A month into the PAC-12 era for the Bulldogs, I take a look around the University to talk about the good, the bad and the ugly of Fresno State Athletics.
Stock up: Jayden Mandal
I’ll be honest, I was skeptical when Jayden Mandal was named the starting quarterback ahead of the ‘Dogs week one matchup at USC.
The last time we saw Mandal play was in 2024 and the results weren’t great in limited action. He completed just 4-of-9 passes for 39 yards and threw two interceptions.
The redshirt junior missed all of last season (arm injury) after failing to beat out EJ Warner and Carson Conklin during fall camp. Warner graduated and Conklin transferred back to Sacramento State leaving Mandal with a prime opportunity to get his first real shot at starting for his hometown school.
Then Fresno State brought in transfer Khristian Martin from Maryland, who with his size and athleticism seemed to be a shoe-in to start at quarterback for the Bulldogs. Throughout fall camp, the position battle was consistently described as just that, a battle. Both Head Coach Matt Entz and Offensive Coordinator Josh Davis lauded the roommates and teammates leadership and attention to detail both on the field and in watching film. Ultimately it was Mandal who won the job.
In his first start since the bowl game in 2024, Mandal struggled and as the quarterback took a lot of the heat and blame for a rough 39-0 loss at USC. The reality was the whole offense struggled. It wasn’t just Jayden, who for his part, seemed to spend most of the game having less than two seconds to throw before he was on his back.
Mandal looked much better against Sacramento State. He wasn’t scared or timid, he was confident and poised. He made big time throws even in the face of pressure. He finished the night 23-of-26 with 316 passing yards and two touchdowns (3 total).
Facing a much tougher defense with a banged-up offensive line, Mandal threw down field considerably less but was nevertheless productive, completing 15-of-29 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown. He also ran nine times for 36 yards, including a massive 17-yard first down run in the third quarter.
The biggest confidence booster for me in Mandal and probably the biggest reason he earned the job over Martin was his ability to protect the football (0 turnovers in back-to-back weeks). He’s got plenty of weapons. Trusting his guys to get the football and make something happen is sometimes the best thing you can do as a quarterback. Simple is better.
Contingent on his ball security continuing to be a strength, I think Jayden Mandal is good enough to lead Fresno State to where they need to be to have a successful season and potentially a conference championship in December.
Stock down: Fresno State women’s soccer
The Lady Bulldogs tied a season high with two goals (both by junior Hayden Crotty-Romero who has 4 on the season) on Sunday afternoon against a one-win Cal State Bakersfield team. It was unfortunately a draw with the Roadrunners though.
Even in a rebuilding year, not taking advantage of what was a very winnable game is disappointing. Fresno State is now 1-7-2 on the season in year one for Head Coach Gabe Bolton.
Through 10 games, Fresno State is being outscored 30-6 by its opponents with opposition getting nearly twice as many scoring opportunities (175-92). That’s not a standard the school or the fan base should be okay with.
To make matters worse, a post is circulating on social media questioning the culture and team environment being cultivated by Bolton and his staff.
In Bolton’s defense, this particular review seems to be written by a parent of a former recruit that was cut from the team for reasons only the coach and the player in question know. The concerning part of it is the post and comments underneath it are liked by multiple former players/recruits, seeming to validate some of the concerns.
All of that can be put to rest if the team starts to win. In the program’s current state, developing a consistent winner may take a few years but Bolton does have a track record of winning.
In his 21 seasons as the head coach at Stanislaus State, Bolton had just one losing season that saw a 7-11-2 record in his first season of his second stint (2006). The rest of his career with the school, he led the program to an impressive 216-112-46 record.
Only time will tell if Bolton can replicate his success with the Warriors at Fresno State or if his first month of games coaching the Bulldogs is a sign of things to come.
Bolton and the Bulldogs will look to right the ship this Sunday, September 26th as they travel north to face Cal at 2 p.m.
Buying: New Valley Children’s Stadium Additions
In an effort to extend the length of Valley Children’s Stadium and boost the game day experience, Fresno State brought in some new and old things to the stadium this season.
The new LED ribbon boards give not only extra ad revenue opportunities, they also show out of town scores and open up more possibilities for in-game experience.
The Modelo Block Party has the potential to be a super hit and provides a tailgate experience for the average fan that doesn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars to have their own reserved space. The area is great for all ages with something for everyone.
Located at the soccer field, it’s close enough to the stadium that you can enjoy a proper pregame experience before walking over into the stadium.
Fresno State also brought back The Boneyard, near the south entrance of the stadium, featuring bones of all the Fresno State opponents this season.
The biggest hit though was the tractor entrance, particularly on social media. The big red, heavy-duty farm vehicle driving out onto Jim Sweeney Field creates a rush of excitement while also embracing the Central Valley agricultural roots. I would expect this to be a fixture at Fresno State football games for a long time.
Selling: Ralph Edwards intro
The one new addition that was not a hit during the Bulldogs season opener was the intro song by Fresno native and runner-up from season 28 of NBC’s The Voice, Ralph Edwards.
Before I go any further, I think Ralph is fantastic and his National Anthem performance at The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl game was terrific. I also appreciate the marketing department willing to try something new and be creative.
With that said, sometimes simple is better and expecting 40k fans to sing-a-long to a fairly unknown rap song is unrealistic. Many of the fans during the season opener had no idea what was going on, leaving a less than desirable introduction for the football team.
There are two potential options to try to fix this. The first is to try to improve what you got. My suggestion would be to put the lyrics on the song on the ribbon boards throughout the stadium. Additionally, having Edwards go out with the tractor as opposed to about 20 seconds beforehand would help bring everyone’s attention. That and improved speakers would help significantly.
The alternative is to go back to the Let’s Go/Crazy Train remix that’s been a hit at Valley Children’s Stadium for years, to go along with the tractor. What’s the saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?”
I don’t think they need to pick option two this season. If you make the necessary adjustments and try to get the crowd involved with the song, the potential is there for it to be a hit.
If it’s not (it probably won’t), go back to what works in 2027.
Buying: Fresno State women’s volleyball
After a magical run in 2024 to win the Mountain West Conference Tournament, the Bulldogs had a rough 2025 season going 7-22, including 3-14 in Mountain West action. Fast forward to 2026, the Bulldogs without their best best player from a year ago, Addison Halluska (graduated), started out 0-3 with a rough tournament to begin the year at Ohio State.
Head Coach Leisa Rosen rallied the troops though and won five of its next seven games to finish non-conference play at 5-6, including wins over New Mexico and St. Mary’s this past weekend in Moraga. The latter matchup showed the perseverance and resilience of the young Bulldogs team, coming back from being down 2-1 to winning in five sets.
Senior captain Jenna Legault leads the team in most offensive categories, including 177 kills and 30 service aces, both which lead the conference. Lots of season left, but Legault is a favorite for Conference Player of the Year and will play a huge role for the Bulldogs in its first season in the new Pac-12.
I wouldn’t pencil them in yet for a conference title but this is an exciting team to watch, from the Lombardi twins to Brooklyn Washington blocks to the checkered sleeves, count me in for Bulldog volleyball.
The Bulldogs begin Pac-12 playing Washington State tomorrow, September 24th at the Save Mart Center at 6 p.m. They will play there again on Saturday, hosting San Diego State at 1 p.m.
Column written by Al Scott, cover photo courtesy of Ryan Sepulveda.