After major win over UCLA, here’s what’s next for the Fresno State Bulldogs

The Fresno State Bulldogs’ defense had one job. It was that kind of deal. UCLA had, in winning its first two games, run the football on 70% of its plays and run right over Hawaii and a ranked team in No. 16 LSU.

The Bruins rolled up 244 yards on the Rainbow Warriors and 210 on the Tigers with backs Zach Charbonnet and Brittain Brown averaging 13.1 and 5.8 yards per pop, and, if Fresno State was going to increase its chances to knock off UCLA for the fourth time in the past four meetings, it was going to have to take that on, and take them down.

The result, Bulldogs’ 40-37.

Charbonnet had 19 yards and two short touchdown runs on six plays and Brown had 23 yards on nine plays, averaging 3.2 and 2.6 yards per play. The Bruins ended up with 117 yards on the ground, with most of it, 67 yards, from quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

“Our big key was showing that we’re more physical than them,” said defensive end Arron Mosby, who was in on six tackles including 2.0 for loss. “I feel that our front seven can play with anybody in the country. I don’t know (Charbonnet’s) stat line, but hopefully we showed that we can do that.”

It definitely is a start for a resurgent defense that went into the game allowing opponents just 2.4 yards per rush, one season after allowing some poor rushing teams in the Mountain West 5.2 yards per play.

Safety Evan Williams led the Bulldogs with 12 tackles, a career high. Mosby and linebacker Tyson Maeva were both in on six, and Fresno State added 5.0 to its Mountain West-leading 32.0 tackles for loss.

The Bruins (2-1) were able to hit some play-action passes over the top and Thompson-Robinson ended up throwing for 278 yards and three touchdowns. But that was a trade off the Bulldogs were willing to make – Thompson-Robinson went into the game hitting only 52.8% of his passes, and missed some open receivers in the loss – and that only got them back in the game and not ahead at the end of it.

“They really packed the box,” UCLA coach Chip Kelly said. “Their safeties were really down in there tight, and there were a lot of people around the ball. We felt like we had some play-action passes. We got the ball thrown to the top a couple of times (in the first half), had some big plays that way.”

The run game that had proven so valuable to the Bruins, though, struggled.

“Our defense, we try to show the nation that we’re the best in the nation,” Mosby said. “Just come out and show we can stop the run. Obviously they had two running backs that are very talented and very good, and I hope the stats show for themselves and the rest, we’re just going to keep playing football.”

Fresno State through four games is leading the Mountain West Conference in total defense, and is allowing just 4.4 yards per play and 283.5 yards per game. Nationally, those are Top 25 numbers.

But it has a chance to build on that, too, starting Mountain West play against UNLV on Friday at Bulldog Stadium and then games at Hawaii and at Wyoming with a bye week in between.

The Rebels are winless in three games and ranked last in the conference in total offense, averaging just 208.0 yards per game. The Rainbow Warriors are ranked fifth, but the Cowboys are just eighth.

The Bulldogs, as Mosby said, will just keep playing football.

“I love those guys,” said running back Ronnie Rivers, who cracked the Top 5 at Fresno State in career all-purpose yards in the victory. “They’re really good this year and they’ve proved it multiple times.

“I have a close relationship with all of them. Any time they need us, we got them. When we need them, they got us. I love those guys. They’re playing great defense.”