Warszawski: Fresno State shows fight but stumbles against another Top 25 foe

Well, that looked awfully familiar.

Fresno State faced a Top 25 football team Saturday afternoon at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, and once again the Bulldogs played like they didn’t belong on the same field as Mississippi.

It was eerily similar to Fresno State’s struggles last season against USC, Utah and Nebraska, except none of those teams rolled up 73 points in what became a 73-21 spanking before 60,302.

Even coach Tim DeRuyter’s postgame lament sounded the same.

“We knew going into the game we had to take care of the football offensively and couldn’t give up explosive plays – especially ones when the ball gets thrown over our heads,” DeRuyter said. “We’ve got to do a much better job in coverage.”

The Bulldogs did not take care of the football – not with three second-half interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns and another that wrecked all their momentum.

And they gave up several explosive plays, including touchdown passes of 50 and 44 yards that staked Mississippi to a 35-14 halftime lead.

So in those respects, it was a complete system failure.

But take a closer look. Though the 52-point margin of victory overshadows everything else about this stinker, Fresno State actually battled back in this one. The Bulldogs showed a little fight.

After surrendering four touchdowns on the Rebels’ first four possessions and struggling to sustain drives with starting quarterback Zack Greenlee under center, Fresno State had the ball inside the Mississippi 20-yard line early in the third quarter with a chance to pull within 14 points.

How? Shannon Edwards’ 56-yard interception return, which gave the Bulldogs their first touchdown, had something to do with that. And so did the play of freshman quarterback Chason Virgil.

Virgil led a touchdown drive just before halftime to send Fresno State into the locker room trailing 35-14.

The Bulldogs received the second-half kickoff and went three-and-out, but long snapper Dylan Detwiler raced downfield on the punt and forced a fumble against Mississippi return man Carlos Davis. Brandon Hughes pounced on the loose ball, and Fresno State was in business at the 17.

“We had a perfect opportunity to get back in the game,” DeRuyter said.

That opportunity came and went in one play. On the second play, with Fresno State lined up in a trick formation featuring right tackle Justin Northern spread wide and tight end Chad Olsen in tight, Rebels linebacker C.J. Johnson read Virgil’s eyes and made an easy interception.

Johnson returned the pick 70 yards to the Fresno State 20, completely swinging the momentum back to Mississippi.

“It was a play that we had worked on a lot in practice,” Virgil said. “Usually, I get the ball out of my hands quick. I did see the linebacker. I just can’t make those mistakes.

“Looking at their film, we thought that play was going to work, but they’re a great football team that’s coached very well and they just read it.”

Virgil wasn’t done throwing interceptions. He had another on Fresno State’s next drive that may have been caused by a receiver falling down or getting bumped. In any case, safety Trae Elston returned the pick 38 yards for a touchdown.

In less than three minutes, what could have been a two-touchdown game grew to a 35-point deficit.

“Those were huge momentum swings, especially for a young group,” DeRuyter said. “But no excuses. You’ve got to bow up when you make a mistake.”

It will be interesting to see what Fresno State does at quarterback from here on out.

After Greenlee started and played into the second quarter, he did not return. The sophomore finished 3 of 4 for 13 yards, often barely looking downfield when he dropped back to pass.

Virgil, by contrast, looked confident and assured. Maybe too assured. Both his interceptions were a result of trying to make plays.

All preseason, DeRuyter and offensive coordinator Dave Schramm preached that the guy who turned over the ball the least would be the starter. Saturday, that guy was on the bench watching Virgil.

“I thought Zack was efficient – he didn’t turn the ball over,” DeRuyter said. “But I think there were some plays he’d like to have back. We needed a spark and Chason provided it.”

I asked DeRuyter whether Greenlee’s benching had more to do with his play or the need to get Virgil more experience. His answer was revealing.

“It wasn’t so much we were disappointed in Zack,” the fourth-year coach said. “We were just impressed with the way Chason was playing.”

They were impressed despite those two momentum-sapping interceptions.

Virgil, for his part, appreciated how the coaches stuck with him until transfer Ford Childress entered midway through the fourth quarter. He, too, threw a pick six on a pass that a receiver bobbled.

“The coaches trust me a lot. The offense trusts me a lot. It means a lot, but I just can’t make those turnovers,” said Virgil, who completed 12 of 18 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns.

Much of what Fresno State did Saturday bore a striking resemblance to last season. But here’s one thing that doesn’t: In 2014, the coaching staff stuck with quarterback Brian Burrell through thick and thin.

That doesn’t seem to be the case any longer. And if Bulldogs fans need a silver lining to get them through another smoky day in Fresno, that might just be it.

This story was originally published September 12, 2015 at 8:03 PM with the headline "Warszawski: Fresno State shows fight but stumbles against another Top 25 foe."