saturday is just another game though.
Former Fresno State linebacker Tim Thomas (nine tackles this season) is set to face his former team, along with defensive lineman Isiah Chala and Miles Bailey. As noted earlier, Carson Conklin is doubtful to play.
X-Factors
If Fresno State is going to be successful this season, they need to limit the turnovers and that starts with Jayden Mandal.
The Bulldog quarterback completed just 7-of-15 passes for 77 yards on Friday. What’s more worrisome is the interception, fumble and not one, but two safeties.
It’s a new week however and Mandal has an opportunity for redemption with the backing of his coach who reiterated Monday that he has no intention of making a quarterback change anytime soon.
“Either you’re learning or you’re winning, and I know his best football is still ahead of him,” Entz said.
Entz added that it’s crucial that he gives his signal caller room to make mistakes and if he were to make a change this early in the season, he’d lose the confidence not only of Mandal, but of the team.
His offensive coordinator remains confident in Mandal but acknowledged some areas that need improvement.
“Mandal did a lot of good things. We’ve got to develop a little bit better of a pre-snap plan. You know, USC’s got a very talented defense, but the pictures weren’t all that hard for us to process. So a few mistakes in that regard, along with some bad play calling and some backed up situations, led to some pretty bad ball,” Davis said.
Davis when asked what a successful week would look like for his offense against the Hornets, was straight to the point.
“Zero negative plays, zero turnovers,” Davis said.
Coming out strong and turnover free against the Hornets would do wonders for the Bulldog offense as whole, including opening up running lanes for guys like Luke.
“That was his first game. He had to see different looks, different defenses, a whole different thing. So why would we just give up on a guy after one game?” Luke said. “We still have 11 more to go out and prove that Jayden should be the quarterback.”
Josiah Freeman is another guy the Bulldogs need to get going. Fresno State’s top wideout a year ago saw four targets on Friday, but didn’t bring in a single reception and was responsible for the ‘Dogs lone drop.
Freeman and Mandal’s connection going forward is pertinent to any success this team will have offensively.
For the Hornets, the entire offensive line remains a big question mark. Despite the 200+ yards on the ground, there weren’t many holes created in the first half by the Sacramento State front five against one of the weakest defenses in all of FCS.
As bad as Fresno State was this past Friday, the front seven weren’t the issue. If there’s a matchup to exploit for Fresno State, it will be in the trenches.
What’s new at Valley Children’s Stadium
If you’ve been around the stadium at all this summer, you’ve probably noticed the scaffolding along both the east and west sides of the stadium.
Well it’s for some new LED boards on both sides of the stadium that will show a variety of things, including stats and advertisements for additional revenue.
The Bulldogs will be also featuring a pair of new innovations for when the team enters the field right before game time. Not only will the team be led out by a tractor, Fresno native and runner-up from season 28 of The Voice, Ralph Edwards will serve as a Bulldog Ambassador and help with the team walkout. He’ll also be around the pregame tailgate party.
Speaking of which, Fresno State Athletics announced last weekend the unveiling of the Modelo Block Party, which will be an extension of Bulldog Boulevard as the school offers more tailgating opportunities.
The new entertainment village will take place at the Bulldog Soccer Stadium with plenty of activities, live music, concessions, entertainment and a new place for fans to gather before games.
“Gameday at Fresno State is about so much more than the three or four hours inside the stadium,” said Garrett Klassy, Director of Athletics. “We want the entire day to feel like an event from the moment fans arrive on campus.
Injury Report
Graduate senior safety Ryan Wilson, who was carted off the field with an ankle injury this past Friday, is expected to miss the rest of the season, joining guard Edward Fonua and running back Brandon Ramirez.
Wilson is eligible to apply for a medical redshirt again at the end of the season, being grandfathered into the old rules. All new freshmen in 2026 and beyond will now receive 5 years of eligibility to play 5 seasons with no redshirts or medical hardships in a change by the NCAA.
In the meantime, he’s replaced by Ethan Tierney who will start alongside Taylor Powell up top for the Bulldogs but Entz noted Monday that plenty of guys will see time at the position.
“As you’ve seen, what’s on the depth chart doesn’t necessarily represent how many snaps someone is gonna get,” Entz said. “Jaden Carrillo is gonna play a bunch for us. TP (Taylor Powell) is gonna play a bunch. RJ (Regan) is going to continue to play a bunch. We have four or five safeties that will continue to elevate their game.”
It’s too soon to say whether or not starting right guard Jonah Leaupepetele (also exited the USC game) will play on Saturday but as for now, he’s still listed as the starter.
An updated injury report is expected less than three hours before kickoff on Saturday.
For more updates on Fresno State Athletics, follow @AlScott1998 on Twitter (X).
Game preview written by Al Scott, photos captured by Ryan Sepulveda on September 4th (Fresno Sports Magazine).