Fresno State stays undefeated against FCS opponents, gets strong game from QB Warner

Before the nationally-renowned Southern University band managed to keep most Fresno State fans in their seats during halftime, Bulldogs quarterback E.J. Warner showed his ability to get the Red Wave to quickly stand up and cheer.

His trick: Show Fresno State something they’d never seen before.

Warner, a transfer from Rice, threw a touchdown pass for the first time in a Bulldogs uniform, drawing Fresno State fans to their feet with a 25-yard score on the game’s first drive.

The fifth-year senior finished with 240 passing yards and four touchdowns as Fresno State thumped Southern 56-7 before an announced crowd of 37,210.

And when it was over, Warner managed to show folks another something new: His first Fresno State game without an interception.

“When you’re talking about a fifth-year senior, I don’t know how much more development there is,” said first-year Bulldogs coach Matt Entz. “Probably from a confidence standpoint.

“To see him have a smile on the sideline, that might’ve been one of my favorite moments of the evening.”

It was the type of confidence booster Warner perhaps needed considering the quarterback’s touchdown-to-interception ratio.

While Warner has led Fresno State (3-1) to three straight victories since the Bulldogs lost their opener at Kansas, Warner entered Saturday with no passing touchdown and had five interceptions — the most in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Entz and Fresno State players have expressed complete confidence in Warner, but the Bulldogs starting quarterback hadn’t exactly won over the fans.

Saturday might’ve been the start.

Warner showed he could be more than a game manager. He could be a playmaking quarterback, too, as seen after Warner completed 17 of his first 20 attempts and had the Red Wave rocking with his four touchdown passes.

Southern’s 300-plus member band, nicknamed the Human Jukebox, would then showcase its crunk marching style at halftime and continued to entertain the home crowd.

“It was an amazing game from E.J.,” said Bulldogs running back Rayshon Luke, who registered seven catches for 79 yards and one touchdown, along with 31 rushing yards. “We need E.J.”

Of course, playing a lower-level football program often does typically create advantages in Fresno State’s favor. And the Bulldogs have always made sure to capitalize throughout program history, moving to 20-0 in program history against FCS opponents.

But Entz also tried to make sure Fresno State players understood to not overlook Southern.

Unhappy with his team’s focus and energy Wednesday, Entz had players restart the practice to get them to lock in.

“That acronym is pretty scary,” Entz said of the FCS program label. “All week, we’re fighting complacency and ego. We were not going to lay an egg and not play to our ability.”

Fresno State’s defense held Southern to a mere 142 total yards, including just 11 yards on the ground.

Deijon Laffitte and Jayden Davis each had a team-high six tackles for the Bulldogs.

Of note ...

• Fresno State linebacker K’vion Thunderbird was able to play Saturday despite getting ejected last week at Oregon State for targeting. Thunderbird won his appeal so he didn’t have to sit out any part of the game against Southern. He finished with three tackles.
• The Southern football team, which was the first the Historically Black College and Universities member to play at Fresno State, had to miss practice Thursday. The campus was among the HBCUs that closed due to threats following the fatal shooting of American conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.

This story was originally published September 13, 2025 at 11:09 PM.