Bulldogs keep winning streak going in Las Vegas, beating Rebels behind Haener’s deep ball
FINAL: FRESNO STATE 37, UNLV 30
Sometimes, it’s the small victories in Vegas that matter most.
Like simply not losing even if there were grander goals of winning big.
Fresno State, which entered Friday night’s game at Allegiant Stadium as an 8 1/2-point favorite, did not blow out UNLV.
In fact, the Bulldogs struggled to pull away from the Rebels throughout the night and never led by more than 10 points.
But Fresno State did just enough to win its fifth straight game and move another step closer to locking up the West Division of the Mountain West after winning in Sin City.
Quarterback Jake Haener found favorite target Jalen Moreno-Cropper along the sideline for a 65-yard touchdown pass that placed the Bulldogs ahead 34-27 with 8:47 remaining.
And kicker Dylan Lynch booted in a 29-yard field goal with 2:56 remaining to keep the Rebels at a distance and stifle UNLV’s comeback attempt.
UNLV did manage to cut Fresno State’s lead to one possession after converting a 33-yard field goal with 13 seconds remaining.
But on the ensuing onside kick, the ball went out of bounds, which automatically gave Fresno State the game and concluded the game.
Haener finished 28 of 36 (77.8%) for 313 yards and three touchdowns. He did not throw an interception but lost one fumble and was sacked once.
Haener also completed passes to 11 different targets, led by Moreno-Cropper and his eight catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns.
Fresno State (6-4, 5-1) moved a half game ahead of San Jose State (6-2, 4-1) in the West Division standings. But the Bulldogs also own the tiebreaker over the Spartans after beating San Jose State 17-10 in October.
UNLV CUTS FRESNO STATE LEAD TO 7
UNLV kicked a field goal on third down with 13 seconds remaining to cut Fresno State’s lead to 37-30 and attempt an onside kick.
GOING UP TWO POSSESSIONS
Fresno State moved ahead 37-27 after kicker Dylan Lynch converted a 29-yard field goal with 2:56 remaining.
FOURTH DOWN STOP
Fresno State has the ball back, this time stopping a fourth-down run by the Rebels with Evan Williams and Morice Norris crashing in off the right side to cut down Aiden Robbins for a 1-yard loss.
The Bulldogs start at the UNLV 33 with a chance to put this game away.
HAENER TO MORENO-CROPPER, BULLDOGS BACK IN FRONT
Fresno State is back in the lead, and it didn’t take long. Quarterback Jake Haener hit Jalen Moreno-Cropper with a 65-yard touchdown pass to put the Bulldogs up 34-27 with 8:47 remaining.
The drive: 79 yards in three plays; elapsed time 37 seconds.
The Bulldogs started from their 21-yard line, their worst starting field position in the game.
Haener is now 26 of 34 for 301 yards and three touchdowns. It is his 17th career 300-yard passing game, just three away from tying the school record set by Derek Carr.
Moreno-Cropper has eight receptions for 164 yards and two touchdowns.
FOURTH AND A TIE SCORE
UNLV had a first down, then it didn’t after the officials re-spotted a third down run by quarterback Doug Brumfield that initially was marked as a first down. But on 4th-and-1, Aiden Robbins blasted through the middle of the line 66 yards for a touchdown and with a 2-point conversion the score is now tied at 27 with 9:28 remaining.
BULLDOGS BACK TO EIGHT
Fresno State had another red zone possession end in a short field goal, this one 24 yards by Dylan Lynch, but it pushed the lead back to eight points at 27-19 with 10:57 remaining.
The Bulldogs had a 3rd-and-1 at the UNLV 6-yard line but were stopped for no gain.
UNLV CUTS INTO BULLDOGS’ LEAD
UNLV with the benefit of an instant replay overturn kicked a field goal to cut into the Bulldogs’ lead. It is now 24-19 with 48 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
The Rebels hit a 41-yard pass play to Shelton Zeon III, but safety Evan Williams crushed the Rebels’ tight end and he appeared to fumble the ball away. That’s the way the play was ruled on the field, and it the ball was recovered by the Bulldogs’ L.J. Early. But it was overturned on review.
HAENER TO POPE, AND IT’S 24-16
Fresno State got a first down at the UNLV 3-yard line, but its never easy in the red zone. Before they could get a play off, they were called for a false start.
But the Bulldogs got into the end zone on a red zone possession, scoring on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Jake Haener to Zane Pope to take a 24-16 lead with 3:15 remaining in the third quarter.
Haener is now 22 of 27 for 210 yards with two touchdowns.
UNLV DOES HAVE A PUNTER
Fresno State forced a punt on the Rebels’ opening series of the second half. It is their first of the game. UNLV ran four series in the first half, chewing up more than 20 minutes.
Those drives ended field goal, touchdown, field goal and field goal.
The Bulldogs will start their next series on the UNLV side of the field, a 16-yard punt return by Nikko Remigio setting up the offense at the Rebels’ 46.
