Returning in comeback fashion: Bulldogs get Haener back then rally for wild win against Aztecs
FINAL: FRESNO STATE 32, SAN DIEGO STATE 28
Fresno State scored two touchdowns in a span of 13 seconds near the 1-minute mark as the Bulldogs pulled out a 32-28 victory Saturday night against San Diego State.
MORE ON THE GAME: Robert Kuwada’s inside look at the comeback
Despite trailing the majority of the night, the Bulldogs found themselves suddenly ahead at a somewhat chilly night at Valley Children’s Stadium.
A good portion of the fans, however, left the stadium early before Fresno State stormed back.
Running back Jordan Mims found the end zone on a 3-yard run with 1:09 that cut San Diego State’s lead to 28-25.
Then the Bulldogs recovered the ensuing onside kick with 1:05 left.
And on the following play from scrimmage, quarterback Jake Haener found Nikko Remigio for what turned out to be the winning touchdown with a 37-yard pass with 56 seconds left.
The Bulldogs, who trailed by as much as 18 points late in the third quarter, completed the comeback victory by forcing a fifth turnover on the Aztecs’ final possession.
Despite providing late-game heroics, Haener did endure quite an up-and-down outing in his first game back since suffering a high-ankle injury in a Week 3 loss at USC.
Haener, who had missed most of the past five games, finished 35 of 46 for 402 yards and three touchdowns. He also was intercepted twice and got sacked seven times.
But Haener stepped up when it mattered most, completed 10 of his final 11 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.
Zane Pope hauled in 11 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown. Remigio made 10 catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
The Bulldogs defense forced three fumbles and made two interceptions with the unit’s turnover ability perhaps the biggest reason Fresno State still had a chance for a late-game rally.
Fresno State (4-4, 3-1) evened out its overall record and are in first place in the West Division of the Mountain West.
San Diego State (4-4, 2-2) lost despite scoring a season-high vs. a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent this season.
HAENER PICKED IN END ZONE, AGAIN
Fresno State just blew a chance to get back into the game when quarterback Jake Haener threw a second interception in the end zone.
FRESNO STATE CASHES IN TURNOVER, FINALLY
The Bulldogs are back to within 28-17 with Jake Haener hitting Zane Pope with an 8-yard touchdown pass in the final play in the third quarter.
Fresno State regained possession on a muffed punt at the San Diego State 10-yard line.
Pope now has eight receptions on nine targets for 113 yards and the touchdown. He came into this game with a season-highs of four receptions and 55 receiving yards, both against San Jose State.
Haener is 19 of 25 for 240 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
BALL GAME?
San Diego State turned that fake punt into a 28-10 lead on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Mayden to Jesse Matthews with 3:27 remaining in the third quarter.
Mayden is now 16 of 19 for 270 yards and two touchdowns and has rushed it five times for 41 yards and two TDs.
FAKED OUT
Fresno State just got busted by a fake punt play after stopping San Diego State on what would have been a three-and-out. Punter Jack Browning took the snap and just started running through a gaping hole for 33 yards and a first down.
BULLDOGS GIVE IT RIGHT BACK
Fresno State turned over the ball, with the Aztecs’ Noah Avinger picking off a Jake Haener pass in the end zone.
Haener was attempting to hit Josh Kelly up the right sideline, but the wideout appeared to lose his footing and fall out of the play.
Fresno State has two takeaways in the game, and no points to show for them even though they started with good field position at the San Diego State 28 and at its own 43.
BULLDOGS GET SECOND TURNOVER
Fresno State just put down another San Diego State scoring threat with an interception by Cameron Lockridge, who returned the pick 28 yards.
The Bulldogs take over at the 43-yard line.
32
Fresno State and San Diego State both ran 32 plays in the first half. The Bulldogs for 150 yards, the Aztecs for 302. That 4.7 yards per play for the Bulldogs and 9.4 for the Aztecs.
THE BIG PLAY
San Diego State came into this game with just seven passing plays that covered 20 or more yards, ranking last in the Mountain West and 129th in the nation.
The Aztecs have five already, in just one half of football. Quarterback Jalen Mayden has hit Mekhi Shaw for 23 yards, Tyrfell Shavers for 21 and 32 yards and Kenan Christon for 29 yards and a touchdown and 49 yards.
