Bulldogs end season on embarrassing note, beat up in second half of loss to New Mexico

FINAL: NEW MEXICO 49, FRESNO STATE 39

Fresno State will end its season with an embarrassing loss, getting thoroughly outplayed in the second half of a 49-39 loss to what was a 1-win New Mexico team on Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas.

The Bulldogs led 24-21 at halftime but could do little in the second half.

New Mexico scored 28 points after Fresno State had extended its lead to 31-21 on a 3-yard run by Jake Haener, taking control of the game.

The Lobos got back in it on a 49-yard pass from true freshman walk on quarterback Isaiah Chavez to true freshman Conner Kinslow and took a lead on a 10-yard run by Nate Jones. New Mexico extended its lead on a 35-yard run by Bobby Cole and finished off the Bulldogs with a 9-yard run by Cole with 2:33 to go.

New Mexico rushed for 299 yards and six touchdowns — this from a team that generated just six rushing touchdowns in its first six games.

It converted a ridiculous 12 of 16 third-down plays, 75%.

The Lobos also had just six sacks on the season, but sacked Haener eight times and the Bulldogs finished with 58 rushing yards in 23 plays including an 84-yard touchdown run by Jordan Mims.

NEW MEXICO BULLYING BULLDOGS

The Lobos have been thumping Fresno State throughout the second half and put what might be finishing touches on their second win of the season with Bobby Cole going nine yards for a touchdown to make it 49-31 with 2:33 to go.

The 49 points are a season high by a bunch. New Mexico scored only 44 points in its past three games combined, and its high to this point was 33 in a loss at Hawaii.

HAENER BACK

Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener, who had some assistance getting off the field after the Bulldogs’ last drive, is back in the game.

NEW MEXICO EXTENDS LEAD

The Lobos have pushed ahead 42-31 on a 35-yard touchdown run by Bobby Cole with 7:26 to go.

New Mexico has rushed for 251 yards on 40 plays, 6.3 yards per play. It also has five rushing touchdowns, and coming into this game the Lobos had only six all season.

The 251 yards are the second-most the Bulldogs have allowed in a game this season. Hawaii had 323.

SACKING HAENER

New Mexico came into this game with six sacks on the season. The Lobos have eight against the Bulldogs, and quarterback Jake Haener just went down with what appears to be a right knee injury when taken down awkwardly trying to get away from linebacker Dion Hunter while throwing a pass from the Fresno State end zone.

LOBOS ON A LEAD

New Mexico has a lead on Fresno State for the fisrt time since a 2014 game in Albuquerque. The past two games were 38-7 and 38-0 Bulldogs’ victories.

NEW MEXICO TAKES A LEAD

The Lobos out together a gut-punch of a touchdown drive, 85 yards in 14 plays, with Nate Jones scoring from 10 yards out to give New Mexico a 35-31 lead with 10:20 to go.

New Mexico converted four third-down plays on the drive and is now 10 of 14 in the game, 71.4%, including a 3rd-and-14, a 3rd-and-6 and a 3rd-and-8.

The Lobos are 10 of 14 even though the average yards to gain has been 7.2 yards.

LOBOS BACK IN IT

New Mexico is back within 31-28, scoring on a 49-yard touchdown pass from Isaiah Chavez to Conner Kinslow with 4:49 remaining in the third quarter.

It was the first career catch for Kinslow, coming from a true freshman walk-on quarterback.

Chavez, in his first career start, is 11 of 13 for 146 yards and the touchdown. He also has 95 rushing yards and one touchdown on 15 plays.

CROPPER AT 100

Fresno State wideout Jalen Cropper has nine receptions for 100 yards and one touchdown and could have a third game in a row with 100 or more receiving yards.

The sophomore from Buchanan High had 10 receptions for 202 yards and thre touchdowns at Utah State followed by seven for 107 at Nevada.

BULLDOGS EXTEND LEAD, UP 31-21

Fresno State hadn’t scored a single point on opening drives in the second half this season, but thanks to a personal foul targeting penalty that cost New Mexico on of its best defensive players the Bulldogs did it. Jake Haener scored on a 3-yard run off a play fake to Ronnie Rivers with 6:53 to go in the third quarter.

Rivers made his first appearance when the Bulldogs made it inside the Lobos 10-yard line and carried the football one time for minus-1 yard.

The drive was kept alive by a roughing the passer penalty with targeting agianst linebacker Brandon Shook on a 4th-and-4 incomplete pass.

Fresno State had six first downs on the drive, two by penalty. It had a total of three first downs on opening drives in the second half in its first five games this season.

HALFTIME: Fresno State 24, New Mexico 21

The Lobos have 243 yards of total offense, the most the Bulldogs have allowed in a first half this season. They allowed 217 at UNLV, 216 against Hawaii, 213 at Utah State, 194 at Nevada and 173 against Colorado State.

Quarterback Jake Haener is 12 of 18 for 179 yards with two touchdowns.

The 84-yard touchdown run is the longest rushing play for the Bulldogs since 2012 when Robbie Rouse had a 94-yard touchdown run in a 69-14 rout of Colorado.

