The biggest party in the Valley is back in Fresno this weekend with Fresno State Football hosting Rice. After a rough season opener at USC, the Bulldogs are right where they probably expected to be after three weeks: 2-1.
Thanks to a relatively clean offensive game and a game changing defense that forced four turnovers and six sacks (7 if you ask Defensive Coordinator Nick Benedetto), Fresno State defeated the rival San Jose Spartans 26-10 (recap) on Saturday night in Silicon Valley.
“The Bulldogs are the team of the Valley, period. It doesn’t matter if it’s the San Joaquin or the Sacramento Valley, we’re it. We want to make sure that people know that,” Head Coach Matt Entz said after the win.
The real star of the show was kicker and Special Teams Player of the Week Manaki Watanabe, who nailed 4 of his 5 field (long of 52) goal attempts, as well as both of his extra point opportunities, outscoring the Spartans 14-10 by himself.
“We knew that when we crossed the 50, they would start to heat things up a little bit defensively. There would be a little more pressure, a little more man coverage. But when you have someone who is comfortable, he’s got three 50 yarders already that he’s hit, it is comforting,” Entz said. “Of course, I want touchdowns. Field goals are good enough to get you beat, right? They don’t beat anyone, but we needed them at times tonight. If we end every series with a kick we’ll be okay.”
Quarterback Jayden Mandal was 15-for-29 with 186 passing yards and a touchdown throw to Josiah Freeman. He also ran for 46 yards and had zero turnovers for the second straight week.
“When you come away with a win, it’s a great feeling,” Mandal said. “I think the whole offense knows we got to be a little better in certain areas, especially third down and minimizing negative plays. But I’m really proud of the way we fought, especially with a couple guys going down on the O-Line. People were stepping up, next-man-up mentality. Really proud of our guys for doing that. At the end of the day, a dub is a dub.”
Need to know for Saturday
- What: Rice at Fresno State (13.5-point favorites)
- When: Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7:00 p.m.
- Where: Valley Children’s Stadium
- Theme: Bulldog Fiesta
- TV: The CW (Rick Allen, Will Blackmon and Michael Bumpus)
- Radio: ESPN Fresno – 1430/790 (Paul Loeffler, Pat Hill and Kenny Wiggins) and Caliente – 105.1 (Jose Gonzalez)
Bulldog Bites
- Fresno State is 6-1 all-time against Rice. The Owls only win was the last matchup between the two schools, winning the 2014 Hawaii Bowl 30-6.
- It is the first regular season matchup since 2004.
- Fresno State is 2-0 all-time when playing on The CW.
- Manaki Watanabe became the first Bulldog to score two 50-yard field goals in a game in program history, and also the first to have back-to-back games with a 50-yarder. He’s the only player in the FBS that is 3/3 on field goal attempts over 50 yards.
Injury Report
- Left tackle Brayden Walton is considered day-to-day and has been walking around in a boot at practice all week. If he can’t play on Saturday, fellow sophomore Ben Baker is expected to fill in at center with Oscar Weigel sliding over to left guard and Marquise Thorpe-Taylor moving to left tackle.
- Running back Bryson Donelson and right tackle Rolan Fullwood are healthy and were full participants in practice this week after being banged up at San Jose State.
- Wide Receiver Harold Duvall continues to practice in a limited capacity.
- Without naming anyone specific, Entz mentioned on Monday that a few players are a few weeks away. Corner back Jomarion Briggs and defensive lineman Auckland Asiata resumed practice this week.
- Guard Jonah Leapepetele and defensive end Noah Yeh remain out indefinitely.
An updated injury report is expected less than three hours before kickoff on Saturday.
Rice Rice baby
The Owls (1-2) come into town this weekend for the Bulldog’s second home game and final non-conference game on the season.
“Excited about the home game,” Entz said. “Opportunity for the Red Wave to impact the game. I’m looking forward to seeing a huge crowd, hopefully an excited and energetic crowd.”
The Owls began the year with a 31-3 win over Houston Christian before being dismantled 52-0 by Notre Dame. Like the Bulldogs, it was a much closer game in week 3 when Rice hosted Western Michigan in a 28-21 loss.
The Owls triple option offense is led by 6-foot-4, fifth year QB Jacurri Brown who completed 11-of-18 passes for 121 yards and a TD against Western Michigan. He also has 128 yards and a score on the ground. He leads Rice with 203 yards rushing this season.
“It is a 180 degree change in mentality from what we saw last week. You’re talking about run-and-shoot, and now all of a sudden you’re talking about a triple option. A little more assignment-driven, gotta be great with your eyes,” Entz said. “[Brown] does a tremendous job of running the offense. He has 50-plus carries on the year. They do a great job of dispersing the ball. They are a run-first program.”
The top playmakers on offense for them this season have been wide receiver Barry Jackson Jr. (5 rec, 77 yards, TD) and running backs Dandre Hardeman Jr. (31 carries, 133 yards, TD) and Tyvonn Byars (31 carries, 146 yards, TD).
Entz wasn’t kidding when he said they run a lot. The Owls have already run 147 times in three games for 731 yards. The triple-option offense gives them plenty of looks and opportunities for their playmakers to make something happen.
Benedetto mentioned eye placement and the training of the eyes as two key factors when it comes to facing different types of offenses. For the triple option specifically, the defensive line will have its work cut out for them.
“It’s the greatest equalizer in all sports, and you have three different options that you’ll have to stop every play,” Benedetto said. “The most important thing is the front, it’s not a sweet game for the d-line where you get all these sacks and everything, but you see us, handling the option. It is because of the guys up front and the blocks are taking on and shedding and handling the dive.”