AZTECS PASSING NUMBERS
San Diego State quarterback Jalen Mayden is 13 of 15 for 228 yards and one touchdown at halftime.
The 228 passing yards are more than the Aztecs have had in six of their seven games this season. A rundown:
Arizona - 62 passing yards
Idaho State - 108
Utah - 60
Toledo - 65
Boise State - 33
Hawaii - 322
Nevada - 156
San Diego State also has 302 total yards, more than it has had in four games.
The Aztecs also came into this game ranked 10th in the Mountain West Conference in third-down conversion rate at 25.5% and they are 5 of 5 so far against the Bulldogs. It’s not like they have been easy chances, either. The average yards to gain for a first down has been 7.8 yards, with the shortest three yards.
POINT SAVER
San Diego State was on the verge of adding three more points just before halftime, but Aztecs’ tackle Josh Simmons was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for smacking defensive end David Perales in the head after a play. The 15-yard penalty pushed the Aztecs back from the Fresno State 32 to the 47.
SACKS ADDING UP
San Diego State put down the Bulldogs’ final drive of the half with a sack by Caden McDonald and Keshawn Banks. It was the Aztecs’ fourth sack of the game.
The most sacks allowed by Fresno State this season is five, in the loss at USC. The Trojans had five for a minus-29 yards, and the Aztecs have four for a minus-27 yards.
The Bulldogs have rushed the ball 17 times for 13 yards, and their sack adjusted yards per play is down to 3.1.
SAN DIEGO STATE GOES UP 21-10
San Diego State quarterback Jalen Mayden has his second touchdown run of the game, this one from 1-yard out and the Aztecs have a 21-10 lead on the Bulldogs with 1:45 remaining before halftime.
The Aztecs picked up another third down on the drive, a 3rd-and-7. They are now 5 of 5 on third downs. The big play on the drive was a pass from Mayden to running back Kenan Christon for 49 yards.
Christon came into the game with four receptions and none in the Aztecs’ past three games. He now has two catches for 75 yards and one touchdown.
NO POINTS
Fresno State couldn’t do anything with the turnover or field position, failing to gain a first down on 3rd-and-1 and then 4th-and-1 run plays.
Fresno State has rushed the ball 15 times for 19 yards, including the sacks. The Bulldogs are averaging 3.3 yards, without the sacks.
AND, A TURNOVER
Fresno State has the ball back just outside the red zone, taking over on a forced fumble and fumble recovery by defensive tackle Leonard Payne.
Bulldogs’ ball at the San Diego State 28-yard line
HAENER TO REMIGIO, TD
Fresno State has cut its deficit to 14-19, scoring on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Jake Haener to Nikko Remigio with 8:35 remaining in the second quarter.
It is Haener’s first touchdown pass since the USC game.
The touchdown pass came on, what else third down. This one was a 3rd-and-12, and Haener is now 5 of 6 for 99 yards and the touchdown passing on third downs.
The Bulldogs have converted a 3rd-and-9, 3rd-and-12, 3rd-and-4, 3rd-and-8 and 3rd-and-12 for the TD.
BULL DOWN
Fresno State has a drive working, but it appears they have lost right tackle Dontae Bull, who is down on the field after Jake Haener hit Jalen Moreno-Cropper for 29 yards on a 3rd-and-8 play.
Trainers have called for a cart to assist Bull off the field.
Bull has missed one game with a groin injury earlier this season, and the Bulldogs have struggled with their depth at the right tackle position. When Bull was out at UConn, they moved guard Daniel Taumalolo outside.
Rolan Fullwood is listed as the backup at right tackle on the depth chart this week, but Taumalolo is in the game.
AZTECS SCORE AGAIN
San Diego State hadn’t much use of play-action to this point, but is crushing the Bulldogs with it. Quarterback Jalen Mayden just hit Kenan Christon with a 26-yard touchdown pass after faking a run play, and the Aztecs have jumped out to a 14-3 lead on the Bulldogs with 12:19 remaining in the second quarter.
Mayden is 7 of 7 for 120 yards and one touchdown.
San Diego State has 166 yards, to 55 for the Bulldogs.
SACKED
Fresno State went backward on its second possession, ending up in a 4th-and-23 following sacks on back-to-back plays for losses of six and 10 yards.
In two series, the Aztecs already have three sacks. Defensive end Jonah Tavai has 1.5 of those sacks and five tackles.
