Fresno State’s most dynamic play maker returning for a second senior season
Fresno State running back Ronnie Rivers said on Friday that he would return for a second senior season of football, taking advantage of eligibility relief granted all fall sports student-athletes due to the coronavirus pandemic and bolstering a Bulldogs’ offense that last season led the Mountain West Conference in total offense and was second in scoring offense.
Rivers also will have a chance to move up the Bulldogs’ all-time rushing and scoring lists and finish his career as one of the most prolific skill position players in their history.
The senior running back ended a truncated 2020 season with 44 career touchdowns, tied with Anthony Daigle atop the Bulldogs’ Top 10 list.
He also is tied for third with Daigle for career rushing touchdowns with 35, four behind all-time leader Ryan Mathews; and seventh on the all-time rushing list with 2,629 yards, a 1,000-yard season from moving past his father, Ron Rivers, who is second with 3,473 yards.
Robbie Rouse is the all-time leading rusher at Fresno State, churning out 4,647 yards on the ground from 2009 to ‘12.
Rivers, who was not available on Friday, is one of a flood of seniors returning for another season. Defensive tackle Kevin Atkins, linebacker Arron Mosby, safety Deonte Perry, wideout Keric Wheatfall, tight end Juan Rodriguez, offensive linemen Matt Smith, Alex Akingbulu and Nick Abbs and long snapper Jacob Westberry also have said they are returning next season.
More could return, though offensive tackle Syrus Tuitele is set to enter the NFL Draft.
The returning seniors will not count against the 85-scholarship limit, but coach Kalen DeBoer and his staff will have some decisions to make once past spring practices. Fresno State, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, is not in a position to fund more than 85 football scholarships.
Its spring sports were allowed to bring seniors back after their seasons and championship events were canceled due to COVID-19, but there was no additional scholarship dollars.
The Bulldogs signed 15 players during the early national letter of intent signing period in December including running backs Jordan Hornbeak from San Joaquin Memorial High and Johnathan Arceneaux from Lawndale.
Bulldogs’ 2021 offense appears loaded
With Rivers and Wheatfall returning, Fresno State at this point has all but one rushing yard back from 2020 in its running backs’ room and 96.1% of its receiving yards back from 2020 in its wideouts room.
Quarterback Jake Haener, who returns for a second junior season, led the Mountain West in passing last season with 336.8 yards per game with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Fresno State obviously still has some work to do with a defense that allowed 30.0 points per game despite matching up against New Mexico, Colorado State UNLV and Utah State in four of its six games, teams that were ranked ninth, 10th, 11th and 12th and last in the conference in scoring.
Two of those teams, UNLV and New Mexico, posted season-high point totals when playing the Bulldogs.
But the Fresno State offense will be loaded at the skill positions.
Rivers last season ran behind an offensive line that struggled to gain any degree of consistency and still gained 507 yards and seven touchdowns on 100 snaps while playing only four full games.
He suffered an ankle injury in the second half of a loss at Nevada and the following week played just one series in a season-ending loss to New Mexico.
RIVERS ON BULLDOGS’ ALL-TIME LISTS
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) 2,629
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) 4,025