Fresno State takes lead in Mountain West division with 30-20 win vs. No. 21 San Diego State

FINAL: Fresno State 30, San Diego State 20

Fresno State took a huge step in securing a spot in the Mountain West Conference championship game, knocking off No. 21 San Diego State 30-20 on Saturday at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson while playing without injured leading rusher Ronnie Rivers and losing leading receiver Jalen Cropper with a knee injury in the third quarter.

The Bulldogs (7-2, 4-1 in the MW) still had quarterback Jake Haener, running back Jordan Mims and a defense that forced three turnovers and allowed only 20 points to a team averaging 31.0.

The victory moved the Bulldogs into first place in the West Division of the conference race, ahead of the 3-1 Aztecs and 3-1 Nevada. With wins over San Diego State and Nevada in its past two games, Fresno State also holds a head-to-head tiebreaker over both.

Fresno State has three games remaining starting on Saturday against Boise State at Bulldog Stadium. It finishes with games against New Mexico and after a bye week at San Jose State on Thanksgiving Day.

Mims led the Bulldogs’ offense in the victory over the Aztecs’, rushing for 186 yards and two touchdowns including the clincher on a 15-yard burst with 4:28 to go.

Cropper, who came in with 55 receptions for 580 yards and 10 touchdowns, was injured at the end of a play in the third quarter. He went down after a 21-yard gain on 3rd-and-7 that ended with a fumble and turnover.

Cropper appeared to slip as he was trying to cut up field and lost the football as he was going out of bounds. He went down, grabbing at his right knee and was attended to by Fresno State trainers. He was carted off the field, but did return to the Bulldogs’ sideline.

Mims second touchdown gave the Bulldogs a 17-point lead, but backup quarterback Will Haskell, a freshman, led San Diego State 75 yards in 11 plays and 3:22 and scored on a 7-yard run.

The Aztecs then recovered an onside kick, but San Diego State touched the ball before it had traveled the required 10 yards.

Ball game?

Fresno State is up 30-13 with 4:28 to go, scoring on a 15-yard touchdown run by Jordan Mims.

Mims now has 174 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. He is averaging 6.4 yards per rush against a defense that came in allowing just 2.5.

Aztecs’ passing game

San Diego State came into this game with 11 explosive pass plays of 20 or more yards, the fewest in the Mountain West. The Aztecs have four in this game – 39, 31, 20 and 29 yards. They also have pass play of 19, 16 and 19 yards.

Adventures in punting

Fresno State seems intent on giving the Aztecs good field position in this game, with issues covering kickoffs and punting the football. Carson King just hit another short punt, this one just 31 yards, and the Bulldogs were penalized for kick catch interference.

With the penalty, San Diego State will start at midfield rather than the 35-yard line.

King has punted three times with a long of 34 yards and an average of 32.0 yards.

Third downs

Fresno State was 7 of 11 converting third downs in the first half, 64%. In the third quarter the ‘Dogs were 1 of 4.

Aztecs’ TD run cuts ‘Dogs lead to 23-13

San Diego State put together an 80-yard drive in 10 plays, scoring on a 3-yard run by Greg Bell with 13 seconds remaining in the third quarter to cut the Fresno State lead to 23-13.

Aztecs’ quarterback Lucas Johnson has hit 12 of 26 passes for 201 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The Aztecs have rushed the ball 24 times for 121 yards.

San Diego State rushed 13 times for 82 of those yards in the third quarter.

Fresno State FG makes it 23-7

Cesar Silva hit a 42-yard field goal with 4:00 remaining in the third quarter, pushing the Bulldogs’ lead to 23-7.

The drive following the fumble recovery was 24 yards in seven plays.

Quarterback Jake Haener is now 21 of 34 for 265 yards and one touchdown. Jordan Mims has rushed the ball 18 times for 133 yards and one touchdown, averaging 7.4 yards per play. Mims had 134 yards in the Bulldogs’ victory over Nevada last week and has rushed for 100-plus four times in his career.

Bulldogs force second turnover

Fresno State has the ball right back, with Kevin Atkins scooping up a fumble on the Aztecs’ side of the field.