Fresno State came in seventh in the Mountain West, allowing 2.4 sacks per game.
AZTECS ANSWER, TAKE LEAD
San Diego State quarterback Jalen Mayden made some big plays to answer the Bulldogs field goal including a 28-yard touchdown run to give the Aztecs a 7-3 lead with 2:56 remaining in the first quarter.
Mayden also hit 3 of 3 passes for 55 yards on the drive, converting two 3rd-and-11s.
San Diego State running backs Chance Bell and Jordan Byrd carried the ball a combined five times for only nine yards in the series.
HAENER BACK, BULLDOGS SETTLE FOR FG
Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener made his first start since a Week 3 loss at USC and on the Bulldogs’ opening series hit a 3rd-and-9 throw to Nikko Remigio for a first down, then a 3rd-and-12 throw to Zane Pope for another first down and a 3rd-and-5 throw to Jalen Moreno-Cropper for yet another first down.
But the Bulldogs had to settle for a 35-yard field goal by Abraham Montano to take a 3-0 lead with 8:11 remaining in the first quarter.
Haener was 5 of 6 on the drive for 59 yards. The Bulldogs went 58 in 13 plays for the score.
Fresno State has not scored a touchdown on its opening possession since its opening victory over FCS Cal Poly.
The three points were the first allowed on an opening series by San Diego State in six games.
PREGAME NOTES
Week after week, Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford has listed the biggest names on a long list of injured players as week to week.
Most notably quarterback Jake Haener, who has not played since he suffered a high ankle injury in the third quarter of a Sept. 17 loss at USC.
But, a program source said, this is the week Haener will make his return.
The Bulldogs quarterback is expected to play against San Diego State on Saturday in a critical game in the West Division of the Mountain West.
If the Bulldogs win, they will be in first place with head-to-head tie-breaker advantages over San Jose State and the Aztecs. If they lose, they will be 3-5, likely out of the division race, and a minor bowl is likely the ceiling for a team that came into the season with high expectations.
Here’s where to catch the game on TV and radio:
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Valley Children’s Stadium
TV: FS1 (Jeff Levering, Petros Papadakis)
Find it fast: Channels 652 and 1652 on AT&T Uverse, 35, 408, 731 and 1208 on Comcast, 219 on DirecTV, 150 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
Haener obviously would be a plus for Fresno State, which has won two games in a row following a four-game losing streak that included a perplexing loss at UConn and a frustrating loss at Boise State.
The Bulldogs quarterback, who was in practice during the week along with backup Logan Fife, has completed 75 of 105 passes (71.4%) for 854 yards and 8.1 yards per attempt with four touchdowns.
In the four games Haener has missed, Fresno State has averaged 316 yards of total offense and 23 points in losses at UConn and Boise State and wins against San Jose State and New Mexico.
Fresno State also is expected to have wideout Josh Kelly back in the lineup and safety Evan Williams also could make his return from a knee injury.
HOME, AT HOME
Haener in his Fresno State career has completed 70% of his passes (243 of 347) and averaged 9.4 yards per attempt and 326.1 yards per game with 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
HOME ON THE ROAD
San Diego State has won six of its past eight games on the road, the losses coming this season at No. 14 Utah and at Boise State. The .750 road win percentage since 2021 is tied for the 10th best in the country over that span.
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Fresno State has had 10.0 tackles for loss in its past two games, victories over San Jose State and at New Mexico, moving up and into a tie for third in the Mountain West.
It has not had three games in a row with 10.0 or more tackles for loss going back through the 2009 season, but San Diego State could provide an opportunity to get there.
The Aztecs are ranked eighth in the conference and 97th in the nation in allowing 6.4 tackles for loss per game.
The 10.0 tackles for loss is fairly rare for the Bulldogs.
Fresno State has been through entire seasons without racking up 10.0 tackles for loss in a game, most recently 2019, and went 39 games in a row without hitting that number between the 2017 and 2020 seasons.
MILESTONE WATCH
Fresno State running back Jordan Mims is just one rushing away from cracking the school’s Top 10, tying Aaron Craver (1989-90) and Kelly Skipper (1985-88) with 27.
The all-time record holder is Ronnie Rivers, who came to Fresno State in the same recruiting class as Mims. Rivers scored 40 rushing touchdowns in his Bulldogs’ career.
This story was originally published October 29, 2022 at 6:47 PM.