BULLDOGS STALL IN RED ZONE, AGAIN
Fresno State came out in five wides to start the second half and hit a 41-yard pass play to Josh Kelly, went for a first down on a 4th-and-2 when in easy field goal range. But the Bulldogs could not get into the end zone, and Dylan Lynch ended up kicking a 26-yard field goal to go up 17-16.
From the UNLV 11, Jake Haener hit tight end Jake Boust for three yards, then threw incomplete passes to Erik Brooks and Jalen Moreno-Cropper before Lynch came on for the field goal.
The back-to-back misses by Haener were the first in this game. He had ended the first half hitting five passes in a row, 9 of 10 and never threw more than one incomplete pass in a row.
OPENING THE SECOND HALF
Fresno State has scored a touchdown only twice this season on its opening drive of a second half, at UConn and at New Mexico. It kicked field goals against Oregon State, at Boise State and last week against Hawaii.
HALFTIME NUMBERS
UNLV held possession in the first half for 20 minutes, 41 seconds. The Rebels ran 43 plays to just 21 for the Bulldogs.
The Rebels have rushed for 131 yards at 4.7 yards per play.
Fresno State, which has converted at least 60% of their third-down plays into first downs in three games in a row, was 3 of 4 in the first half.
Bulldogs’ defensive tackle Johnny Hudson Jr. was in on six tackles in the first half, a season-high.
UNLV is 5 of 9 on third downs. It came into the game converting only 32.1%.
The Bulldogs’ run defense allowed 6.5 yards per play in the first quarter, but only 2.3 yards per play in the second.
UNLV has 15 TOTAL first downs to Fresno State’s 7.
The Rebels also outgained the Bulldogs 192 to 131 total yards. UNLV has not committed a turnover, while Fresno State has the one lost fumble.
Also at the break, Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener is 11 of 13 for 115 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions.
Receiver Jalen Moreno-Cropper has four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown.
Running back Jordan Mims has six carries for 21 yards and one touchdown.
UH, OH ... UNLV TAKES LEAD
UNLV is back in the lead with 17 seconds remaining before halftime, scoring on a 27-yard field goal by Daniel Gutierrez to go up 16-14.
Fresno State is 4-10 under coach Jeff Tedford when trailing at the half.
BULLDOGS BACK IN LEAD
Fresno State responded after the turnover, moving 74 yards swiftly down the field and scoring on a 5-yard touchdown run by Jordan Mims to take a 14-13 lead with 6:16 remaining before halftime.
It is Mims’ 10th rushing touchdown of the season, moving him into a tie for second in the Mountain West with Nevada running back Toa Taua and Hawaii running back Dedrick Parson. Air Force running back Brad Roberts is leading the conference with 13 rushing touchdowns.
Quarterback Jake Haener hit Nikko Remigio for 21 yards and Jalen Moreno-Cropper for 20 yards on that drive and is now 11 of 13 for 115 yards with one touchdown.
TURNOVER TO ... POINTS
Fresno State turned over the football on a fumble by Nikko Remigio, which was recovered by the Rebels’ Jerrae Williams and turned into points.
UNLV extended its lead to 13-7 on a 48-yard field goal with 9:39 remaining in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs did not turn the ball over last week in their victory over Hawaii, ending a streak of six consecutive games with at least one giveaway. They turned it over 13 times during that stretch.
UNLV’s EARLY SUCCESS
UNLV scored 10 points in the first quarter, as many as it had last week in a loss at San Diego State and more than it had in two games in a four-game losing streak.
at San Jose State, L 40-7
Air Force, L 42-7
at No. 20 Notre Dame, L 44-21
at San Diego State, L 14-10
RUN OVER
UNLV has taken a 10-7 lead on a 5-yard run by quarterback Doug Brumfield with 1:12 remaining in the first quarter.
The Rebels have 104 yards on the ground, averaging 6.5 yards per rush. Fresno State, since allowing 115 yards in the fourth quarter of its loss at Boise State, had done a much better job against the run, but not so far tonight.
The Bulldogs had allowed San Jose State 32 rushing yards, New Mexico 87 and San Diego State and Hawaii 158 yards on the ground.
Brumfield has rushed three times for 29 yards and the touchdown, including a 12-yard run for a first down on a 3rd-and-7 play on that scoring drive.
HAENER TO MORENO-CROPPER, 7-3 LEAD
Fresno State has a 7-3 lead on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Jake Haener to Jalen Moreno-Cropper on a 3rd-and-9 play with 8:29 remaining in the first quarter.
It is the fourth touchdown catch of the season for Moreno-Cropper, all of them coming in the past three games and one quarter of football.
The Bulldogs caught a huge break on the drive when off-setting penalties wiped out a UNLV interception, which bounced out of the hands of Jalen Moreno-Cropper and to UNLV safety Jordyn Morgan.
FROM NEAR TO TO SURRENDERING POINTS
The Bulldogs had a chance to put down UNLV on its opening series, but had an interception get away from safety L.J. Early.
