Fresno State plays punishing game of keep away against Nevada to hold onto win

Fresno State’s farewell tour in Mountain West play has continued to require late-game grinding.

But why would longtime rivals offer friendly goodbyes and runway wins?

The Bulldogs, who will be leaving the Mountain West to join the Pac-12 by the 2026 football season, found themselves fighting to hold onto a narrow lead in the closing minutes once again.

Though Fresno State’s offense struggled most of the second half, the power running game ignited down the stretch as the Bulldogs maintained possession of the ball over the final 8 minutes, 42 seconds to hold onto a 20-17 victory against Nevada on Saturday night before an announced crowd of 40,005 at Valley Children’s Stadium.

“We like to make it interesting, I guess,” first-year Bulldogs coach Matt Entz said. “Hey, I’ll take the win.

“There’s probably people out there saying that we’re lucky to win. I’m OK with that. I’d rather be lucky than have lost.”

Fresno State (5-1, 2-0) was more than lucky. The Bulldogs were determined.

Despite going three-and-out and punting on its first four possessions of the second half, the Bulldogs showed a stronger level of fight during their final drive that highlighted their smash mouth, keep away football style.

The Bulldogs ran 15 plays, gained 68 yards, including 56 yards rushing, and ended the game by taking a knee at Nevada’s 13-yard line.

Rayshon Luke was Fresno State’s leading rusher with 85 yards on eight carries. But bruising back Brandon Ramirez was the primary ball carrier down the stretch as he finished with 38 yards on five attempts.

Nevermind the Bulldogs were held scoreless throughout the second half. The Fresno State offense showed an ability to regain a rhythm despite being out of sync most of the third and fourth quarters.

“I’m really excited that they were able to do that,” Entz said. “That was a moment that you knock on wood. You hope that’s a defining moment for those young men.

“It would’ve been easy to get chippy, get in our own way. We got the ball downhill and I’m excited. Eight minutes of really good ball.”

Entz said among the reasons the Bulldogs struggled offensively was that the playcalling and personnel grouping had strayed a little from their power running style.

But the Bulldogs recommitted in their final drive to playing to their strengths.

“It’s always easy when things don’t work — the first thing most people want to do is throw the plan in the garbage and start over,” Entz said. “That’s about the last thing I think you should do.

“Then all of the sudden, you’re dismissing all of the reps that you took.”

Fresno State scored all of its points during the second quarter, aided by four forced turnovers during the first half, including three interceptions.

K’Vion Thunderbird , Simeon Harris and Camryn Bracha each nabbed a pick. Deijon Laffitte forced a fumble.

It was the second straight game the Bulldogs forced four turnovers.

The Bulldogs were coming off a bye week but had previously won 23-21 at Hawaii by holding onto a late lead and making a key stop during a two-point attempt in the final 9 seconds.

Fresno State has now won five straight since dropping its season opener on the road to Big 12 opponent Kansas.

With Fresno State set to join the Pac-12 next season and Nevada remaining in the Mountain West, the longtime series between the two programs will be paused with the two no longer on each other’s future schedules.

Fresno State won its fifth straight win against Nevada and leads the all-time series 34-22-1.

“One thing about Fresno State, we get their best shot,” Bulldogs safety Bracha said. “We got better tonight even if we didn’t play our best football.”

This story was originally published October 5, 2025 at 12:20 AM.