Keys to victory and matchups for Fresno State’s home football game vs. San Jose State

After Fresno State had dispatched Utah State without much difficulty last week, quarterback Jake Haener, with 422 passing yards and four touchdowns on the stat sheet, said that the offensive line had received a challenge before the game and responded.

“I thought they played really hard,” Haener said. “I thought they did a lot of really good things.”

It helped that the Aggies spent much of the game rushing just their three down linemen, and that they hadn’t been all that successful as a defense to begin with. Utah State went into that game ranked 11th in the Mountain West Conference in points and yards allowed.

But in a matchup on Saturday against 4-0 San Jose State (4 p.m., CBS Sports Network), the progress up front will be put to the test and is definitely among the things to watch, particularly pass protection.

Even with that improvement, the Bulldogs allowed 7.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks at Utah State and are now tied for eighth and 10th in the Mountain West.

And, they are facing a front that has excelled. The Spartans are allowing just 15.3 points a game and their sack numbers, just like their rushing defense numbers, are impacted by a schedule of run-heavy teams. But last week in a victory over UNLV they doubled their sacks total, going to 14.0 from 7.0.

They had three sacks from defensive end Cade Hall, who now has 6.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks this season. Viliami Fehoko, the Spartans’ other end, has 6.0 tackles for loss including 4.0 sacks. Nose tackle Jay Kakiva, a transfer from Fresno City College, presents a rough assignment at 6-foot-5 and 325 pounds.

Fresno State saw a three-man front from Utah State, as well, but the Aggies’ starting nose tackle was 6-1 and 285 pounds.

“In general, I think their front is very good and I think they all make each other better,” Bulldogs coach Kalen DeBoer said. “I think it’s the strength of their defense. I think any of their guys can certainly have a day like Hall had.

“I really believe that. We certainly have a lot of respect, just flipping the film on here early in the week of what he did as well as what they all do together. They have a lot of confidence that they can get a pass rush with even three guys and they’ve done that successfully.”

Fresno State, even in its most consistent game to this point, still allowed the 3.0 sacks at Utah State and Haener was hit a couple other times.

The first of the three sacks came on a cornerback blitz, Cam Lampkin flying in unabated and crushing Haener in the chest.

The second came on the very next play, with Haener fleeing from inside pressure where he was drilled by outside linebacker Isaiah Shelton.

The third came from pressure up the middle, with end Marcus Moore working inside the right guard to get to Haener.

It does take time for an offensive line to jell. But Fresno State has four starters who have made between 12 and 24 career starts. It also has started the same offensive line group four games in a row, something it didn’t get to do last season due to injuries. Even with a different starting lineup almost every week, the Bulldogs allowed just 1.9 sacks per game.

In 2016, when Fresno State was 1-11, it was 2.6 sacks per game.

This season, the Bulldogs are at 3.5.

Here are two more things to watch …

San Jose State’s quarterback question

When Colorado State played at Bulldog Stadium, coach Steve Addazio had an interesting choice to make at quarterback – Patrick O’Brien or Todd Centeio.

O’Brien is a pocket passer, Centeio more of a dual threat.

Addazio started Centeio, influenced perhaps by the success one week earlier of Hawaii quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, who passed for 229 yards and rushed for 116 and two touchdowns in a 34-19 victory over the Bulldogs.

Centeio hit some run plays early, but Fresno State adjusted quickly and scuttled the Colorado State offense in part because the Rams’ quarterback wasn’t going to beat them with his arm. He was 10 of 23 in that game (43.5%) with no touchdowns, and has completed only 12 of 32 passes (37.5%) this season, averaging just 5.5 yards per attempt.

San Jose State coach Brent Brennan faces a similar decision in how much to deploy Nick Nash, the Spartans’ dual-threat quarterback.

Nick Starkel started the Spartans’ first three games before he was sidelined by an undisclosed injury at San Diego State. But both quarterbacks have played in every game and in a win last week over UNLV they were at times on the field together, and Brennan liked the look of it.

“I think that definitely makes us tough to defend,” he said. “I think there’s a lot that goes into those guys, defending them. They’re both different. Mixing it up was fun. I love seeing Nick Nash get engaged at the level he was in there and I think it was good, too, for Starkel to get back and start ripping the ball around the yard a little bit.”

When both have been available, Starkel has taken a majority of the snaps – Nash had five rushing plays against Air Force, two rushes and two pass attempts against New Mexico, eight rushes and one pass against UNLV.

But the Bulldogs obviously have had difficulty stopping the quarterback run game this season, and Nash, unlike Centeio, is a much more credible dual threat.

Nash is the Spartans’ leading rusher and has completed 64.3% of his passes. When he had to come off the bench for an injured Starkel in that 28-17 victory at San Diego State, he hit 16 of 25 passes for 169 yards with two touchdowns and one interception and rushed 11 times for 53 yards and one touchdown against the best defense in the conference.

The Aztecs have allowed only 242.8 yards per game, ranking second in the nation. That also is 75 yards per game fewer than any other Mountain West team.

So do the Spartans go more Nash and less Starkel?

How should Bulldogs use Ronnie Rivers?

The Bulldogs’ run game is up against a formidable rush defense, which it hadn’t been the past two games at UNLV and at Utah State.

That has to be a somewhat daunting proposition for offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, considering Fresno State has gained 2 yards or less on nearly 40% of its rushing plays this season, not counting seven team rushing plays at the end of halves or games and 14 sacks.

And that’s playing teams ranked eighth (Utah State), ninth (UNLV) and 12th (Hawaii) in the Mountain West in rushing defense.

The answer against San Jose State could be in getting Ronnie Rivers and No. 2 back Jordan Mims more involved in the passing game, which the Bulldogs did with success the last time they faced a solid rushing defense.

When Fresno State beat Colorado State, it rushed the ball 43 times for just 84 yards, but Rivers caught five passes for 69 yards and one touchdown and Mims caught three passes for 48 yards and one touchdown in a 38-17 victory over the Rams.

The Bulldogs’ running backs who played in that game – Rivers, Mims and Jevon Bigelow – combined for more yards receiving (153) than rushing (108).

San Jose State at Fresno State

Where and when: Bulldog Stadium, Saturday, 4 p.m.

TV/Radio: CBS Sports Network/ESPN940AM

Fans: No fans are allowed to attend due to state coronavirus guidelines

Records: Bulldogs 3-1, Spartans 4-0

Series: Bulldogs lead 42-38-3

Last meeting: San Jose State threw for 290 yards and scored the final 14 points of the game, erasing a 16-3 halftime deficit to beat the Bulldogs 17-16.

Coaches: Kalen DeBoer (3-1), Brent Brennan (4-0, 12-29 in fourth season)

Line: San Jose State -2.5