Fresno State Bulldogs vs. UConn Huskies: a question about footwear, and things to watch
It will be hot on Saturday when Fresno State opens its 2021 season against UConn at Bulldog Stadium, and even hotter on the football field.
The high temperature is forecast to hit 105 degrees and on clear and sunny days temperatures on an artificial turf field can be considerably higher, 35 to 55 degrees higher, than on a natural grass field. That could pose a few unusual problems for the Huskies, who are making their first trip to California and the San Joaquin Valley.
Fresno State held several high school camps over the summer with at least some work done on the artificial surface inside Bulldog Stadium. The turf installed in 2019 includes an infill that substantially reduces temperatures on the field. But at one event, with the air temperature around 105 or 106 degrees, several campers had problems with their footwear. The cleats or soles of their shoes would tear away from the rest of the shoe.
It happened several times, Bulldogs coach Kalen DeBoer said.
An already well-worn shoe would likely play into that, and Fresno State hasn’t had any problems in fall camp, though most of its practices have been on the grass field adjacent to Bulldog Stadium.
But even with an 11 a.m. kickoff it is not going to take any chances, either.
The Fresno State equipment staff, DeBoer said, will have several extra pairs of shoes on the sidelines, just in case.
Ronnie Rivers’ record run
Fresno State super senior running back Ronnie Rivers needs one touchdown to become the all-time leader in school history, entering with 44 and tied with former Bulldogs back Anthony Daigle.
With an extra season of eligibility due to COVID-19, Rivers could set a record that will never be broken – he could conceivably play in 14 games this season and a total of 55 in his career.
But, the number of games played aside, Rivers will go down in school history as one of its most productive players. Here are the top five touchdown scorers in Fresno State history, with touchdowns per touch ...
Davante Adams: 38 TDs, 233 plays; 6.1
Anthony Daigle: 44 TDs, 451 plays; 10.3
Ryan Mathews: 41 TDs, 553 plays; 13.5
Ronnie Rivers: 44 TDs, 626 plays; 14.2
Robbie Rouse: 42 TDs, 1,008 plays; 24.0
Former St. John Bosco teammates meet again
Bulldogs center Matt Smith played his high school football at St. John Bosco in Bellflower, one of the top prep programs in the nation. A teammate there was UConn linebacker D.J. Morgan.
Smith said he and Morgan texted a few times after the series was scheduled – the Bulldogs make a return trip to UConn in 2022. But with the NCAA granting student-athletes another year of eligibility due to COVID-19 they get to play on Saturday and figure to clash a few times.
“We’ve communicated a little bit before the game,” Smith said. “Playing against an old teammate, that’s always fun. I’ve had the pleasure of doing that a couple of times in the past and I’m looking forward to it again. He’s the Will linebacker, so we’ll meet a couple times and I look forward to doing that.”
Jake Haener on 300-yard streak
Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener passed for 300 or more yards four times last season, including the final three games with 422 yards at Utah State, 485 at Nevada and 350 against New Mexico.
Before 2020, Bulldogs quarterbacks had a total of six 300-yard passing games combined through the 2015 to 2019 seasons. The last Bulldogs quarterback to throw for 300 or more yards in back-to-back games is Derek Carr, who in 2013 had streaks of five games and four games in a row.
UConn did not play football last season due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the last time it was on the field it did not fare very well defending the pass. In 2019, the Huskies were tied for 100th in the nation in interceptions, 106th in sacks and allowed opposing quarterbacks to hit 64.8% of their passes for 8.5 yards per play and 243.3 yards per game.