Fresno State’s Tedford era begins against Incarnate Word | 5 Things to Watch

Fresno State opens the Jeff Tedford era on Saturday night against Incarnate Word, having won all 12 games it has played against Football Championship Subdivision opponents since 2000, and even in the past three down seasons the games have not been close.

The Bulldogs beat Sacramento State 31-3 last season, Abilene Christian 34-13 in 2015 and Southern Utah 56-16 in ’14.

With new schemes installed by offensive and defensive coordinators Kalen DeBoer and Orlondo Steinauer and 44 first-year players in the program, the Bulldogs are hoping to quickly bury a 1-11 mark from a year ago.

Questions will linger until the first snap leads to the first result, but Tedford says Fresno State is set to compete at the kind of level that was elusive last year.

“I thought the (Thursday) practice was indicative of it,” he said. “There was great focus. A lot of talk, a lot of chatter, a lot of guys communicating and feeling really comfortable and focused and dialed in on what the job is at hand. That’s really to take care of our details and focus on all the little things and the big things will take care of themselves.”

Here are 5 Things to Watch:

1 Dynamic quotient – Chason Virgil will start for the Bulldogs and the third-year sophomore deserves a chance to win the job. But after a rough 2016, there are questions.

The line should be much better with experience and the Bulldogs hold more cards than they did a year ago. Freshman running back Ronnie Rivers is at the top of the depth chart, the outside receiver positions are deep and talented with Derrion Grim and Jamire Jordan at one spot and KeeSean Johnson and Nanami Parker at the other. Da’Mari Scott also is back, and the Bulldogs’ coaches are expecting a high level of production there. If the line can protect, the Bulldogs might even get to utilize their tight ends as receivers rather than just in-line blockers and red zone-assets.

This Bulldogs offense without question has a chance to be much more dynamic than last year’s, and it has to start with the quarterback and his ability to make plays with his arm, his feet and his command of the offense.

2 The new guys – The Bulldogs’ opener against an FCS opponent will not prove terribly instructive in assessing their chances this season in the Mountain West Conference, nor for that matter will games the next two weeks at Alabama and at Washington.

A better barometer will be the play of the pieces Tedford and his staff added in a fairly remarkable and quick roster flip – more than 40 percent of the Bulldogs were not in the program a year ago. The list of newcomers includes Rivers and freshman running back Jordan Mims, Grim, cornerback Johnny Johnson, Sam linebacker Kesomi Mafi and defensive end Kwami Jones.

There are 11 players in the two-deep for the opener who were not in the program in the spring. Look for production.

3 Above the shoulders, between the ears – How hard is it to shake 1-11? The Bulldogs are about to let everyone know. Tedford and staff have them well prepared for the opener, but at 7 p.m. they are going to have to be sharp, communicate, execute and compete at a much higher level than a year ago.

When faced with adversity, will they revert to old habits, or is 2016 really behind them?

4 Put a spotlight on – Left guard Netane Muti. Fresno State’s offensive line was inexperienced in 2016 (24 starts in the previous year, one of the lowest totals in the nation), but that was not the only problem up front.

The Bulldogs lacked physicality and weren’t always communicating well. Now there are four returning starters in tackles Christian Cronk and David Patterson, center Aaron Mitchell and right guard Micah St. Andrew. And Muti, a 6-foot-3, 310-pound redshirt freshman wearing No. 52, fits right in.

He will solidify the interior line for an offense expected to rush the football much better than a year ago when ranked last in the Mountain West in yards per play (3.2) and per game (116.2).

5 ’77 champs – The links to the past will run deep at the stadium. Derek Carr and Tedford are obvious, but Fresno State during the game will recognize its 1977 Pacific Coast Athletic Association champion football team which went 9-2 under coach Jim Sweeney, was ranked in the top 10 nationally in total offense and total defense and has been dubbed the “Stadium Builders.”

The Bulldogs set a school attendance record playing at Ratcliffe Stadium on the Fresno City College campus, spurring interest in an on-campus stadium. Bulldog Stadium was opened in 1980.

This story was originally published September 2, 2017 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Fresno State’s Tedford era begins against Incarnate Word | 5 Things to Watch."