Homecoming drama: Fresno State hangs onto victory, avoids OT despite yielding late-game TD
FINAL: Fresno State 34, Nevada 32
Fresno State survived a wild finish on homecoming night at Bulldog Stadium.
Fresno State gave up a touchdown with 2 seconds remaining after Nevada marched 90 yards on eight plays, capped by a Cole Turner 12-yard touchdown that brought the Wolf Pack within two points.
But Nevada was unable to force overtime after the ensuing two-point conversion was caught but just out of bounds, which allowed Fresno State to hold onto a 34-32 victory before an announced crowd of 33,012 on Saturday night.
The Bulldogs (6-2 overall, 3-1 Mountain West) snapped a two-game losing streak to the Wolf Pack (5-2, 2-1) and lead the all-time series 30-22-1.Saturday night.
Fresno State also stayed undefeated at Bulldog Stadium in four games this season.
On a night when Fresno State honored one of its best running backs by retiring the jersey of Lorenzo Neal, the Bulldogs enjoyed much of their success Saturday thanks to a ground game that’s struggled for most of the year.
Fresno State finished with 205 rushing yards, including an average of 6.8 yards per carry. The Bulldogs entered homecoming averaging just 129.4 rushing yards and 3.8 yards per carry.
The Bulldogs rushing was led by Jordan Mims, who filled in for starter Ronnie Rivers after he suffered an injury and didn’t play in the second half.
Mims finished with 134 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. Mims also caught another touchdown and hauled in four receptions for 20 yards.
River had 89 yards and one touchdown on three carries.
Bulldogs quarterback Jake Haener completed 26 of 38 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns.
Nevada closed to 34-26
The Wolf Pack has cut the Fresno State lead to 34-26 with a 38-yard field goal by Brandon Talton.
Fresno State will get the ball back with 4:21 remaining, and needing to run the ball and move the sticks two or more times more than at any time this season.
The Bulldogs have rushed it 26 times for 193 yards to this point, averaging 7.4 yards per play.
Silva FG puts ‘Dogs up 34-23
Fresno State extended its lead to 34-23 on a 43-yard field goal by Cesar Silva. The Bulldogs are up two scores with 5:48 to go.
‘Dogs get third down stop
Fresno State has the ball back, finally stopping Nevada on a 3rd-down play. It was a 3rd-and 9, and defensive end Arron Mosby sliced his way inside and sacked quarterback Carson Strong.
The Bulldogs take over up 31-23 with 10:04 to go.
Fresno State settles for FG, 31-23 lead
Fresno State had a drive working, but ended up settling for a 47-yard field goal by Cesar Silva. With 12:37 to go, the Bulldogs lead Nevada 31-23.
Bulldogs’ quarterback Jake Haener is now 24 of 35 for 248 yards with two TDs.
Nevada back within one score
The Wolf Pack for a second drive in a row converted on 3rd-and-long plays and scored on an 11-yard pass from Carson Strong to Romeo Doubs with 14:56 to go.
It’s Fresno State 28-23.
Nevada is 5 of 5 on third downs in the second half and has converted a 3rd-and-13, a 3rd-and-11 and a 3rd-and-20 on this past drive, picking up a first down on a pass interference penalty.
Here’s the game everyone expected
Fresno State has scored to go up 28-16 on a 7-yard touchdown run by Jordan Mims with 4:50 to go in the third quarter, the third touchdown in as many series by the Bulldogs and Nevada in the third quarter.
Mims has now rushed for 72 yards and one TD on 10 plays and the Bulldogs have 149 rushing yards. Fresno State’s top rushing game this season is 196 yards against FCS Cal Poly. It also is averaging 9.3 yards per rush, and went into the game ranked only seventh in the Mountain West at 3.8 yards per play.
Nevada answers with TD
The Wolf Pack took advantage of the ‘Dogs defense rushing only three on two 3rd-and-long plays and scored on cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 21-16 on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Carson Strong to Justin Lockhart.
A 2-point conversion pass failed.
Nevada converted a 3rd-and-13 and a 3rd-and-11 on the drive, and Strong is now 30 of 36 for 249 yards with two touchdowns and one interceptions.
Bulldogs strike quickly, lead 21-10
Fresno State scored quickly to open the second half, with quarterback Jake Haener hitting Keric Wheatfall with an 11-yard touchdown pass. The Bulldogs drive was 65 yards in 5 plays and it took just 1:39.
The big play on the drive was the first play, a 26-yard run by Jordan Mims.
Rivers out
Fresno State running back Ronnie Rivers has been ruled out for the remainder of the game. No reason was given.
With Rivers out, Jordan Mims will get the bulk of the run game work. Malik Sherrod was first behind Mims.
‘Dogs in the third quarter
Fresno State will get the ball to open the third quarter, needing to get something going. The Bulldogs had 37 total yards in the second quarter on 15 plays.