The Bulldogs start at the San Diego State 49.

Another short punt, a look at Aztecs’ field position

Fresno State just punted the ball away, the kick by Carson King just 34 yards to set up the Aztecs at the 37.

San Diego State has started games at the 38, 40, 41, 38 and 37 yards lines in nine series.

Where is the ball going?

Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener will not have Jalen Cropper back on the field in this game. He has been ruled out with a right knee injury. Where does the ball go, with the Bulldogs’ most targeted receiver off the field?

With 8:03 remaining in the third quarter, this is where Haener has gone against the Aztecs:

Cropper: 9 targets

Josh Kelly: 9 targets

Keric Wheatfall: 6 targets

Tre Watson: 3 targets

Juan Rodriguez: 2 targets

Raymond Pauwels: 1 target

Cropper hurt on fumble

Fresno State wideout Jalen Cropper is down after a reception for a 21-yard gain on 3rd-and-7 that ended with a fumble and turnover.

Cropper appeared to slip as he was trying to cut up field and lost the football as he was going out of bounds. He went down, grabbing at a knee, attended by Fresno State trainers. He will be carted off the field.

San Diego State recovered the football and takes over at its 28-yard line.

Mims run at 100 vs. Aztecs’ defense

The Bulldogs Jordan Mims has 97 rushing yards at halftime. The Aztecs have not allowed a back to rush for 100 or more yards since Colorado’s Jarek Broussard went for 124 yards last season.

At the half …

Fresno State has 308 yards of total offense at halftime, more than San Diego State has allowed in four games.

Quarterback Jake Haener is 17 of 27 for 218 yards with one touchdown and Jordan Mims has rushed 97 yards on just nine plays. The Bulldogs’ leading receiver is Jalen Cropper with five catches for 63 yards. Josh Kelly has four receptions for 83 yards and Keric Wheatfall has four for 47 and the touchdown.

San Diego State has 208 total yards with 117 coming on its first two series in the first half. Quarterback Lucas Johnson is 10 of 17 for 165 yards with one touchdown. His season high coming into this game was 149 passing yards, in a 48-21 victory over FCS Towson.

There’s a break for the Bulldogs

Fresno State will take a 20-7 lead into halftime after San Diego State kicker Matt Araiza missed a 55-yard field goal just before the break.

The Aztecs had moved 35 yards in five plats and 35 seconds to get into position for the field goal attempt and had 117 of its 203 total yards on its final two drives in the half.

Another red zone failure

Fresno State for to the Aztecs’ 20-yard line, but this time got nothing out of it. No points, with Cesar Silva missing a 44-yard field goal, the football caroming off the right upright.

Aztecs have an answer

The Bulldogs inability to score touchdowns could come back to haunt it. San Diego State has cut the Fresno State lead to 20-7, scoring on a 19-yard pass play from Lucas Johnson to Tyrell Shavers with 2:15 to go before halftime.

San Diego State went 82 yards in only six plays on the scoring drive. Johnson hit 4 of 5 passes on the drive including plays of 16 and 31 yards and the 19-yard touchdown.

Fresno State goes up 20-0, but red zone is an issue

The Bulldogs pushed their lead to 20-0 on a 27-yard field goal by Cesar Silva with 4:32 remaining before halftime.

Fresno State had a first down at the San Diego State 17-yard line and couldn’t get into the end zone. The Bulldogs came into this game ranked only fifth in red zone touchdown percentage at 64.7%, scoring 22 touchdowns on 34 trips inside an opponent’s 20-yard line.

Quarterback Jake Haener was 31 of 43 (72.1%) in the red zone with 12 touchdowns, but also three interceptions. The Bulldogs had rushed 42 times for only 58 yards in the red zone, however, just 1.4 yards per play.

Bulldogs’ third-down ‘D’

San Diego State is 1 of 5 on third downs and the Bulldogs’ defense success on early downs is a big reason why. The average yards to gain for the Aztecs? It’s 11.4 yards.

