The Bulldogs’ Blake Effect helping put opposing offenses into deep freeze

Fresno State punter Blake Cusick plays golf every now and then. His favorite club is a sand wedge, which makes a lot of sense. Get it right, and the ball will stick right by or even on its intended target.

It’s not unlike a punt in that way. Cusick, kicking the football end-over-end, when on the move or just booming it and letting it fly,has dropped 18 of his 30 punts this season inside an opponent’s 20-yard line with only three touchbacks.

“He has been real productive at pinning people down there,” coach Jeff Tedford said.

Cusick said he struggled with accuracy when he first got to college, but he worked on his drops and his technique and is now arguably the most valuable punter in the Mountain West Conference. With the Bulldogs’ defense playing the way it has through six games, any opponent can’t like their chances with a long field.

“I just really figured out how to drop the ball and follow through,” Cusick said. “And, shout out to my punt team and my gunners getting down there because if they didn’t down it for me it’d go in the end zone and be a touchback.

“The snap (from Jacob Westberry) is perfect every time. It just makes my job a lot easier. It makes me look good, but it’s a team effort.”

Time and TV

Saturday’s game starts at 4:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPNU.

What are the chances?

With Cusick pinning an opponent deep in its own territory, the chances of Fresno State giving up a score on the ensuing possession are not good.

The Bulldogs are leading the conference in third down defense, allowing opponents to convert on only 23 of 88 plays (26.1 percent).

And go 80 yards for a score?

The Fresno State defense has been on the field for 79 series. An opponent has gone 80 yards or longer only two times.

Point totals, decimated

New Mexico is averaging 38.2 points per game, which would be a school record if it holds through the rest of the season.

Will it hold through Saturday?

Fresno State is allowing only 13.5 points per game and 3.0 through two Mountain West games and this season has held teams well under their season averages.

The Bulldogs go into New Mexico first in the conference and second in the nation in scoring defense and have not allowed an opponent to hit 30 points in their past 17 games.

The last team to do it: Washington, in a 48-16 win Sept. 16, 2017.

More Sutton?

Marcus McMaryion has thrown five of his 12 touchdown passes to a tight end – two to Jared Rice, two to Kyle Riddering and one to David Tangipa.

Rice has led the Bulldogs in receiving yards the past two games.

That position group could be about to get even more productive, with 6-foot-6 junior Cam Sutton working his way onto the field.

Sutton, who was set back in fall camp by injury, has caught a pass in each of the past two games, one for 20 yards and the other for 18 yards.

“We are putting plans together where he is more involved in different ways,” offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer said. “He was heading in that direction early in fall camp then got dinged up and took a couple of weeks away. The last two weeks, that’s slowly coming around and we’ll continue to do that the rest of the year.

“He just brings something different than what other guys have. Maybe Jared is the most similar, but just his athleticism along with his height, it’s something you can’t coach.”

Pick machine

New Mexico quarterback Sheriron Jones has thrown six interceptions, tied for the second most in the Mountain West, and his total deserves an asterisk.

Jones has 105 pass attempts. With six interceptions he is tied with Colorado State quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels, who has 257 pass attempts. And Jones is one interception behind Nevada quarterback Ty Gangi, who has 225 pass attempts.

Quick hitters

▪ New Mexico is back at home after playing back-to-back games on the road. The Lobos lost to Liberty 52-43 playing at Dreamstyle Stadium off two road games earlier this season, but before that had won five in a row in that road-road-home scenario.

▪ With Cusick drilling his punts and getting good hang time, Fresno State has had only four punts returned on it this season. All the others have either resulted in a fair catch or the ball downed by the Bulldogs. At altitude (Albuquerque is 5,312 feet), that doesn’t figure to change. If it does, New Mexico has the best punt returner in the conference in Marcus Hayes, who is averaging 14.2 yards per return (12 for 170 yards).

▪ Linebacker Jeff Allison has a chance at 10 or more total tackles in three consecutive games, which would be a career-best streak. In 18 career starts, Allison has led the Bulldogs in tackles 11 times.

▪ Fresno State has 17 turnovers gained, the most in the Mountain West. New Mexico has lost 13 turnovers, the second most in the conference.

▪ The Lobos have allowed just 34 points in their past two games, a 50-14 victory over UNLV and a 20-18 loss at Colorado State. That is the fewest points New Mexico has allowed in back-to-back conference games since 2008 when it beat San Diego State 70-17 and then lost to Air Force 23-7.

Since that ‘08 season, New Mexico has allowed more than 30 points per game in eight of nine seasons.

▪ New Mexico has played a lot of man-to-man defense on the outside against Fresno State over the past few years, with some chilling results for the Lobos.

Over the last four games in the series, KeeSean Johnson had five catches for 105 yards and one touchdown in 2017, Josh Harper went six for 94 with one touchdown in 2014 and Davante Adams had nine catches for 246 yards and four touchdowns in 2013 and nine receptions for 198 yards and two touchdowns in2012.

▪ New Mexico has returned a kickoff for a touchdown in each of the past eight seasons, the second-longest streak in the nation.

Fresno State has not returned a kickoff for a touchdown since 2008.