We’ve reached the midway point through the season and the Bulldogs find themselves at 4-2 (1-1), following a narrow 38-31 loss at home to #23 Boise State last week.
It’s a new week though and a fresh opportunity to “go 1-0” against a new opponent as Head Coach Matt Entz likes to say. Funny enough, the Bulldogs will get a crack at a canned trophy for the second straight week.
The ‘Dogs are heading down south to play San Diego State (2-4, 1-1) for the Oil Can. The ‘Dogs will be looking to get revenge after losing the last two battles, including a 23-0 shutout last season.
“I did remind them about last year,” Entz said at his Monday morning press conference. “It was spirited and I pulled up some video evidence of how spirited it needs to be.”
Need to know for Saturday
- What: Fresno State (8.5-point favorites) at San Diego State
- When: Saturday, Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
- Where: Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego, CA)
- TV: CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz, Adam Breneman and Jordan Giorgio)
- Radio: ESPN Fresno – 1430/790 (Paul Loeffler, Pat Hill and Kenny Wiggins), Caliente – 105.1 KKBZ (Jose Gonzalez and Abraham Montano)
Bulldog Bites
- Fresno State leads the Pac-12 in scoring defense, allowing 20 points per game, including 16.2 PPG over the last five games.
- The ‘Dogs rank 6th in the FBS with a 1.33 turnover margin per game (11-3 overall in 2026). Fresno State has only had one turnover overall in its last five games.
- Fresno State has committed 27 penalties for just 192 yards this season. The 32 penalty yards per game rank first in the conference and 5th in the FBS.
- Former Fresno State wide receiver and current Los Angeles Rams star Davante Adams moved into a tie with Larry Fitzgerald for 6th all-time in touchdown receptions (121). He’s also now 4th in NFL history with 30 multi-TD game performances.
The Oil Can
Saturday will mark the 64th meeting between Fresno State and San Diego State (leads series 32-27-4), a rivalry dating back to 1923 that has come and gone over the decades with conference realignment before being officially coined in 2011.
The can was introduced after alumni associations from both universities ran a joint fan contest to create a formal rivalry. The winning submission was an old oil can from Fresno that turned up in San Diego during a campus building project.
As a result, a antique 1930s oil can was purchased and converted into a plaque-adorned trophy to track the history of the matchup. Since its introduction, Fresno State has won seven of the 13 matchups but not its two most recent ones.
The can honors the California roots between the two schools and the distance in between them, namely the grapevine and the 99 freeway. Because early motor vehicles frequently overheated or burned oil, fans driving had to carry extra oil and water to make the long trip.
San Diego won last year’s battle 23-0 with a dismantling of the Fresno State offense, holding them to just 227 yards of offense. It was the Bulldogs first time being shutout at home since 1980 and it’s a day that still lives very clearly in Offensive Coordinator Josh Davis’ mind.
“Public humiliation is long-lasting, and what happened last year at home, I know it still affects me, and I remember that day very well,” Davis said.
San Diego State also won in 2023, 33-18, to close out the regular season that year. Fresno State’s last win against the Aztecs has a case for being the most memorable ending in Fresno State Football history.
Trailing 28-17 at home with under four minutes left in 2022, Fresno State Quarterback Jake Haener led the Bulldogs on a three-minute, 80-yard drive before ending it with a three-yard rush up the middle from Jordan Mims.
Wide Receivers Zane Pope and Nikko Remigio combined for 269 yards on 20 receptions and 3 Touchdowns. Pope also recovered the critical onside kick by Dylan Lynch with just over a minute left in the game that allowed the Bulldogs to score two late touchdowns in the matter of 13 seconds to complete a 32-28 comeback victory over the San Diego State Aztecs.
The win marked the 3rd of 9 straight victories for the Bulldogs that season that ended with a Mountain West Championship and a LA Bowl win over Washington State.
Get to know San Diego State
The Aztecs are under Head Coach Sean Lewis who went 3-9 in his first season at San Diego State in 2024 before jumping to 9-4 in year two under Lewis and a top-10 nationally ranked defense. Fast forward to year three and things seem to be trending backwards in San Diego.
Coming off a really bad loss in Corvallis, where they fell 66-14 to a potential conference favorite in Oregon State, the Aztecs are 2-4 (1-1) on the season and further raised questions for its struggling offense that is averaging just 22.8 points per game (104th out of 138 FBS teams), 277.7 YPG (135th) and 143.7 passing YPG (130th).