The Rebels, with a second chance at the first points in the game, ended up kicking a 42-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead with 11:29 remaining in the first quarter. The UNLV drive was 10 plays and 51 yards, the biggest chunk coming on a 28-yard run by Aidan Robbins.
Fresno State will start its first series on the plus side of the field following a late hit penalty on the kickoff return. Bulldogs ball at the UNLV 48.
INCHING CLOSER TO DIVISIONAL TITLE
Fresno State has a chance to take another step toward a West Division football title in the Mountain West on Friday at UNLV, which is fairly remarkable given the number of injuries the Bulldogs have played through this season.
Quarterback Jake Haener and safety Evan Williams, both team captains, missed four games after ankle and knee injuries at USC, but the Bulldogs are tied at the top of the division with San Jose State and hold a head-to-head tiebreaker edge over the Spartans.
But they have been banged up most of the season and hit hard in the secondary.
Safety Elijah Gates has missed the past two games. Cornerback Bralyn Lux is out for the season after starting the first eight games. Steven Comstock has missed time, L.J. Early has missed time. Cameron Lockridge, who made two starts at corner this season, also missed a game due to injury.
The Bulldogs have been able to keep things together with a deep group in the secondary including junior Carlton Johnson, who had the interception to complete a stunning comeback in a 32-28 victory over San Diego State.
Johnson last week had a sack on a second-and-3 play in the first quarter of the Bulldogs’ 55-13 victory over Hawaii.
“He’s a playmaker,” defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle said. “He’s young. He’s learning, but he has a real knack for the game. He’s a natural, instinctive player that has very good quickness, very, very good straight line speed and he’s a competitor. When he gets out there, he just thinks about winning that one on one situation.
“As he grows I think we’re going to see him be more impactful as we go forward. We were kidding with him on the sack. You know, he’s so skinny that we said the guy didn’t see him coming. When the back went to block him, he just slipped by him. But good players do those things.”
The Bulldogs’ secondary could get a challenge from the Rebels and quarterback Doug Brumfield, who is averaging 205.4 yards per game, second in the Mountain West among qualifying quarterbacks.
Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener, who is averaging what would be a conference-leading 315.0 yards per game, is not among the qualifiers because he missed four games due to an ankle injury.
How to watch on TV and listen on radio
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas
TV: CBS Sports Network (Carter Blackburn, Tom Herman)
Find it fast: Channels 643 and 1643 on AT&T Uverse, 418, 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
Sack attack
Fresno State has at least one sack from 12 players this season, led by defensive end David Perales with 8.5.
Coyle on the Bulldogs’ ability to pressure opposing quarterbacks: “We’ve got a lot of blitzes. We’ve practiced them a lot. Still haven’t dusted some of them off yet, unfortunately. But a lot of that is situational and then once you get a lead and can keep people off balance, that helps.”
Perales is leading the Mountain West and is tied for fourth in the nation with Notre Dame lineman Isaiah Foskey.
On the line
With a victory, Fresno State would become bowl eligible for a second year in a row and a third time in four seasons under coach Jeff Tedford.
Tedford is 2-0 in bowl games with the Bulldogs beating Houston in the 2017 Hawaii Bowl and Arizona State in the 2018 Las Vegas Bowl.
Before Tedford, the Bulldogs had lost six bowl games in a row and seven of eight.
Four in a row?
Fresno State in its past three games has converted at least 60% of its third-down plays, going 10 of 16 (62.5%) at New Mexico, 9 of 15 (60%) against San Diego State and 8 of 12 (66.7%) against Hawaii.
To put together the past four times the Bulldogs have converted at 60% or better, you have to go back to the 2017 season. They did not hit 60% last season or in 2020, was 63.6% against Utah State in 2019, 61.5% against Idaho and 66.7% at UCLA in 2018 and 62.5% against Incarnate Word in the opening game of 2017.
Of the Top 10 teams in the nation in third-down conversion percentage only national leader Minnesota has gone four games in a row higher than 60%, and the Golden Gopher streak includes games against 3-5 New Mexico State, 0-9 in the FCS Western Illinois and 1-8 Colorado.
High five
Haener enters the game needing 158 passing yards to move past David Carr and into fifth place on the Bulldogs’ all-time passing list. Here’s the list:
▪ Derek Carr (2009-13) 12,842
▪ Kevin Sweeney (1983-86) 10,808
▪ Paul Pinegar (2002-05) 10,136
▪ Mark Barsotti (1988-91) 8,093
▪ David Carr (1997-01) 7,849
▪ Jake Haener (2020-present), 7,692
In two games against UNLV, the Bulldogs’ quarterback has completed 69.2% of his passes, averaging 271 yards a game with six touchdowns and one interception. But, here what really stands out: Haener has passed for 300 or more yards in 16 of his 24 career games at Fresno State. Derek Carr holds the school record with 20 games with 300 or more yards, and he played in 44 games in a Bulldogs’ uniform.
This story was originally published November 11, 2022 at 6:30 PM.