Can these Bulldogs come together under glare of USC spotlight?
Fresno State opens its 2019 football season on Saturday night at USC, a Pac-12 opponent that figures to be more stout than UCLA last year.
(Memory lane: Fresno State beat UCLA 38-14.)
To compete Saturday , the Bulldogs will have to put a lot of pieces together cleanly and in the case of the offensive line fairly quickly. That will be one of the main things to watch: how the Fresno State offensive line fares against a solid Pac-12 defensive line.
The Bulldogs dealt with some injuries in fall camp and went into game prep this week still at least considering different line combinations. Two likely starters, right guard Quireo Woodley and left tackle Dontae Bull, were among those who missed some time.
How well can they play together this early in the season?
“I think it’s more than the practices – we’re working together off the field, too,” center Matt Smith said. “We’re trying to get that chemistry so that when we’re on the field it’s clicking the same way ...
“It’s only a few compared to the past few years when they’ve had a solidified five the whole time, but we’re off the field working. I don’t feel it’s a disadvantage.”
Fresno State the past two seasons, as Smith said, has had success working behind veteran offensive lines. The Bulldogs have allowed the fewest tackles for loss in the Mountain West Conference the past two seasons, 3.9 per game in 2018, 3.3 per game in ‘17.
But this season the offensvie line collectively has only 32 career starts in the position group. with 16 from left guard/tackle Netane Muti and another 12 from right tackle Syrus Tuitele.
How they communicate and work together will be critical in a game the Bulldogs will need to have some success rushing the football.
The Bulldogs when rushing for 150 or more yards the past two seasons are 14-0. USC, coincidentally, allowed 164.8 rushing yards per game and even the one Group of Five opponent on the schedule got them: UNLV rushed for 219 yards and three touchdowns in a 43-21 loss to the Trojans.