Senior Quarterback Jayden Denegal has completed just 76-of-141 pass attempts (53.9%) for 787 yards and six touchdown passes (5 interceptions) through six games. His struggles have put his job in jeopardy and been the subject of media scrutiny. Lewis was asked about Denegal and his his starting role going forward on Monday.
“I’m aware of his deficiencies. I’m aware of his strengths. I also know what else is there…for the sake of change, if it’s not warranted and doesn’t give the team and the program the best opportunity to be successful, that’s not the right thing to do,” Lewis said, in regard to a potential switch.
Beyond him, the Aztecs have redshirt freshman transfer Stone Saunders, but he is currently still questionable for Saturday after suffering a broken collarbone in the Aztecs season opener at Portland State. They also have walk-on redshirt freshman Draiden Trudeau and true freshman Brady Campbell.
The ‘Dogs aren’t going to overlook Denegal, who appears by all accounts to be starting this weekend and the Aztecs offense though.
“Anytime someone has a returning quarterback, that makes you concerned, a guy that has played a lot of football. They have two really talented running backs and a veteran offensive line that comes back,” Entz said.
Defensively, San Diego State is allowing 35 PPG (110th) and 477.8 YPG (129th) on the year, including the 62 points to Oregon State this past Saturday.
“I think they’re probably the hardest hitting football team we’ll have played, which leads to missed tackles because they don’t wrap you up, but they’ll thump you,” Davis said.
Aztecs to watch
Lucky Sutton and Javion Kinnard — Speaking of the aforementioned talented running backs, the Bulldogs have been well acquainted with these two and not for good reasons.
“Both of them can make people miss in the open field. If I remember right, Sutton had a 54-yarder against us last year, and Kinnard had a 70 or 80-yarder against us at Colorado State,” Entz said.
Lucky is one of the top returning backs in the conference after rushing 254 times for 1,297 yards and 10 touchdowns a year ago as the Aztecs lead back. Sutton (45 carries, 150 yards, 3 TDs) has missed three games this season though with a high ankle sprain, including the last two. Listed as questionable to play on Saturday, is one of 31 Aztecs currently listed on their injury report.
Kinnard (67 carries, 355 yards, TD), a Colorado State sophomore, has taken over the lead back role with Sutton missing some time. Fresno State defensive tackle Deijon Laffitte spoke on Tuesday morning after practice on facing the talented duo.
“They’re really good at making guys miss, they have good patience, being able to read the gaps and see where D tackles go and see where linebackers fit, and being able to make them the one cuts or the one jump moves and just being able to restart their feet,” Laffitte said.
It will be a big test for the Bulldogs defense to see if they can bounce back after allowing Boise State’s running back tandem of Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines to combine for 334 yards.
“We got to be better. I thought we were tackling way too high with our hand placement and our feet too,” Defensive Coordinator Nick Benedetto said. “That’s not the standard. We’ve got to coach better. We’ve got to play better.”
Like Sutton, Kinnard is also questionable to play on Saturday. Beyond this duo, freshmen Josiah Lucas (42 carries, 169 yards, 2 TD) and Jordin Thomas (14 carries, 55 yards, TD) are next in line for rushing duties.
“They have a good offensive line. They got good receivers, and just really being able to bottle up their energy because they do come out swinging, regardless of who they play,” Laffitte said.
The linebackers — San Diego State starting linebackers Sione Hala and Tano Letuli have combined for 112 tackles. Hala, a Boston College and Weber State transfer also has two sacks. Letuli had a pick-6 in the Oil Can rivalry last season.
“We’re talking to our backs a lot about bracing for contact because these guys are kamikaze tacklers at the second and third level, so it will be a physical football game. We’re going to need to protect the ball and break tackles,” Davis said.
Junior outside linebacker Djibril Rahman leads the Aztecs with three sacks. He has 18 total tackles this season.
The fast freshman — San Diego State wide receiver and redshirt freshman Jaylon Hawkins has returned 14 kicks for a nation-leading 543 yards (38.8 yards per attempt) and three touchdowns.
“That’s a career for most kick returners, and that’s probably generous to say that. But to have that in the first half of the season is unbelievable,” Entz said.
Hawkins was named the Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week for the second straight week and third time this season following his 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Oregon State. He is one of only five players since 2020 with kickoff returns for touchdowns in back-to-back games.