It’s worth noting, Fresno State did not yield a rushing touchdown over the last two games. That will certainly be put to the test this Saturday against a run heavy Owls offense.
Defensively, Rice has two former Nevada linebackers that visited Valley Children’s Stadium last year when the Bulldogs won 2017: Stone Combs and Austin Harnetiaux, who have combined for 29 tackles this season.
AJ Brown leads the Owls with 20 tackles this season, including 9 tackles and a forced fumble in last week’s loss. The 6-foot, 188-pound corner can play all over the secondary, though has been primarily featured at nickelback for Rice this year. Prior to this season, Brown spent four years at UAB and started six games last year, finishing with 53 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries and a forced fumble in 2025.
“He’s a very active DB,” Fresno State Offensive Coordinator Josh Davis said. “He does everything, really good in man coverage, really good fit in the box, and then really, really savvy as a one-high football player when they rotate him to the deep third.”
Defensive lineman Aquantis Clemons is another name to look out for. Despite his smaller stature (5-foot-10, 286 pounds), his athleticism and toughness make him an impact player. Clemons has 13 total tackles this season, including a sack and a forced fumble.
“He’s a little bit undersized but extremely hard to block. Very active. He chases sideline to sideline and he doesn’t tap his helmet,” Davis said.
Dog-Factors
The run defense – It’s kind of self explanatory but if Fresno State can eliminate or at least slow down the Owls rushing attack, they can force them to throw (a weakness) against the Bulldog secondary (strength) and possibly create some turnovers.
The Bulldogs have held opponents to just 343 yards on the ground this season at a mere 3.3 yards per carry. Against a run-happy team, Simeon Harris may be asked to serve a little bit of a more versatile role, whether in the run game or taking more responsibility in the secondary to get some more bodies in the box.
The offensive line – This isn’t geared at anyone in particular but despite what the scoreboard said on Saturday, the big guys up front for the Bulldogs struggled both with penalties and pass blocking (13 pressures allowed). Both of these factors limited the Bulldogs ability to extend drives and get into the red zone.
Thorpe-Taylor appeared to struggle when moved over to left tackle, allowing six pressures. There’s a good chance Walton will miss Saturday’s game, meaning Thorpe-Taylor will likely be back as the blind side tackle for Mandal and the offense.
Get Speedy going – Rayshon Luke has just 73 yards rushing on 25 attempts through three games. In order to exploit his elite receiving ability, the defense needs to respect his rushing ability and he hasn’t been able to do that in 2026.
Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but look for Saturday to be the day Luke breaks out for the Bulldogs, leading Fresno State to victory.
Buy or Sell (with Jackson Moore of Barkboard)
Buy or sell: Jayden Mandal will have 200+ total yards and no turnovers.
- Jackson Moore – “Buy. This game shouldn’t have as many possessions, and the Bulldogs will still want to establish the run first. I’d still expect Mandal to get around 200 yards through the air and take a few quarterback draw plays after last week’s running success.”
- Al Scott – Buy, Mandal has looked a lot more composed and confident the last two games. Expect his rhythm with Josiah Freeman to continue as well. The duo have connected 12 times the last two weeks.
Buy or sell: Secondary will force at least one interception.
- Jackson – “Sell. Rice is averaging 14 passes per game and is yet to throw an interception. An option team playing from behind could be ripe for an INT, but Quarterback Jacurri Brown has a past in other offensive schemes.”
- Al – Call me a homer if you want but I expect the Fresno State defense to create havoc up front, forcing the Owls to throw a lot more than they would typically like. If the Bulldogs stuff the run and create a sizable lead, Rice may get aggressive and start throwing deep and that’s where Fresno State thrives. I am buying a Bulldog pick on Saturday.
Buy or sell: Manaki Watanabe will hit another 50+ yard FG?
- Jackson – “Last week I said sell because 50-yard attempts aren’t to be expected all that often. Then he attempted not one, but two of them at SJSU. This week I’ll buy based on the matchup. Both teams want to run the ball and play field position. Fresno State’s offense either breaks loose this week or needs Watanabe to come through in the 40 to 50-plus range a few times to squeak by.”
- Al – Buy, Manaki might be my favorite player through three weeks of the season. His ability to extend the field for the ‘Dogs is massive. Whether or not he hits from 50+ has more to do with opportunity than ability and if the last two weeks are any indicator, the odds of him getting another chance are high.
Buy or sell: Ralph Edwards intro will be well received.
- Jackson – “I am buying that the speakers will be improved and will solve the primary complaint from the home opener. I will sell the intro song for at least one more game. A largely late-arriving crowd may trickle in after kickoff even more than usual with a 7:00 start rather than 7:30. That keeps the fan opinion on the song from being overly vocal one way or the other. The next home game vs Boise State will have the fans in their seats early and will be the true test whether it gets the crowd going or not.”
- Al – Sell, if you read my column earlier this week, you’d know I was not the biggest fan of Edwards intro song. I agree with Jackson that the speakers would improve the overall perception of it but I personally think simple is better, and the intro song overcomplicates things.
Score predictions
Al: Fresno State 26, Rice 14
Jackson: Fresno State 27, Rice 10
Game preview written by Al Scott, cover photo captured by Ryan Sepulveda (Fresno Sports Magazine). For more pictures and updates on Fresno State Athletics, follow @AlScott1998 on Twitter (X) or @AlScottSports on IG.