11 in a row
To get to the half completing 13 of 21 passes, Bulldogs’ quarterback Jake Haener hit 11 in a row at one point. He started the 0 of 5, then hit two in a row, missed one, then reeled off 11 in a row.
Aztecs up at half
The other Mountain West game of note for the Bulldogs and Wolf Pack – San Diego State at Air Force. At halftime, the Aztecs are leading 20-0.
Nevada and San Diego State are leading the West Division in the conference at 2-0, the Bulldogs are third at 2-1.
Halftime stats
Fresno State has 212 total yards at halftime on 33 plays, 6.4 yards per play. Nevada has 211 on 43, 4.9 per play.
Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener is 13 of 21 for 122 yards. Nevada quarterback Carson Strong is 24 of 29 for 187 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
The Bulldogs have 7.0 tackles for loss already led by safety Evan Williams and defensive end David Perales, who have been credited with 1.5 TFLs. Perales and defensive tackle Kevin Atkins both have 1.0 sacks.
Fresno State has rushed for 90 yards in 12 plays including a 64-yard TD run by Ronnie Rivers. Nevada has juist 24 rushing yards on 14 plays.
Nevada cashes in turnover
The Wolf Pack has pulled within 14-10, scoring on a touchdown pass from Carson Strong to Cole Turner with 10:10 remaining the second quarter.
Strong is 18 of 23 for 128 yards with one TD and one interception. Jake Haener is 8 of 14 for 86 yards for the Bulldogs.
Nevada has 10 points on three trips into the red zone. It came into the game leading the Mountain West Conference in red zone touchdown percentage with 17 TDs in 24 red zone trips.
‘Dogs give it right back
Nevada has the football back, forcing a fumble by Jalen Cropper. The Wolf Pack takes over at the Fresno State 12.
Bulldogs hold, force another punt
Fresno State has the football back, forcing a third Nevada punt. The Bulldogs will start from their own 20.
The Wolf Pack high for punts in a game this season is six, in their past two games against New Mexico State and Hawaii.
Turnover to TD
Fresno State turned the pick by DaRon Bland into a touchdown, scoring on a 1-yard run by Jordan Mims to go up 14-3 with 14:11 remaining in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs’ drive was 91 yards in 10 plays.
Quarterback Jake Haener, who missed on his first five passes, has hit seven of his past eight for 94 yards.
Fresno State pick, and drive
Fresno State got an interception from Daron Bland and has pushed the football to the Nevada 15-yard line with a 42-yard pass from Jake Haener to Keric Wheatfall, where it has a 3rd-and-3 heading into the second quarter.
The Bulldogs had a 175 to 96 advantage in total yards in the first quarter.
Rivers TD run puts ‘Dogs on top
Fresno State is in the lead, scoring on a 64-yard touchdown run by Ronnie Rivers with 5:08 to go in the first quarter.
The 64-yard run is the longest for the Bulldogs this season, surpassing a 45-yard run by Jordan Mims at Oregon. Rivers longest run this season was a 36-yard touchdown at UCLA.
Nevada breaks on top
The Wolf Pack is on the board, scoring on a 32-yard field goal with 5:37 to go in the first quarter.
The drive was 48 yards in 10 plays including a 12-yard pass play to Romeo Doubs on a 3rd-and-9. The Wolf Pack has 57 yards on 16 plays, averaging just 3.6 yards per snap. They came in averaging 6.4 yards per play, second best in the Mountain West Conference behind the Bulldogs.
Four series, four punts
Fresno State picked up a first down, but ended its second series the same way it ended its first, with a punt. Nevada takes over at it 37-yard line with 8:50 to go in the first quarter.
Both teams have 24 yards of offense.
Bulldogs force another punt, but …
The Bulldogs’ defense forced another punt, but that punt was down at the Fresno State 1-yard line. It gets its second possession of the game with 10:26 remaining in the first quarter.
Nevada has run seven plays for 24 yards on its first two series.
Another opening possession, another punt
Fresno State wen three-and-out with its first possession, punting the ball back to the Wolf Pack.
The Bulldogs’ opening possessions this season:
UConn: 3 plays for 8 yards, punt
Oregon: 6 plays for 3 yards, punt
Cal Poly: 3 plays for 3 yards, punt
UCLA: 6 plays for 21 yards, punt
UNLV: 6 plays for 13 yards, punt
Hawaii: 4 plays for 32 yards, fumble
Wyoming: 3 plays for 0 yards, punt
Nevada: 3 plays for 2 yards, punt
Bulldogs force opening punt
Nevada got first possession and tried the Bulldogs’ run defense. The Wolf Pack didn’t get far, punting the ball to Fresno State. Bulldogs ball at the 13.