“He is a dynamic player with the ball in his hands, and we have to do a really good job of hitting our spots with that specialist and covering the field,” Entz said.
Former ‘Dogs — San Diego State football has two former Bulldogs who were with Fresno State from 2022 to 2024: Wide Receiver Nathan Acevedo and defensive lineman Gavriel Lightfoot.
Acevedo caught nine balls for 65 yards as a redshirt sophomore in 2024 before transferring home to San Diego where he has caught 32 balls for 367 yards and a pair of touchdowns over the last two seasons. He is currently listed as doubtful though.
Lightfoot was a three-year starter for the Bulldogs before also transferring during the Bulldogs coaching change at the end of the 2024 season. The Moreno Valley native went to Colorado but missed the 2025 season with an injury before returning to California to play for the Aztecs this season. The senior defensive tackle has 28 tackles and three pass deflections on the season.
“They’re going to be hungry,” Benedetto said. We expect them to be at their best, and we have to be at our best. It’s a new week, a new challenge, and every team in the Pac-12 is a good football team.”
Dog-Factors
Run the clock – Fresno State is currently rushing for 139.7 yards per game (93rd in the FBS), which by all accounts is not great for a run-first offense. The lack of a consistent ground game has made it hard for the ‘Dogs to sustain long drives and get into and score in the red zone.
The Aztecs have given up plenty of yards in the passing game (299.2 YPG) but they haven’t been much better against the run (178.7 YPG allowed). Both marks rank 7th out of 8 PAC-12 teams, though the rushing marks could have more to do with being on the field so much.
Despite the large total, San Diego State is allowing just 4 YPC on the ground, 2nd best in the PAC-12.
“If you run it 50 times, that adds up to dang near almost 200 yards, which is kind of the Toledo way that they were able to do that versus them,” Davis said.
San Diego State dropped to 138th (last) in the nation in average time of possession (24 minutes per game) after holding the ball for just 17:28 minutes at Oregon State.
Saturday could be Fresno State’s best chance to get the running game going and reestablish ball control after struggling mightily in that department last week against Boise State (21:04 time of possession).
“We know that they’ll be disciplined and well coached, but we have to be stubborn with that. We got to keep their offense off the field and help our defense be successful a little bit better. But if we do run for four yards a carry and we don’t turn the ball over, I think we’ll be tough to beat,” Davis said.
Running back Rayshon Luke is questionable to play after leaving during the first half at Washington State on Oct. 3. Bryson Donelson left last game with an injury as well but returned and is expected to be a full-go against the Aztecs.
Get it to Zeke – Fresno State junior wide receiver Ezekiel Avit has emerged as an elite playmaker for the Bulldogs this season, catching 19 balls for 330 yards and four touchdowns (two last week).
The first touchdown, a 59-yarder that Avit broke free down the east sideline for a touchdown, was from his former Maryland, now current Fresno State teammate, Khristian Martin, who briefly replaced starter Jayden Mandal at the end of the first quarter.
“I was just encouraging K-Mart when he came into the game. It was a big game against a ranked opponent, just letting them know we got his back. The first time he threw the ball, it was to me, we didn’t connect. And I was just telling them, you know, we’re gonna get it back. We’re gonna get it back, next play. He throws it to me,” Avit said.
Avit said he noticed in film the corner on him liked to go for the knees and he applied that knowledge in the moment.
“He’s a small guy, so I had to pick my knees up, and when I had seen the space between me and 10, I felt like I had to just start getting on my horse, and I felt like I picked up the speed, and it was honestly a race to the pile on. I feel, and I felt like I won that,” Avit said.
His sprint speed got up to 21.7 mph, tied for the second fastest max speed in the FBS last week.
“I feel like my speed’s always been there. You know, it’s just got to be put on display. I feel like I’m a playmaker when the ball is in my hands,” Avit said. “It only takes me four or five steps to get up to max speed.”
Avit later caught a slant over the middle in the end zone to score right before halftime.
Injury Report
- A final updated injury report is expected less than three hours before kickoff on Saturday, visit the PAC-12 website for the latest on Fresno State player availability throughout the week.
Score predictions
Fresno State 27, San Diego State 10
The Aztecs will be desperate after a humiliating loss last week and will be aggressive in the first half. I predict Fresno State to wear San Diego State down as the game goes on with an overwhelming second half, similar to the Washington State game.
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.