New Mexico is 8th in the Mountain West in third down conversions, 37.4%. They were 5 of 9 against the Bulldogs in the first half and also rushed for 152 yards on 27 plays. Fresno State is allowing 195.0 rushing yards per game.

The Bulldogs allowed four sacks in the first half – they came in allowinf 3.2 a game, 11th in the Mountain West.

New Mexico went three-and-out three times, each one in between a touchdown drive.

The Bulldogs ran only five plays on third down in the first half, but their average distance to go for a first down was 14.0 yards. They were 2 of 5 on conversions.

Fresno State was a 13-point favorite Saturday morning and when it closed at kickoff it was a 16.5-point favorite.

NEW MEXICO ANSWERS AGAIN

New Mexico is back within 24-21, scoring on a 3-yard run by Bobby Cole with 5:23 remaining before halftime. The score was set up by a 54-yard run by Isaiah Chavez, the Bulldogs again having difficulty defending quarterback run.

Chavez, a true freshman walk-on and the Lobos’ fifth-string quarterback, has 100 rushing yards on just 10 plays.

ONE PLAY SCORE, 24-14 LEAD

Fresno State has extended its lead to 24-14 on an 84-yard touchdown run by Jordan Mims, the Bulldogs’ longest play from scrimmage this season.

The longest play had been a 71-yard touchdown pass from Haener to Josh Kelly against Utah State.

BACK IN RED ZONE, ‘DOGS SETTLE FOR FG

Fresno State made it back into the red zone, but had to settle for a 30-yard field goal by Asa Fuller with 10:27 to go in the second quarter and a 17-14 lead.

Haener, who had hit nine passes in a row, misfired on a shot to Josh Kelly in the end zone and then threw incomplete on third-down when there was a miscommunication with Kelly outside.

The Bulldogs have 160 passes yards and still a minus-6 yards rushing.

Freshman wideout Mac Dalena had the big play on the drive, a 51-yard pass from Haener.

The field goal for Fuller was his first since the last time the Bulldogs played at Sam Boyd Stadium, the 2018 Las Vegas Bowl victory over Arizona State.

LOBOS ANSWER AGAIN

New Mexico has tied the score at 14, scoring on a 3-yard run by Nathanie Jones that capped a drive kept alive by a roughing the punter penalty on the Bulldogs.

The Lobos following the penalty hit pass plays of 10 and 44 yards to the Bulldogs’ 3. Jones scored on the next play to cap a 75-yard drive in six plays.

The explosive pass play was the 17th this season of 20 or more yards for New Mexico. Fresno State, which went into the game leading the Mountain West Conference in passing offense, have 24.

HAENER’S SECOND TD HAS ‘DOGS UP 14-7

Fresno State has two red zone trips and two touchdowns with Haener hitting Zane Pope with a 16-yard touchdown pass with 14:54 to go in the second quarter. The Bulldogs lead 14-7.

It is the second game in a row with a touchdown for Pope, who missed the first four games after suffering a broken collarbone.

Haener is now 8 of 11 for 104 yards and two touchdowns. He has 13 touchdown passes in five-plus games – Bulldogs’ starter Jorge Reyna had 15 last season and Marcus McMaryion had 14 in 2017, starting the final 11 games.

FIRST QUARTER NOTES

Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener hit only 1 of his first 4 passes, but has completed the past six. He is now 7 of 10 for 88 yards and the touchdown throw to Jalen Cropper.

The Bulldogs 82 yards of offense, with a minus-6 rushing. Jevon Bigelow is on for Jordan Mims in their third series.

New Mexico has 95 yards of offense with 69 on the ground. The Lobos are averaging 6.3 yards on 11 rushing plays.

‘DOGS GO THREE-AND-OUT

The Bulldogs went three-and-out after the New Mexico score, with quarterback Jake Haener getting sacked on first and second downs. They did get a big punt from Carson King, who obviously struggled last week at Nevada, a 49-yarder that pushed the Lobos back to their 16-yard line.

LOBOS ANSWER, 7-7

New Mexico has answered the Fresno State score, going 75 yards in nine plays and tying the score at 7 on a 3-yard run by freshman quarterback Isaiah Chavez.

The Lobos had runs of 27 and 17 yards on the drive.

The Bulldogs have allowed 54 points in the first quarter of its six games, by far the most in any quarter.

BULLDOGS WITH QUICK 7-0 LEAD

Fresno State took possession with a shortish field after the defense started with a three-and-out and quarterback Jake Haener has the Bulldogs off to a 7-0 lead, hitting Jalen Cropper with a 10-yard touchdown pass.

The Bulldogs drive was 44 yards in six plays.

The touchdown broke a streak of seven consecutive red zone possessions the New Mexico defense did not allow a touchdown.

MIMS GETS THE START AT RB

Jordan Mims started at running back. Ronnie Rivers went through individual drills during pregame, but was not in there when the Bulldogs went through their team stuff.

PREGAME RUN

After getting bounced from contention for a spot in the Mountain West Conference championship game, Fresno State closes its season on Saturday against New Mexico from Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas.

