How rookies paved way for Fresno State’s big Boise blowout. Coach says it’s ‘a sign’

Fresno State beat up Boise State 30-7 with some stellar performances on the defensive side of the football, which included eight players stepping in to fill a substantial hole in the middle of the line, thwarting an offense generating more than 200 rushing yards and 40 points per game at home.

That group included players that had logged just eight, three and three snaps this season.

Coach Matt Entz said it was just, “Next man up,” but also a sign of development within the program, with sophomores and freshmen on the field being impactful players.

“That’s a sign of a developmental program,” he said. “Midyear, your redshirt freshmen are turning into veterans, they’re starting to understand things.”

The Bulldogs limited Boise State to just 193 yards of offense and seven points. That’s only the third time it failed to gain even 200 yards since it started to play at the FBS (football bowl subdivision) level, and the fewest points it has ever scored against a Mountain West Conference opponent.

Fresno State recorded a season-high 10 tackles for loss, had four sacks and stopped nearly 35% of the Broncos’ run plays for a gain for two yards or fewer.

It did it without 302-pound tackle Deijon Laffitte, who suffered a leg injury in the fourth quarter of the Bulldogs’ loss to San Diego State the previous week and had started seven of the first eight games. Laffitte also was leading the interior defensive linemen in snaps.

That was a big question going into the game and caused some adjustments, with Fresno State using every available body that fit in its interior defensive line.

Fresno State started end Merhauti Xepera inside next to Martin Owusu, and Xepera ended up playing a season-high 17 snaps at tackle, more than double in any previous game. Jahzon Jacks, who started the game at end, also played a season-high 12 snaps inside.

But the Bulldogs also got substantial reps from backups Michael Jordan Jr. and Julius Gandy. Defensive end Noah Yeh, who is listed at 243 pounds, played for the first time since a Week 4 game at Hawaii. Mordecai Hines got into a game for the first time since Week 3 against Southern, and Logan Goodspeed also hit the field for the first time since that victory over the Jaguars.

Yeh and Goodspeed were credited with hits on the Boise State quarterback; Fresno State had 14 total pressures in the game, with the four sacks, three hits and seven hurries.

“Those guys are going to have a huge role for us moving forward, regardless of when (Laffitte) gets back,” Entz said. “It’s a line of scrimmage based sport, and the better we are up front the better we’ll be as a football team.”

Signs of life?

Fresno State put up 30 points in the victory but generated only 224 yards of offense, converted on only 31.1% of its third-down plays and struggled to get anything done in the passing game. Quarterback Carson Conklin had a passing efficiency rating of just 61.62 and with a 74.50 in a loss to San Diego State in his first start. He has the lowest and second-lowest marks by a Bulldogs’ starting quarterback since 2015.

There were some encouraging signs for the offense, however, as the Bulldogs continue to move beyond the change at quarterback and benching of senior E.J. Warner.

Running back Rayshon Luke, the Bulldogs’ most dynamic playmaker, had a season-high 17 touches, 16 rushing attempts and one target and pass reception.

Bryson Donelson had some solid runs and averaged 4.0 yards a carry for the first time in more than one month, after averaging 2.5 yards per carry over a four-game stretch.

Fresno State dabbled with some quarterback run-game with Conklin, something that could boost the Bulldogs’ offense through the final month of the season.

Offensive coordinator Josh Davis also reeled in the passing game. In the loss to San Diego State, Conklin attempted 21 passes that traveled 10 or more yards down the field and in the win at Boise State it was just three. Davis ran more screens, more play-action, and the Bulldogs perhaps are closer to a comfort level matching Conklin and his skill set to the players around him and with what they can get done offensively week to week.

Fresno State, following its third and final bye week, will play Wyoming on Nov. 15. The Cowboys are ranked second in the conference in scoring defense, allowing just 20.2 points per game.

There’s no business like bowl business

Entz will receive a $50,000 bonus with the Bulldogs eligible for a conference-associated bowl or at-large bowl game, and if Fresno State were to win that bowl game the bonus jumps to $75,000.

The Bulldogs’ coach has a base salary this season of $1.1 million, tied for eighth-highest in the conference. It increases to $1.35 million next season, then $1.5 million, $1.65 million and $1.75 million in the final year of the five-year deal. UNLV coach Dan Mullen is at the top of the Mountain West by a sizable margin with a base salary of $3.5 million.

Since there already has been a lot of turnover at the FBS level and what figures to be a wild hiring season, Entz early-departure fee is $3 million if before Jan. 31, 2026.