Creativity a catalyst for rebounding Bulldogs in rout of Colorado State

Ronnie Rivers scored three touchdowns. Jake Haener bounced back from a rough first go, throwing three touchdown passes. Jordan Mims scored his first touchdown since 2018 after missing the past season plus two games to injury. The defense rebounded in a big way with a stretch where it allowed no points in eight series through the middle of the game.

It also was the first victory for Fresno State coach Kalen DeBoer, who afterward was doused with a cooler full of Gatorade.

But perhaps the most encouraging thing about the Fresno State Bulldogs’ bounce-back 38-17 victory over Colorado State on Thursday was the creativity of DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, because it figures to come in handy.

Up against an experienced Colorado State front, the Bulldogs also absorbed nine tackles for loss, four sacks and had a run game that looked much better on the stat sheet than it did on the football field, and it didn’t look all that great there.

Rivers and Mims combined for 101 rushing yards on 27 plays, with 45 of it coming on two plays. Of the other 25, 15 went for 2 yards or less, and minus the sacks the Bulldogs rushed for 121 yards at just 3.1 yards per play.

INSIDE RIVERS’ THREE TDs

But Rivers, who worked through the summer to add some additional power behind his pads, getting his weight up to 195, proved that he is one of the most dynamic weapons in the Mountain West Conference.

His three touchdowns …

The first came on a 13-yard pass from Haener, with Rivers circling out of the backfield and locked in a mismatch with a linebacker. Cam’Ron Carter, that linebacker, at one point tried to grab Rivers as he bolted by on his way up the sideline and whiffed. The Bulldogs’ back ended up wide open for Haener, who deftly dodged the pass rush to keep the play alive long enough to find Rivers in the back of the end zone.

The second, a 32-yard run on a long pitch from Haener and on which Rivers broke one tackle and ran right through another.

The third, a 1-yard run where Rivers took a direct snap from center, waited patiently for a hole to emerge, then burst through it.

His favorite?

“Every touchdown is a great feeling, but I would definitely say the rushing touchdown where I broke that tackle,” he said.

“It’s just great to be able to showcase what I can do and the coaches do a great job of finding ways to get me the football.”

The Bulldogs lined up Rivers in the backfield and out wide as a receiver. And, even when the football didn’t end up in his hands, he impacted plays.

MAKING AN IMPACT WITHOUT THE FOOTBALL

The Bulldogs’ final score came on a 6-yard pass from Haener to Jalen Cropper. A play-action fake got the Colorado State safety lined up on Cropper to take two bad steps inside, and the Bulldogs’ slot receiver obviously can make even the smallest opening into a big gainer.

He was wide open, and it was an easy six points.

“That guy is a beast and the big thing the coaching staff did a nice job of this week is finding ways to get him touches,” DeBoer said of Rivers, who has scored at least one touchdown in 10 consecutive games and three times in his career now has scored three touchdowns.

“You saw it in the pass game coming out of the backfield. It was a second-and-long or a third-and-long, and we got him coming underneath. Just trying to get the ball in his hands …”

On that play, Rivers lined up widest of three receivers to the left. The two inside went up the field, Rivers came under and through the open space they had created, took in the pass from Haener and took off for 33 yards.

It was a third-and-get this … 19.

Fresno State had a long list of those plays, its play makers in a position to make big plays. Mims worked out of the backfield and was wide open on his touchdown, a 15-yard pass play. The Bulldogs constantly got Keric Wheatfall into one-on-one matchups and he ended up with five receptions for 87 yards and had a second-quarter touchdown wiped out upon replay review because he had stepped out of bounds battling with Rashad Ajayi up the sideline.

RIVERS MOVING UP CAREER TD LIST

It helped that the Rams were running around like a team that was playing its first game, had spring ball cut short and had players in and out of fall camp due to the coronavirus and other illness or injuries, which they were.

But the Bulldogs continued to create and make plays, and Rivers continued his climb up the Fresno State all-time touchdowns list.

With 39, he is now just five behind running back Anthony Daigle, who scored 44 touchdowns in his career. Between Daigle and Rivers are Robbie Rouse with 42 and Ryan Mathews with 41.

And DeBoer and Grubb will no doubt continue to find ways to deploy Rivers as they work deeper into this coronavirus-shortened 8-game season.

“It’s a great feeling,” Rivers said. “I’m prepared for whatever I need to do to help us get us a Dub. The coaches are finding great ways to get the ball in my hands.

“Whatever it takes to win, I’m all in.”

BY THE NUMBERS

5 – Explosive pass plays of 20 or more yards by the Bulldogs – four from Haener and one from Ben Wooldridge. Fresno State last season had five just once in 11 games against FBS opponents.

7.9 – Yards per play for Fresno State in the first half. That fell to just 3.1 in the second half, but the Bulldogs still scored two touchdowns.

7 – Colorado State had held seven consecutive opponents to fewer than 400 yards before the Bulldogs put up 432, with 348 passing and 84 rushing.

26.7 – The Bulldogs’ defense allowed the Rams to convert only 4 of 15 third-down plays, one game after Hawaii moved the sticks on 11 of 16.

9 – Tackles for loss by Colorado State, including four sacks.

2 – Haener hit 14 of his first 17 passes and two that hit the ground went down as dropped passes by receivers.

3 – Touchdown drives of 10 or more plays for the Bulldogs – 86 yards in 12 plays, 91 yards in 10 plays and 67 yards in 12 plays.

7.2 – The Bulldogs’ average yards to gain on third down, and they still were 10 of 18 converting those plays into a new set of downs.

0 – Turnovers by the Bulldogs, who are 12-5 over the past four seasons plus two games when not turning over the ball.

56 – Solo tackles for the Bulldogs, who had 66 total tackles in the game. Safety Evan Williams led Fresno State with eight tackles, seven solo.

Next for Fresno State

The Bulldogs play Saturday, Nov. 7 at UNLV, 12:30 p.m. at Allegiant Stadium. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.

This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 5:56 AM.