Plenty to prove for Fresno State’s Zack Greenlee – especially against San Diego State defense

By kickoff on Saturday night, Fresno State quarterback Zack Greenlee will have seen plenty of San Diego State and its 3-3-5 defense in the film room and replicated by the Bulldogs’ scout team.

But will he have seen enough?

Dealing with a chaotic mix up front with defensive linemen standing up and moving around pre-snap and linebackers showing blitz from any number of angles, Fresno State can be sure of one thing, offensive coordinator Dave Schramm said. Greenlee and the Bulldogs will see something that didn’t appear on film.

Deciphering it all will be critical if the Bulldogs are to avoid a 0-2 conference start for the first time since 2004 in the Western Athletic Conference. In their first three seasons in the Mountain West Conference, they have started 2-0, 7-0 and 2-0. With a defense that has allowed an average of 510.0 yards and 55.7 points in three games against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents, Fresno State (1-3, 0-1) is unlikely to win with a smallish number on the scoreboard.

Greenlee left the field after a Thursday practice at Bulldog Stadium in a good place, coach Tim DeRuyter said, with more walkthrough and film study to go before seeing the Aztecs (1-3) up close and personal.

“He is identifying the protections the right way, identifying blitzes and getting the ball to the right guy and getting it out of his hands quick, which is what we have to do,” DeRuyter said.

But this defense, it’s not easy. In 2013, the last time Fresno State traveled to San Diego, the Aztecs were coming off a bye and had an extra week to prepare for Derek Carr and an offense that would generate 546.2 yards and 43.4 points per game.

San Diego State gave Carr fits. He completed only two of his first nine passes and 15 of 30 for just 98 yards in the first half, a measly 3.3 yards per pass play. The Bulldogs had 111 total yards on 40 plays and just seven points at halftime before rallying to win 35-28 in overtime, their seventh win on the way to a 10-0 start.

Greenlee, who did not play last week in a loss at San Jose State following an arrest on suspicion of public drunkenness and drinking in public, is well aware of that.

“They’re trying to confuse you up front, and they bring a lot of things,” Greenlee said of the Aztecs. “But what team doesn’t at some point? They do a lot of it, and you just have to prepare for it. Watch the film, break down tendencies and see what’s happening.

“There’s more focus, what you need to focus on. With a team like this, that’s trying to do that up front, there are things you have to focus on, maybe looks or disguises or what they’re trying to do. Obviously, one of the big things is where people are lined up. If a guy is right here on one play and cheated over to a different side on the next, maybe that gives things up. You try to look at the little things.”

Plus, Greenlee still has a lot to prove.

In four career games facing FBS competition, he has completed 23 of 48 passes (47.9 percent) for 261 yards. Almost all of the positives came in one quarter – the fourth two weeks ago in a loss to No. 21 Utah when he came off the bench for injured Chason Virgil and hit 6 of 10 for 144 yards and three touchdowns at Bulldog Stadium.

But that experience could help the third-year sophomore take a step forward at a time the Bulldogs need it. With Virgil and junior transfer Ford Childress out for the season with injuries, Fresno State has just two scholarship quarterbacks in Greenlee and backup Kilton Anderson.

Get it right, and the Aztecs have proven susceptible to big plays. They have allowed 20 explosive plays from scrimmage of 20 or more yards and 12 plays of 30 or more yards, ranking 10th and tied for 11th (last), respectively, in the conference. In 13 games last season, San Diego State allowed only 41 plays of 20 or more yards and 23 plays of 30 or more yards.

“I think the game experience he has had to this point has helped him,” Schramm said. “I know he’ll study and I know he’ll prepare, but this is another one of those deals. We’re going to see something completely different, and that’s (San Diego State coach) Rocky Long.

“Nobody in the country likes to play against him and his defense, and there’s not one offensive guy that would tell you that they would choose him first to play against. It’s very difficult to prepare for, so Zack has quite a challenge this week to get himself ready.”

This story was originally published October 2, 2015 at 7:17 PM with the headline "Plenty to prove for Fresno State’s Zack Greenlee – especially against San Diego State defense."