Quarterback Lucas Johnson hit a 39-yard gain on third-down to keep the Aztecs’ second drive going, but he has missed his past three third-down throws. That was a 3rd-and-13, a 3rd-and-8 and a 3rd-and-10..

Short kickoffs, giving Aztecs a chance

San Diego State returned the Bulldogs’ kickoff 40 yards and starts its drive from the 41. Fresno State covered its first kickoff, but on the past two the Aztecs started with good field position at the 40 and 41 yard line.

Bulldogs go up 17-0

Fresno State had another drive working, but ended up settling for a 49-yard field goal by Cesar Silva and a 17-0 lead with 9:04 remaining in the second quarter.

The Bulldogs drive started with a 39-yard pass play to Jalen Cropper getting wiped out by a holding penalty, but Haener came back on the next play and hit Josh Kelly for a gain of 69 yards.

Kelly made a great play on the catch, snatching the ball away from corner Dallas Branch. The Bulldogs stalled from there, with Haener missing a shot to the end zone and then absorbing a sack by Aztecs’ defensive end Cameron Thomas on a third-down play.

Haener is 12 of 16 for 147 yards with one touchdown.

Bulldogs’ defense forces another punt

Fresno State has the football back and will start from its 8-yard with 11:53 to go in the second quarter.

The Bulldogs defense has forced two punts and has an interception, on three San Diego State series. Safety Evan Williams is leading Fresno State with three total tackles, all solo stops.

The Aztecs are averaging 4.7 yards per play.

Bulldogs out to 14-0 lead

Fresno State is up 14-0, scoring on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Jake Haener to Keric Wheatfall with 14:17 to go int he second quarter.

Haener has started 11 of 14 for 78 yards and the touchdown. He has hit five passes in a row and 10 of 11.

The Bulldogs have also converted 5 of 6 third-down plays into first downs.

Aztecs’ run game

San Diego State, with the No. 2 rushing offense in the Mountain West, had rushed the football five times in the first quarter and gained just one yard.

Fresno State has 1.0 tackles for loss, by defensive end David Perales. Perales has 7.5 TFLs on the past four-plus games. Tackle Kevin Atkins is leading the Bulldogs with 10.5 tackles for loss and end Arron Mosby has 10.0

Evan Williams’ pick, ‘Dogs have ball back

San Diego State hit a 40-yard pass play, but safety Evan Williams put down their drive with his third interception of the season, stepping in front of a pass intended for BJ Busbee.

Williams returned the pick 28 yards to the Aztecs’ 31-yard line. Fresno State will start with a short field, and already in range for a field goal.

Mims TD run puts ‘Dogs up 7-0

Fresno State has a 7-0 lead, scoring on a 9-yard touchdown run by Jordan Mims with 3:53 to go in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs drive was 86 yards in 15 plays and along the way they converted four third-down plays against a San Diego State defense that was leading the Mountain West in opponent’s third down percentage. The picked up a 3rd-and-1, a 3rd-and-5, a 3rd-and-6 and a 3rd-and-1.

Most promising for the Bulldogs: They are averaged 6.7 yards per play on first down, including 18 yards on three rushing plays.

Quarterback Jake Haener has hit 7 of his first 10 passes for 47 yards.

Stunner: ‘Dogs start with a three-and-out

Fresno State received the opening kickoff and after picking up five yards on a first-down run by Jordan Mims could gain only one more yard and had to punt the football to the Aztecs.

San Diego State takes over at the 38 after another short punt by Carson King. The punt was just 31 yards.

Pre-game chatter

The Fresno State Bulldogs have a chance to move into first place in the West Division of the Mountain West Conference on Saturday, playing No. 21 San Diego State at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson.

The Bulldogs go in with a 3-1 record in conference play and tied for second place with Nevada, just behind the 3-0 Aztecs. A victory would put Fresno State on top of the division with three games to play against Boise State (3-4, 1-2 in the MW), New Mexico (3-5, 1-3) and after a bye week San Jose State (4-4, 2-2) on Thanksgiving Day.

