How pizza and TV have helped Bulldogs’ secondary become a primary weapon

Fresno State cornerback Tank Kelly is leading the nation in passes defended with 16 and the Bulldogs’ defense has racked up 44 through six games – an oversized number that requires some context.

So …

• The Bulldogs, with 12 interceptions and 32 pass breakups in six games, have more passes defended than four teams in the Mountain West Conference had all season a year ago. Nevada had 37, Hawaii 36, UNLV 33 and Air Force 31.
  
  
• The 44 passes defended this season is more than double Boise State (14), UNLV (17) and Air Force (18) and almost double Hawaii (23) and Nevada (23); Hawaii has played eight games and Nevada has played seven games to the Bulldogs’ six.
  
  

• Fresno State has allowed opposing teams to complete just 47.9 percent of their passes and post a passing efficiency rating of 92.18. No team in the conference has held opponents to less than 50 percent since TCU in 2010. And, no team has held opponents to a rating of less than 100.00 since that 2010 TCU team.
  
  

Those successes have come from the practice field and meeting rooms. But, also, safety Juju Hughes’ apartment, where on Fridays the starters in that secondary, corners Kelly and Jaron Bryant and safeties Hughes and Mike Bell, get together.

They get some food. They get to work.

“We have pizza. We hook the computer up to the TV. We go,” Kelly said.

They run through the plays an opposing offense will run, the routes they will see, break down those tendencies to down-and-distance, field position.

“We like to break down what you’re going to do, when you’re going to do it, how you’re going to do it, ways we can benefit from what you have going on,” Hughes said.

Most of all, they run through their assignments. That communication has built a chemistry and a cohesiveness that has made completing a pass an endeavor for opposing quarterbacks.

“We know how each other plays,” said Bryant, who led the Bulldogs with four interceptions a year ago and has barely been tested by opponents this season.“That’s the best part of it. When you know how Tank is going to play, how Juju is going to play, how Mike is going to play, that builds our chemistry. We sit and talk to each other day in and day out. It’s, ‘OK, we’re going to do this on this, do this on this.’

“We try things, we look over it in film. If it doesn’t work we’re not going to do it, if it does work then we might slip it in there here and there.”

It is a big piece to the puzzle.

“Studying film, that’s No. 1,” defensive backs coach J.D. Williams said. “It’s a matter of the kids getting together and I always say, ‘It’s better to study in groups.’ They all get together and try to find tendencies that sometimes coaches don’t pick up.

“Juju Hughes, Mike Bell, they’re taking it on themselves to get the group together to be students of the game.”

More context …

Fresno State had one of the best defenses in the Mountain West last season, ranked second in the conference in total defense and in scoring defense. It had a total of 47 passes defended in its 12 regular-season games.

They’re closing rapidly on that number, after just six games.

The Fresno State secondary …

Then there is the 13.5 points allowed per game, just 3.0 in conference play.

“It feels good,” Hughes said. “That’s kind of the standard that we play to. That’s kind of our goal that we set going into a game. It’s good to see everybody execute from the D-line back to the secondary. We’re playing at a high level right now.”

The Bulldogs run into a surprising challenge on Saturday at New Mexico, which has diversified its offense this season under coordinator Calvin Magee.

The Lobos have the highest passing efficiency rating in the Mountain West at 163.75, one season after they had the worst at 100.62.

New Mexico has 17 passing touchdowns, tied for second in the conference. It is averaging 9.4 yards per pass attempt, highest in the MW. (It also has thrown eight interceptions in just 150 pass attempts.)

“They’re going to be tested this week for sure – (the Lobos) make some big plays,” coach Jeff Tedford said. “But so far they’ve done a good job not only in coverage but in running the alleys and tackling in space.”

If nothing else, the Bulldogs figure to be well prepared, as they have been for Idaho, Minnesota, UCLA, Toledo, Nevada and Wyoming.

Idaho completed only 42.4 percent of its passes against Fresno State, and the Bulldogs had five interceptions in that game. UCLA hit just 41.7 percent, Wyoming just 37.5

“We went out there and just knew our assignments and (when) it was time to make plays, we made them, made open-field tackles,” Bell said, after the Bulldogs drilled UCLA 38-14. “That’s what it’s all about.”

“A lot of that comes with experience,” defensive coordinator Bert Watts said. “When you have a group of DBs that have been there and have done it, they can kind of feel routes and understand what’s coming to them and where they can play that game and cheat and come off of one route to get to another. I think that comes from the knowledge of having seen it before, having been there before, as well as the study of the team we’re playing and understanding their route concepts and what you’re going to get.

“It also goes to the pressure up front. We’re doing a great job of getting pressure. Quarterbacks I think are watching us on film and thinking they have to get the ball out. It’s forcing them to make some throws that our guys can get to.”