Bulldogs’ Johnson on verge of breaking receptions record. It didn’t come easy

Fresno State wideout KeeSean Johnson is closing in on the school record for career receptions, just seven away from matching Davante Adams’ 233 total before embarking on a stellar NFL career.

Whether that record-breaker comes Saturday against Hawaii or later in the season, Johnson without question will have done it the hard way.

Adams played two seasons at Fresno State before early-entry into the NFL draft, where he was a second-round pick of the Green Bay Packers. He caught every one of those 233 passes from quarterback Derek Carr in 2012 and ‘13 while playing for teams that won back-to-back conference championships and had a lot of weapons on the field to keep opponents from doubling any one receiver.

In 2013, when Adams led the nation with 131 receptions, the Bulldogs also had Isaiah Burse with 100 receptions and Josh Harper with 79.

Johnson in his four seasons has caught passes from Zack Greenlee, Kilton Anderson, Chason Virgil, Ford Childress, Zach Kline and Marcus McMaryion, as well as a 16-yard touchdown pass from running back Josh Hokit last season against Nevada.

Here’s a breakdown of Johnson’s receptions by passer …

▪ Marcus McMaryion: 107

▪ Chason Virgil: 74

▪ Zack Greenlee: 16

▪ Kilton Anderson: 12

▪ Zach Kline: 9

▪ Ford Childress: 7

▪ Josh Hokit: 1

Carr in 2012 and ‘13 completed 68.2 percent of his passes.

The Bulldogs quarterbacks who threw to Johnson in his first two seasons were somewhat less efficient.

Those five quarterbacks together completed 50.9 percent of their passes.

Time and TV

Saturday’s game at Bulldog Stadium starts at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2. It’s homecoming.

Records

Bulldogs are 6-1 overall, 3-0 in the Mountain West Conference. Hawaii is 6-3, 3-1.

Run on dogs, not ‘Dogs

In an effort to get more people into Bulldog Stadium and more people into the stadium early to improve the atmosphere in the first quarter, Fresno State is offering a deal.

A hot dog and a soda can be had for only $5, before the game only.

Gates open at 6 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

That’s optimistic

Fresno State has had poor crowds at Bulldog Stadium this season, drawing only 31,170 for its opener against Idaho and 33,401 and 28,501 for its next two home games.

Saturday is homecoming, and last year that game drew only 28,090.

But anticipating some kind of crowd, the Bulldogs this week practiced with crowd noise pumping out of speakers along the sideline.

Take note, KeeSean

Hawaii is ranked eighth in the Mountain West in passing defense, allowing 8.7 yards per attempt and 246.4 yards per game. It has allowed 31 explosive pass plays of 20 or more yards, ranking 10th in the conference.

The Rainbow Warriors rank toward the bottom of the league despite in their nine games playing some opponents that don’t throw the football very often and are not very good at it when they do put it in the air.

They have played Army, which averages 8.6 pass plays per game and is 128th of 130 in the nation in passing offense. They have played Navy, which has thrown the ball 10.7 times per game and is 129th in passing offense. They have played Wyoming, which puts it up just 26.5 times a game (tied for 102nd) and is 122nd in passing offense.

Hawaii also has played FCS Duquesne, which has thrown the ball 26.4 times per game and is ranked 70th of 124 FCS teams in passing offense.

Take note, Marcus

Colorado State quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels passed for 537 yards with five touchdowns and one interception in a 43-34 loss to Hawaii to open the season, the most passing yards ever against the Rainbow Warriors.

Since that game Carta-Samuels has completed 143 of 237 (60.4 percent) for 1,635 yards, 233.6 yards per game and has 13 touchdown passes and seven interceptions.

Does this make sense?

The Rainbow Warriors are ranked only eighth in the Mountain West in third-down conversions, moving the sticks on only 33.9 percent of 109 plays.

But they also have been able to sustain a number of long touchdown drives.

▪ TD drives of nine or more plays: 17

▪ TD drives of 19 or more plays: 9

▪ TD drives of 75 or more yards: 19

The Bulldogs defense is leading the conference and seventh in the FBS in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert on only 28 of 102 plays (27.4 percent).

Quick hitters

▪ Hawaii is the only team in the FBS that has two true freshmen – right guard Solo Vaipulu and left tackle Ilm Manning – starting on the offensive line.

▪ McMaryion has completed 23 of 28 passes in the red zone, 79.3 percent. That is the highest completion percentage in the nation for any quarterback with more than 10 attempts inside an opponent’s 20-yard line.

The Bulldogs’ quarterback last season was just 17 of 36, 47.2 percent.

▪ The Bulldogs are a 25-point favorite over Hawaii. They have not been favored over a Mountain West Conference opponent by more points since Nov. 23, 2013, Derek Carr’s last regular-season home game when New Mexico was a 34.5-point underdog.

The last time Fresno State was a 20-point favorite over a conference opponent, it lost. It was last season against UNLV, losing 26-16 as a 22-point favorite.

▪ Mark Weber, who spent one season at Fresno State working for Tim DeRuyter, is the Rainbow Warriors’ offensive line coach.

▪ Hawaii quarterbacks have completed 217 passes this season with 94 percent of them going to wideouts, led by John Ursua with 71.

▪ Under terms of his contract, a seventh regular-season victory would land Tedford a $150,000 performance bonus and with each win after seven it increases by $50,000.

Fresno State last season paid its football coach a base salary of $1.55 million and $1.24 million in performance bonuses.

That was the second highest bonus total in the FBS behind only Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who earned $1.35 million in bonuses.

▪ Hawaii is only 12-40 in six-plus seasons in the Mountain West Conference, going 6-20 at home and 6-20 on the road.

Fresno State won 15 Mountain West games in its first two years in the conference, going 7-1 in 2012 and 8-1 in 2013.