Pre-game chatter
Fresno State takes on the Nevada Wolf Pack on Saturday afternoon in what is a must-win game for the Bulldogs in the West Division of the Mountain West Conference, given their upset loss at Hawaii one month ago.
The Bulldogs are 2-1 in the division, trailing 2-0 Nevada and San Diego State. The Aztecs also face a tough game on Saturday, playing at Air Force, which is 6-1 overall and 3-1 in conference play.
With the Houston Astros winning the American League Championship Series to advance to the World Series, television coverage of the Bulldogs game has been elevated to FS1. The updated TV and radio info:
When: Saturday, 4 p.m.
Where: Bulldog Stadium
TV: FS1 (Dan Hellie, Petros Papadakis)
Find it fast: AT&T (Channels 652 1652), Comcast (35, 408, 731, 1208), DirecTV (219), Dish Network (150)
Radio: Bulldog Sports Network (Paul Loeffler, Pat Hill, Cameron Worrell)
Find it fast: Fresno (AM 1340), Bakersfield (AM 970), Visalia (AM 1130), Modesto (FM 92.9), Stockton (AM 1280), Bulldogs app, iHeartMedia app
Fresno State with a victory would become bowl eligible for the first time since 2018 and for only the third time in the past seven seasons.
Can the ’Dogs get off to a fast start?
Fresno State hasn’t been a fast-starting team this season, even if it is second in the Mountain West in scoring offense at 35.9 points per game.
The Bulldogs have yet to score on an opening drive and have scored just 34 points in the first quarter.
Quarterback Jake Haener has thrown just two touchdown passes in the first quarter, with eight in the second, six in the third and four in the fourth and, remember, he wasn’t on the field at the end of blowout wins over UConn and Cal Poly.
Can they get a lead on the Wolf Pack?
“Could be huge,” offensive coordinator Grubb said. “Last week, I was pretty frustrated with the first drive. Had a really good opportunity to get some man coverage and get the ball to one of our best guys and didn’t convert on that third down. But it felt like before the game the guys were really ready to play.
“The first drive surprised me a little bit, honestly. But then we went right back out in a low scoring football game and took it all the way down the field, executed. I felt like they were better. I know the points didn’t show it, at the end of the day, but as far as being ready to play a football game they were ready. I’m hoping we can build on that.”
One stat: Nevada against FBS opponents has allowed 9.8 points in the first quarter, tied for 111th in the nation.
NFL interested in Bulldogs, Wolf Pack
There are seven NFL teams that will have scouts at the game – the Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and the Washington Football Team.
Hometown horror
Nevada wideout Tory Horton, a Washington Union High grad, had a big game against the Bulldogs last season in the Wolf Pack’s 37-26 victory at Mackay Stadium in Reno.
Horton caught five passes for 148 yards and three touchdowns in that game, and in a Nevada Sports Net story this week said the lack of recruiting interest from the Bulldogs fueled him.
“Redemption,” Horton told NSN. “Revenge. They pretty much forgot about me. They brushed me away. They said I wasn’t fast. They said I wasn’t big enough. It was just me going out there doing what I did. It puts a buzz in the air, and I’d love to do it again. I can’t wait to play them again.”
The Bulldogs this season already have been burned by UNLV running back Charles Williams, a Bullard High grad. Williams rushed the ball 19 times for 102 yards and one touchdown and caught three passes for another 96 yards in a game Fresno State escaped with a 38-30 victory.
Horton said that he probably would not have signed with Fresno State, but did the Bulldogs’ staff make a mistake by not offering the wideout a scholarship?
Fresno State was recruiting several receivers in that 2020 recruiting class but signed only one – Mac Dalena from San Joaquin Memorial High – to add to what at the time was a deep, young group.
The Next Wave showing up
Fresno State students have bought up their allotment of 3,500 tickets for a third game in a row. The last few football seasons, that obviously has not been the case.
From 2017 to 2019, the Bulldogs had more than 3,000 student tickets scanned at entry gates only twice in 18 home games – they had 3,341 students in the seats for the 2017 opener against Incarnate Word when Derek Carr had his jersey No. 4 retired and 3,339 for the 2018 opener against Idaho.
There were five home games when there were not even 1,000 student tickets scanned.
Jalen Cropper TD watch
Fresno State wideout Jalen Cropper has caught at least one touchdown pass in eight consecutive games, dating to the last game of the 2020 season, and is one receiving TD away from breaking into the Bulldogs’ all-time Top 10.
Cropper has scored 19 career touchdowns, 15 on pass plays.
Joe Fernandez, with 16 TD catches from 2002 to 2006, is in 10th place on the all-time list. Davante Adams in the career leader with 38 touchdown receptions over just two seasons in 2012 and 2013.
This story was originally published October 23, 2021 at 2:43 PM.