Fresno State fights off early rough luck, rides defensive wave in victory at Hawaii

Fresno State’s trips to Hawaii throughout the years rarely have felt like paradise for the Bulldogs.

So maybe it was good for the Bulldogs that first-year Fresno State coach Matt Entz wasn’t too familiar with the program’s challenging history on the island and playing against fierce rival Hawaii.

Psychologists have cited willful ignorance as a way to help reduce stress and protect one’s mental health.

So it was only fitting that when the pressures arose Saturday night, Entz and his Fresno State football team rarely seemed bothered.

Instead, the Bulldogs defense stepped up in the fourth quarter with a pair of interceptions and a late-game stop on a two-point attempt as Fresno State held onto a 23-21 victory at Hawaii.

Fresno State defensive back Al’zillion Hamilton ran back an interception 42 yards to set up a 27-yard field goal, which gave the Bulldogs their first lead in the second half with 9:54 remaining.

Linebacker K’vion Thunderbird snagged an interception and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown with 5:20 remaining.

Then nickelback Simeon Harris broke up a pass in the end zone on Hawaii’s attempted two-point conversion that could’ve tied the game in the closing seconds.

Saturday’s game, which had an opening kickoff time of 9 p.m., did not end until it was 12:27 a.m. Sunday in Fresno.

In all, the Fresno State defense managed to force four turnovers (three interceptions and one fumble recovery), as well as registered four sacks in what was possibly the Bulldogs’ last trip to the Aloha State in the foreseeable future..

The Bulldogs defense also technically kept the Warriors offense out of the end zone for almost the entire game.

Hawaii built a 9-7 lead at halftime due to its defense amassing all of its points — with a safety then returned fumble recovery for a touchdown.

Hawaii’s kicker Kansei Matsuzawa provided two field goals in the second half.

It wasn’t until 10 seconds were left in the game that the Warriors offense scored a touchdown.

Fresno State (4-1 overall, 1-0 Mountain West) now has won four straight since dropping its season opener at Kansas. Hawaii (3-2, 0-1) ended a two-game winning streak.

The Bulldogs also managed to even their all-time record against the Warriors on the island to 15-15.

For the overall series, the Bulldogs lead 31-25-1.

And though Saturday’s affair was a Mountain West opener and part of a long and heated rivalry, the teams are not scheduled to play each other anytime in the near future.

Fresno State will move over to the PAC-12 starting next fall. Hawaii will become a full-time member of the Mountain West next year (the Warriors had only their football team affiliated with the MW since 2012).

Just like the majority of the series, Saturday was anything but a breeze for the Bulldogs during a game in which the lead changed four times.

Fresno State got into a deficit after fumbling in its own end zone and surrendering a safety for the game’s first points.

Fresno State later attempted what initially looked like a forward, swing pass — only for the pass to be ruled a fumble, which allowed Hawaii to get credit for a fumble returned for a touchdown.

Bulldogs kicker Dylan Lynch, meanwhile, misfired on his first three field goal attempts.

In addition, Fresno State’s run game got limited to a mere 2.2 yards per carry.

Nonetheless, Entz, who had never been to Hawaii until this trip, and the Bulldogs would not let their struggles linger.

Entz called for Lynch to attempt a fourth field goal during the fourth quarter and the kicker finally delivered with a 27-yard kick.

Fresno State’s run game, meanwhile, never really got on track and was limited to 71 rushing yards. But the run game remained a big enough threat to help quarterback E.J. Warner complete 22 of 29 passes for 230 yards and one touchdown.

Warner’s longest throw — a 64-yard catch to Kamron Beachem that set up a Bryson Donelson 1-yard touchdown on the next play — was aided by a fake handoff before connecting on the rollout pass.

Warner might share some responsibility in Hawaii’s safety and touchdown fumble recovery. But he did manage to avoid getting intercepted for a second straight game.

Warner evened his touchdown to interception ratio at 5 to 5, and his completion rate for the season is 73.2%.

Receiver Ezekiel Avit was Warner’s favorite target Saturday, posting a team-high five catches for 46 yards. Beachem ended up with two receptions for a team-high 84 yards.

Thunderbird led the Bulldogs defense with eight tackles to go along with his scoring interception.

Camryn Bracha also had a pick for the Bulldogs.

Fresno State will have its first bye week before resuming play Oct. 4, hosting Nevada.

This story was originally published September 21, 2025 at 1:40 AM.