Fresno State stays undefeated, sweeps through nonconference play by trouncing Kent State
Ten years since Derek Carr and Davante Adams led Fresno State through an undefeated, nonconference run during the regular season, the current Bulldogs have accomplished a similar feat.
Fresno State (4-0) trounced visiting Kent State in a 53-10 victory Saturday at Valley Children’s Stadium to sweep nonconference play.
In addition, the Bulldogs extended their winning streak to 13 games — the second-longest win streak in FBS play.
And while it’s still to be determined whether this Fresno State season will become as memorable as what Carr and Adams enjoyed in 2013, Mikey Keene and Co. continue to give the Red Wave much to cheer about.
Keene, the transfer quarterback from Central Florida, fired 24 of 31 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns, and teammate running back Elijiah Gilliam caught two touchdowns and ran in a third score.
Among the most exciting plays that got the announced crowd of 38,728 to erupt happened early in the first quarter with a trick play.
Fresno State receiver Jaelen Gill lined up as quarterback to take a direct snap, then faked a sweep run to the right before airing out a 32-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Gilliam.
Meanwhile, Fresno State’s defense again looked quite dominant.
Though the Bulldogs didn’t force eight turnovers like they did last week during a 29-0 win at Arizona State, Fresno State simply caused disruption over and over, and closed gaps quickly.
Fresno State did not have any turnovers or sacks against Kent State, but the Bulldogs still managed to hold the Golden Flashes to 231 total yards, including a mere average of 4.4 yards per play, and a third-down conversion rate of 3 of 13.
Safety Dean Clark, another key transfer, finished with a team-high six tackles while playing against his former team in Kent State.
With six teams ranked in the Top 25 losing this weekend (none, however, lost to an unranked team as of 10:50 p.m. PST), Fresno State is inching closer to becoming nationally ranked.
This story was originally published September 23, 2023 at 10:38 PM.