San Diego State, one of nine undefeated teams in the FBS starting play on Saturday, has moved up in the Associated Press Top 25 for four weeks in a row for the first time in school history.

But the Bulldogs no doubt would like an answer to one question: Would the Aztecs be leading the Mountain West in rushing defense, total defense and scoring defense if they had not played teams ranked No. 95 (New Mexico State), No. 113 (San Jose State), No. 127 (Arizona) and No. 129 (New Mexico) in the FBS in scoring offense and a team tied for No. 90 in the FCS (Towson) in scoring offense?

Maybe, maybe not.

But Fresno State goes into the game leading the conference in total offense and ranked second in passing offense and scoring offense. Here is TV and radio info to tune in and find out:

When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson

TV: CBS Sports Network (Dave Ryan, Aaron Murray, Amanda Guerra)

• Find it fast: AT&T (Channels 643, 1643), Comcast (418, 732), DirecTV (221), Dish Network (158)

Radio: Bulldog Sports Network (Paul Loeffler, Pat Hill, Cameron Worrell)

• Find it fast: Fresno (AM1340), Bakersfield (AM970), Visalia (AM1130), Modesto (FM92.9), Stockton (AM1280), Bulldogs app, iHeartMedia app

Will this be the game the Bulldogs’ start fast?

The Bulldogs have yet to score on an opening drive this season and as much as scoring first and an early lead would be to their advantage, this doesn’t appear the right spot.

San Diego State has not been scored upon on an opponent’s opening drive and allowed just two first downs, one to Utah and one to FCS Towson.

Here, again, is how the Bulldogs have fared on game-opening drives:

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

Could this be a big day for Jalen Cropper?

Fresno State wideout Jalen Cropper had his streak of consecutive games with a touchdown reception snapped at eight last week in the Bulldogs’ victory over Nevada. He had seven catches in that game, but for only 34 yards.

But this could be an action spot for the junior out of Buchanan High.

The Aztecs’ starting cornerbacks, Tayler Hawkins and Dallas Branch, are the two highest graded corners in the Mountain West, according to Pro Football Focus. But Trenton Thompson and Cedarious Barfield, who have the most snaps covering an opponent’s slot receiver, have been graded much lower.

Hawkins: 89.6

Branch: 84.1

Thompson: 62.2

Barfield: 70.5

Cropper has run 95% of his routes out of the slot in the Bulldogs’ offense.

The Aztecs’ defense, and sustaining drives

The Bulldogs are much more efficient and talented than most if not all of the teams that have come and gone on the Aztecs’ schedule to this point in the season, and most have been able to string together at least one drive.

The Aztecs have allowed 14 touchdowns this season, including one on a punt return, one on a fumble return and two in overtime. Of the other 10, seven came on drives of 10 or more plays.

Arizona, ranked 127th in the nation in scoring offense, had an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive against the Aztecs.

New Mexico State, ranked 95th, had a 12-play, 90-yard TD drive.

FCS Towson even had an 11-play, 80-yard scoring drive.

That seemingly would increase the chances Fresno State has to put together some scoring drives.

Will Ronnie Rivers play?

Fresno State running back Ronnie Rivers sat out the final three quarters of a victory over Nevada last week after suffering an ankle injury. He hit all of the markers the Bulldogs’ medical and training staffs set during the week in practice, but it is questionable whether he will be able to play against the Aztecs.

Jordan Mims filled in against the Wolf Pack and rushed the ball 23 times for 134 yards and one touchdown and caught four passes for 20 yards and another score.

But if Rivers is held out, the Bulldogs’ biggest question could be on punt return.

Rivers did lose one this season, but is the Bulldogs’ best at fielding a punt.

Coach Kalen DeBoer said wideout Zane Pope would fill in, if Rivers is out. Pope has one punt return this season. Erik Brooks also has one return. But whoever is back there will face a different challenge with the ball coming off the foot of San Diego State punter Matt Araiza, who is averaging 54.0 yards on 45 punts.

Araiza has 28 punts of 50 or more yards and dropped 22 inside an opponent’s 20-yard line.

This story was originally published October 30, 2021 at 6:12 PM.