Not every victory is beautiful, and even for a Fresno State team that had already won three straight games by 14+ points, Saturday was no different. The Bulldogs used a relentless defense and a creative second half offensively to wear Washington State down and defeat the Cougars 26-6 on Saturday night in Pullman. The win improves Fresno State to 4-1 on the season and 1-0 in conference play.
“Winning the first one in the Pac-12 was a big deal,” Head Coach Matt Entz said after the game. “This was an opportunity for this group to leave their legacy by winning the first one in Fresno State’s Pac-12 history.”
Key players
- Jaosiah Freeman (FS): 2 carries, 17 yards, TD, 7 receptions, 61 yards
- Dylan Hampsten (FS): 5 tackles, 1.5 sacks
- Deijon Laffitte (FS): 2 tackles, sack, FR
- Matyus McLain (WAZZU): 4 tackles, 2 TFL, 0.5 sacks
What happened
The first quarter offensive struggles Fresno State continued on Saturday, with a three-and-out on the first drive. The defense returned the favor giving them the ball right back.
This time the Bulldogs got the run game going, with a trio of first downs, including a 13-yard scramble up the middle by Jayden Mandal and a 36-yard outside zone run by Rayshon “Speedy” Luke. The ‘Dogs were on the WAZZU five yard line prepared to go for it on fourth and short before a false start, forcing them to go for a field goal, good by Manaki Watanabe from 27 yards out.
A couple minutes into the second quarter, Mandal fumbled on a 4th-and-1 QB sneak attempt. The Cougars took over at the 50 and ripped off a pair of first downs, but nothing else. Cougars kicker Jack Stevens nailed it from 32 to tie the game.
The next drive included a double flea-flicker reverse, 36-yard pass from Mandal to tight end and true freshman Dallas Gaius-Anyaegbu. The drive stalled from there though. On third down, Mandal found Josiah Freeman on the right side of the zone but after replay review, it was ruled he didn’t have a foot in bounds, leading to another field goal.
The Cougars added a field goal at the end of the half to tie it up at 50. Fresno State out-gained the Cougs 197-116 in the first half but only had six points to show for it. Mandal in particular was 0-for-3 on QB sneaks.
When the Bulldogs went into the locker room, Entz said he walked in and they were already ready to go back out, “you don’t even have to say it, we got this.”
Sure enough, they did.
The Bulldogs defense came out with another 3-and-out, including a Dylan Hampsten sack. The offense took over and looked a whole lot different than we’ve seen in 1.5 years under Josh Davis.
A deep throw from Mandal to Jahlil McClain for 27 yards followed by a Josiah Freeman 14-yard reverse set the Bulldogs in the Cougars Red zone. A few plays later, Mandal pitched it to Freeman who practically walked into the end zone.
“Just trusting the path and trusting that you know the guys are gonna make those blocks for me. The O-line gets that push and they just guide me into the end zone. Basically, they make it easy,” Freeman said.
Freeman finished the night with 78 total yards, which isn’t a lot, but he was the only player on either side of the ball to really make noise offensively.
“He’s one of the best players on the West Coast right now, and playing with an unbelievable amount of confidence,” Entz said.
Coach added that Freeman’s leadership and ability to play without the football are two positive traits that stand out about him and it’s causing a chain effect.
“You ask him to block, you ask him to crack on the safety, he’ll be the first one to volunteer, and guess what? That passes down to everybody else in the room. When your best players are your best leaders and your hardest workers, it makes my job really easy,” Entz said.
Following the touchdown, Deijon Laffitte jumped on a first play fumble by Quarterback Caden Pinnick. In addition to the fumble, the Bulldogs defense got to Pinnick five times on the ground and forced by throw after bad throw. He finished the night 21-of-34 with 152 yards thrown.
The Cougars for their part actually hung around in this game until the fourth quarter. After another 3-and-out, Mandal found wide receiver Ezekiel Avit open deep on the right side of the field for 38 yards to put the Bulldogs in the red zone. It only resulted in a field goal but it began as a sprinkle and turned into a down pour.
“Coach Hardy says every game, it will feel like everything revolves around us,” Freeman said. “We start making big plays. Zeke gets going, Jahlil gets going, and it’s really hard to stop us because you can’t just focus on one person.”
With less than five minutes in the game, the Bulldogs forced a turnover on downs inside the Cougars 10-yard line. Washington native Julius Gillick found the end zone on the first play, on an inside run that ended up with him jumping back to the outside.
The very next play, linebacker Justin Johnson picked off Pinnick, leading to another Manaki Watanabe field goal, who finished with 14 points on ⅘ field goals and 2/2 extra points. The interception for Johnson was the first for his career.
One could argue the score was a lot closer than it was, after all, it was still 13-6 a few minutes into the fourth quarter. But for Fresno State, it’s just how they operate. They continue to wear teams down in the second half and Saturday in Pullman, Washington was no different. The Bulldogs have won all four games during its winning streak by coming from behind or being tied after the first quarter.
“We believe in strength and conditioning. We believe in practicing with a physical nature. We believe in still putting on full pads,” Entz said. “I think our kids understand that our style of football, our demeanor, our approach, our process is going to allow us to be in these close games and always feel like we’re competitive.”
There were no touchdowns on Saturday but Mandal finished with another productive win, doing just enough to lead his team to victory. The signal caller completed 24-of-33 passes for 245 yards. He also rushed for 27 yards.
Man, we’ve grown a whole lot. He came in as an early-enrollee freshman (in 2023). We’ve had that connection ever since. When he got the starting job, there was no real trying to build the connection. We’re just building on the connection that we have already,” Freeman said.
The duo have become film junkies off the field and it shows. Mandal and Freeman are up to 25 completions for 322 yards on the season through five games.
“Whatever he needs me to do, I’m gonna go do it because I trust him, and I know he trusts me,” Freeman said.
Injury update
- Running back Rayshon Luke left the first half, going into concussion protocol and did not return.
- Brayden Walton returned to action, starting at left tackle for Fresno State.
- Starting tight end Jake Appleget was in uniform but didn’t play.
- Linebackers Logan Studt and Niko Baumgartner, wide receiver Harold Duvall, guards Gino Quinones, Jonah Leaupepetele and Braylen Henderson all missed Saturday and remain out with lingering injuries.
What’s next
Fresno State returns home to Valley Children’s Stadium this next Saturday, October 10, for Homecoming and Boots & Buckles as they welcome the rival Boise State Broncos, who are . The Bulldogs will also be inducting legendary offensive lineman and Fresno State alum Logan Mankins that evening into the Ring of Honor at halftime.
“If every ticket isn’t sold, I’m gonna be frustrated. It’s a huge game,” Entz said. “Part of the reason why I went to the Pac-12, we’re gonna play meaningful games in mid-October, and that’s exciting. Not gonna worry about it yet. I’ll worry about it when I wake up tomorrow. I’m gonna enjoy this one right now with the football team.”
Fresno State will travel to San Diego the following week to play the Aztecs on Oct. 10 at Snapdragon Stadium.
Game recap written by Al Scott, photos captured by Bobby Sedano (Fresno Sports Magazine). For more pictures and updates on Fresno State Athletics, follow @AlScott1998 on Twitter (X) or @AlScottSports on IG.