Fresno State Bulldogs at UConn Huskies: TV info, odds and, no, this may not be a walkover

When Fresno State played UConn last season, the programs were not close and that was made plainly obvious on the football field. The Huskies were playing their first game in more than a year after sitting out 2020, the talent in the program was down and it had not been all that up there when going 2-10, 1-11, 3-9 and 3-9 from 2019 to ‘16. It was 45-0, Bulldogs, and really not even that close.

UConn does not appear to have closed that gap — it is 1-4 and buried near the bottom of the national rankings, 125th and 127th in scoring and total offense, and 118th and 113th in scoring and total defense.

The Huskies also are banged up, more so than even the Bulldogs, who will travel east without quarterback Jake Haener, safety Evan Williams and right tackle Dontae Bull due to injuries. But it might be a mistake for the Bulldogs to read anything into those numbers, or an opening betting line that was Fresno State minus-24.

UConn has been blasted by three Power Five Conference opponents that are a combined 12-0 and two are ranked this week in the Top 10 in No. 5 Michigan and No. 10 North Carolina State.

The Huskies clearly are nowhere near that level, but in assessing where they are in a first season under coach Jim Mora they might be much closer to Fresno State than they were a year ago. And, with the Bulldogs playing a first-time starter at quarterback in Logan Fife and questions about the run defense, UConn could make this a difficult cross-country trip for a Fresno State team trying to recapture some confidence after a last-second loss to Oregon State and getting stuck on the wrong side of a rout at USC.

UConn is not adept at throwing the football, but it could shorten the game by pounding away at the Bulldogs defense on the ground.

Nathan Carter, the Huskies’ top running back, did not play last week in the loss at North Carolina State due to a shoulder injury. But UConn has had some success rushing the football and rushing it on first down, so the Bulldogs could have some difficulty getting them off schedule and to third-and-long situations.

The Huskies are averaging 5.7 yards per rush on first down plays, which is 26th-best in the nation having faced three solid Power Five run defenses. The Bulldogs are allowing 6.1 yards per rush on first down plays, which is ahead of only eight teams and 123rd in the nation.

Power Five opponents have impacted those numbers, for both teams.

But in its opener, a 31-20 loss at Utah State, UConn racked up 245 rushing yards and 6.3 yards per play. The Aggies this season are 10th in the Mountain West in allowing 4.91 yards per rush. Fresno State is 11th at 4.92.

THE GAME

FRESNO STATE at UCONN

When: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. Pacific

Where: Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Conn.

TV: CBS Sports Network (Meghan McPeak, Christian Fauria, Justin Walters)

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

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

• Find it fast: 1400 AM in Visalia/Tulare; 1340 AM in Fresno; 1280 AM in Stockton; 970 AM in Bakersfield; 92.9 FM in Modesto; 96.7 FM in Fresno

The records: Bulldogs 1-2, UConn 1-4

The series: Bulldogs lead 1-0

Last meeting: Bulldogs won 45-0 at home in 2021

The line: Fresno State minus-24

INJURIES PILING UP FOR UCONN

The injury to Carter is not the only one impacting the Huskies at this point.

UConn lost starting quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson with a season-ending knee injury and top returning wideout Keelan Marion with a broken collarbone in its opener at Utah State. Running back Brian Brewton went down with an elbow injury in a loss at Syracuse and in the loss at North Carolina State on Saturday starting cornerback Kaleb Anthony went down with what could be a season-ending knee injury.

UConn has 12 players who are likely out for the season with injuries, according to the Hartford Courant.

Zion Turner, a true freshman, is starting at quarterback for the Huskies. He has hit just 55.1% of his passes (54 of 98) and is averaging just 4.4 yards per passing attempt. He has attempted just eight passes that have traveled 20 or more yards in the air, according to Pro Football Focus, going 0 of 8.