Fresno State GameDay vs. No. 21 Utah: Keys to victory, Bulldog spotlight, notes

Fresno State vs. No. 21 Utah

▪ Saturday: 7:30 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium

▪ TV: CBS Sports Network (Comcast, Channel 418 and 732-HD; DirecTV 221; Dish Network, Channel 158 and 158-HD; AT&T U-Verse, Channel 643 and 1643-HD

▪ Radio: KFIG (AM 940); KGST (AM 1600)

▪ Kickoff forecast: 83 degrees, clear

Fresno State’s three keys to victory

1 Take care of the ball. At Ole Miss, the Bulldogs had three passes picked off and lost one of their three fumbles, helping lead to 28 points for the Rebels, including two scores off interception returns. Can’t do that, particularly against a Power Five opponent. Fresno State is 6-9 under coach Tim DeRuyter in games in which it was minus in turnover margin; four of those victories came in 2013, when the Bulldogs averaged 43.4 points per game and were able to outscore some mistakes.

2 Win outside. The Bulldogs could have difficulty rushing the ball against the Utes, who are leading the Pac-12 and 26th in the nation in rushing defense at 96.5 yards per game. And that could put more pressure on the inside and outside receivers and the bubble screens and bullet passes that they consider an extension of the run game. The receivers need to be much more physical and sustain blocks to make those plays go, because through the first two games they have not.

3 Stand up to the run game. In the past six games against BCS/Power Five opponents, the Bulldogs have allowed an average of 228 rushing yards at 5.0 per play. Utah has a back capable of hitting those numbers in Devontae Booker. But depending on which quarterback the Bulldogs get – starter Travis Wilson sat out the second half last week against Utah State with a shoulder injury – the game could change considerably if they can get the Utes in some third-and-longs.

Fresno State spotlight player: Left tackle Alex Fifita

Year: Senior

Height/weight: 6-4, 306 pounds

Hometown/high school: Hayward

Last week: Fifita made the 27th start of his Fresno State career last week. Helped block for running back Marteze Waller, who finished with 91 yards on 28 carries and assisted in protection of main quarterback Chason Virgil, who was not sacked while going 12 of 18 for 140 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Why this game is important for Fifita: Not just for him, but the entire line. Utah has just two sacks this season and Utes coach Kyle Whittingham hinted at dialing up the pressure. The Utes had seven sacks in their blowout win over the Bulldogs last season. Fresno State only allowed one sack, with Zack Greenlee in the game, against Ole Miss.

He said it: “We just have to analyze just how we performed last year (against Utah). They have players that left, but they’re still a talented football team. We just have to get our assignments and just execute. What I’ve learned playing against them as far as their blitzes and their team is they have a solid front and are very physical. I’m pretty confident in my offensive line that we’re going to do our job correctly.”

Tailgating: Bulldogs pregame news and notes

Utes QBs in a rush: Fresno State has had some success the past few years against teams that feature a good amount of quarterback run. Utah last season, however, was not one of those teams.

Travis Wilson made some plays with his feet, and the Bulldogs really struggled when Kendal Thompson entered in the second half. The score was out of hand at that point, the Bulldogs down 38-7, and that could have had something to do with it. But Thompson ended up as the Utes leading rusher, gaining 71 yards and scoring a touchdown on just nine plays.

If they get a lot of Thompson on Saturday, the defense will have to show it has improved with the task not getting any easier. Watching tape of the Utes’ victory over Utah State, in which Thompson took over in the second quarter for an injured Wilson, it was clear he was more advanced in the offense.

“He ran that offense pretty well for them in the second half,” defensive coordinator Nick Toth said. “They adjusted the game plan at half for him a little bit and he ran with it pretty well. He took control.

“And here’s the thing about this dude. He is crazy athletic. He isn’t Marcus Mariota from our first year, but he’s really, really athletic and fast. His burst is exceptional for any player, let alone a quarterback. I don’t know about success in the past, but I know this guy is a really good runner and he has a strong, big arm and the tailback is really good.”

Facing the (fast) facts: The Bulldogs’ past five games against Power Five Conference opponents have not been pretty – a 45-20 loss to USC in the 2013 Las Vegas Bowl; a 52-13 loss at USC, 59-27 loss at Utah and 55-19 loss to Nebraska last season; and a 73-21 loss to Ole Miss last week.

A physicality deficit was a big factor, but despite the score coach Tim DeRuyter felt it was less so last week in the loss to the Rebels. The Bulldogs competed better, and it was more the Rebels speed that hurt than their physicality.

“Once we got used to the speed I thought our guys were decent,” DeRuyter said. “Up front, I was impressed with our defensive line versus their offensive line. I didn’t feel like we were at a major disadvantage there. We weren’t extremely productive, but our guys were not getting knocked off the ball. We got some pressure on the quarterback, we got some good hits on him. To me the speed was the biggest hurdle to overcome, and our guys kept coming back and competing.”

Bulldogs WR likely to sit: Keyan Williams caught seven passes in the Bulldogs’ victory over Abilene Christian and even after getting shut out last week at Ole Miss remains their leading receiver, but he is unlikely to play Saturday. The redshirt freshman was sidelined in the third quarter against the Rebels with a head injury.

Sack streak: Senior defensive end Claudell Louis has recorded a sack in each of the Bulldogs’ first two games, one for minus-5 yards against Abilene Christian and one for minus-8 at Ole Miss.

Over the past 10 years, there have been only four Bulldogs to record a sack in as many as three consecutive games. Nose guard Tyeler Davison last year and defensive tackle Logan Harrell in 2010 actually had four-game streaks, both totaling 5.5 sacks over that stretch. And tackles Jon Monga in 2007 and Ikenna Ike in 2006 had three-game runs. Utah has allowed one sack in his first two games.

Knowing when to run: Fresno State has quarterback run in its game as well, but Zack Greenlee and Chason Virgil have not taken advantage of some opportunities on zone read plays.

Greenlee has run five times, including a 17-yarder last week at Ole Miss, the second largest ground gain for the Bulldogs in that game. Virgil has carried the ball four times, including a 9-yard gain against the Rebels.

“Like anything, we’re inconsistent at that as well,” offensive coordinator Dave Schramm said. “We’re young. Zack had a couple of pulls. Chason should have pulled a couple and didn’t. We’ve just got to keep working and get better. A lot of that decision is based on who that guy is you’re pulling it off of and can that guy put his foot in the ground and chase you down. Well, those guys last week, some of those guys probably could have put that foot in the ground and chased them down.

“Now, there were a couple of times where we should have pulled it and I think we would have had some pretty good gains, but they have to learn how to play on that particular play.”

Odds not in Bulldogs’ favor: Fresno State is an underdog at home for only the second time over the past four seasons – the line is about plus-14 in Las Vegas. Nebraska was an 11-point favorite last season.

Heavy lifting: Utah defensive end Jason Fanaika squats 830 pounds and benches 495.

Zoning out: The Bulldogs’ red-zone percentages didn’t get much better in the loss at Ole Miss.

Fresno State is ranked 11th in the Mountain West, scoring on 4 of 7 trips inside the opposition 20. Their touchdown percentage in the red zone is 42.9%, and in the conference ahead of only San Diego State (25%) and UNLV (20%).

Utah has allowed five scores and four touchdowns in the six trips where its opponents have reached the red zone.

This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 7:38 PM with the headline "Fresno State GameDay vs. No. 21 Utah: Keys to victory, Bulldog spotlight, notes."