Both teams have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic with the Bulldogs having rivalry games against San Jose State and San Diego State canceled and the Lobos having to move operations to Las Vegas on Nov. 2 due to state and county COVID-19 guidelines.

The Bulldogs, a 14.5-point favorite, go in with an offense that has produced 500-plus yards in back to back games for the first time since 2014.

They have not had 500 or more yards in three consecutive games since 2013 when an offense led by Derek Carr and Davante Adams had 600 in a win at Wyoming, 822 in a win over New Mexico and 646 in a loss at San Jose State.

DO BULLDOGS HAVE A KICKING GAME?

Fresno State did not have its starting long snapper, kicker or punter at Nevada, which obviously impacted the game. They botched two punt attempts, one which was blocked, and had to adjust their approach to fourth downs when in field goal range and the red zone.

Indications are the Bulldogs are in better shape for New Mexico.

“There is a big adjustment to the game plan and how you manage situations from fourth down to the red zone and that was one of our struggles, not being able to put it in the end zone and missing out on some of those free points that you get inside the 15-yard line,” offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said.

“We have to account for that and we had a couple of guys out there (Wednesday) kicking that were back with us so hopefully that continues to progress and we can get those guys with us. It was good to see Asa (Fuller) out there moving around a little bit. We’re hopeful about that, that we should be hopefully back in the right end of that situation. “

Cesar Silva has handled the Bulldogs’ place kicking the past season and five games, but Fuller in 2018 was a key piece in the Bulldogs’ victory at Boise State in the Mountain West Conference game. He hit two field goals in icy conditions at Albertsons Stadium in Boise in a 19-16 win.

WILL RIVERS GET CHANCE AT TD RECORD?

Running back Ronnie Rivers could be back in the Bulldogs’ backfield after suffering a leg injury in the third quarter of the Bulldogs’ loss at Nevada. He was able to do some work on the field during practice midweek, and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said they were hopeful the senior running back would be able to play against the Lobos.

Rivers is one away from the school record for touchdowns, going into the game at New Mexico tied with Anthony Daigle with 44. Daigle scored his touchdowns in 37 games, while Rivers has played in 40.

Here is a look at where Rivers stands …

CAREER TOUCHDOWNS

1. Anthony Daigle (1991-93) 44

Ronnie Rivers (2017-present) 44

3. Robbie Rouse (2009-12) 42

4. Ryan Mathews (2007-09) 41

5. Davante Adams (2012-13) 38

CAREER RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS

1. Ryan Mathews (2007-09) 39

2. Robbie Rouse (2009-12) 37

3. Anthony Daigle (1991-93) 35

Ronnie Rivers (2017-present) 35

5. Bryson Sumlin (2002-05) 29

Michael Pittman (1993-97) 29

Dean Philpott (1954-57) 29

CAREER RUSHING YARDS

4. Marteze Waller (2012-15) 3,108

5. Michael Pittman (1993-97) 3,017

6. Dwayne Wright (2003-04, ‘06) 2,683

7. Ronnie Rivers (2017-present) 2,630

8. Dean Philpott (1954-57) 2,533

CAREER ALL-PURPOSE YARDS

3. Robbie Rouse (2009-12) 5,441

4. Rodney Wright (1998-2001) 4,439

5. Ron Rivers (1991-93) 4,388

6. Henry Ellard (1979-82) 4,152

7. Ronnie Rivers (2017-present) 4,026

Rivers had scored at least one touchdown in 12 consecutive games before he was shutout at Nevada. It was the longest active streak in the nation.

A GLIMPSE AT THE FUTURE

Fresno State had started the same offensive line group in its first four games, but made some changes last week at Nevada with Alex Akingbulu moving in at left tackle and true freshman Mose Vavao at left guard.

Vavao at 6-foot-4 and 346 pounds is a massive piece to the Bulldogs’ future up front, and will get a test from the Lobos 3-3-5 defense that will throw a lot of looks and a lot of movement at the line.

But the reviews from his first career start are up there.

“Mose, as far as a first career start, you don’t typically expect that to be setting a school record for the number of snaps taken in a game,” Grubb said. “To play 100-plus snaps in your first game starting at left guard and playing at the level he did, it was super impressive.

“I think he’s going to be one of the best ones that comes through here in awhile. I really have high hopes for him. He’s wired the right way. He has the right mindset - ultra competitive, but obviously physically really gifted. Huge kid, roams around in the 340 range, probably a little more than that, and moves really well. Super strong. He just set some kind of record, (assistant athletics director for sports performance Ron McKeefery) was telling me. They have some kind of digital readout on a dead lift and I don’t know, he did seven Volkswagens or something like that.

“Super super strong kid, but his production in his first time out there having to make calls and get to the right looks with his center, I think was really impressive. Super happy about him and technically, because of the situation with COVID, he will be a freshman next year as well, this year doesn’t actually count as a year of eligibility. Just really excited about him, I think we’ll see big things from him not only this season but in years to come.”

This story was originally published December 12, 2020 at 5:37 PM.