Can Fresno State keep its power run game moving against Oregon State?
Fresno State righted itself quickly following an opening loss, beating Georgia Southern 42-14 on Saturday to give coach Matt Entz his first victory at the FBS (football bowl subdivision) level and record victory No. 200 at Bulldog Stadium/Valley Children’s Stadium.
The Bulldogs looked more like an Entz-coached team, leaning heavily into the run game and playing solid defense in a second half in which they strung together touchdown drives of 55, 56, 91 and 71 yards while forcing Georgia Southern to punt away the football on all five of its series. The Eagles’ longest drive in the second half lasted five plays and covered only 18 yards.
That formula will get a more severe test on Saturday at Oregon State in a matchup of teams that will be together in a rebuilt Pac-12 next year.
The Beavers opened with a 34-15 loss to Cal, but have won 19 of their past 25 home games.
Fresno State Bulldogs at Oregon State Beavers game details
Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept 6
Where: Reser Stadium, Corvallis, Ore.
TV: The CW
Radio: Bulldog Sports Network (Paul Loeffler, Pat Hill, Cameron Worrell)
Records: Fresno State 1-1, Oregon State 0-1
Line: Oregon State -3
Fresno State at Oregon State: Five things to know
1. Oregon State lost its season-opener to Cal, 34-15. It was the seventh time in 12 games against FBS opponents that the Beavers have failed to score more than 21 points under coach Trent Bray and offensive coordinator Ryan Gunderson. Purdue, Washington State and Nevada were among the teams Oregon State did score more than 21 points against last season, and they ranked 131st, 101st and 93rd in the nation in scoring defense.
2. The Beavers reportedly invested $1.5 million in Name Image and Likeness money into quarterback Maalik Murphy, who hit 21 of 33 passes (63.6%) against Cal including nine in a row and 12 of 13 at one point. But when inside the Golden Bears’ 40-yard line, Murphy, who played last season at Duke and is on his third school in three years, hit only 3 of 7 passes (42.9%). The Golden Bears’ blitzes and pressure were an issue. Murphy hit only 2 of 9 passes when under pressure, according to Pro Football Focus. Fresno State has not had much success when it has blitzed through two games. Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels and Georgia Southern quarterback JC French IV went a combined 10 of 14 for 112 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions against a Bulldogs’ blitz.
3. Fresno State quarterback E.J. Warner has yet to throw a touchdown pass this season in two games and 56 passing attempts. He has the most passing attempts without a touchdown in the nation and is one of two quarterbacks with 50 or more attempts and no TD passes — Hunter Watson from Sam Houston State has not thrown a touchdown pass in 52 attempts. The Bulldogs have not gone three games in a row without a touchdown pass since 2017.
4. The Bulldogs rushed for 351 yards in their victory over Georgia Southern, with 220 of that total coming after contact. Fresno State had 100 or more rushing yards after contact — 100, not 200 — in just three games last season, four games in 2023, two games in 2022 and three games in 2021. The Eagles clearly were overmatched by Bryson Donelson and the speed of Rayshon Luke, and that is a good sign for the Bulldogs with only Group of Six level opponents remaining on the schedule. The Beavers should present a better challenge than Georgia Southern, but in the second half the Bulldogs played through their running backs and offense took off. That includes Brandon Ramirez, the San Joaquin Memorial High grad, who had three carries for 16 yards with 10 coming after contact and one touchdown. Ramirez also beat Georgia Southern linebacker Davon Hicks into the left flat, caught a short pass from Warner and turned it into a 32-yard gain. In a span of four second-half series and 30 plays when the Bulldogs took a 42-14 lead, Donelson, Luke and Ramirez accounted for 80% of the touches and targets in the passing game.
5. Oregon State had two players at the top of its depth chart miss the loss to Cal including redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Tevita Pome’e. The Beavers rotated five interior defensive linemen through the game, none of whom had started at the FBS level. The Golden Bears still had trouble rushing the football. Cal gained 122 yards in 32 plays (3.8 per play) and 60 of those yards came on runs of 13, 22 and 25 yards, all on first-down plays. Oregon State allowed two yards of less on 15 rushing plays.
This story was originally published September 3, 2025 at 5:30 AM.