Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Fresno State Bulldogs season with what you need to know.
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Fresno State Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 12-2 overall, 7-1 in Mountain West
Head Coach: Jeff Tedford, 3rd year, 22-6
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FRESNO STATE OFFENSE
– So where are the positives on an offense that has to replace eight starters? Start with the big issues – the receiving corps loses KeeSean Johnson and Jamire Jordan. Fortunately, Jared Rice is one of the nation’s best returning receiving tight ends, and former JUCO transfer Derrion Grim has enough pop to grow into a No. 1 target. This is the team’s biggest hole to fill, but …
– The running game gets the key parts back. Ronnie Rivers and Jordan Mims can catch the ball as well as rotate for the ground attack, but they need to be more consistent. That might be tough with four starters gone off the line that was amazing in pass protection, but didn’t generate enough of a push for the quick backs. On the plus side, guard Netane Muti is back after missing most of last year hurt, and all of the key reserves from last season return.
– Is Jorge Reyna ready? The former JUCO transfer quarterback saw a little time working behind Marcus McMaryion, and now it’s his gig. Accuracy and timing are at a premium under head man Jeff Tedford, and the 6-0, 215-pounder has both. He’s every bit the runner McMaryion was, too.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FRESNO STATE DEFENSE
– It’s going to be really, really hard to replicate, last year’s production. the Bulldogs led the Mountain West and finished 17th in the nation in total defense, and allowed a minuscule 14 points per game. Four of the top seven tacklers and five starters are done, but this should still be one of the Mountain West’s nastiest Ds.
– The line is going to be a killer. The tackle tandem of Jasad Haynes and Kevin Atkins don’t get moved – they’re rocks against the run – and Mykal Walker is a combination end/linebacker who spends a whole lot of time in the backfield. With Jeff Allison and all the starting linebackers gone, the front four has to take care of the heavy lifting for a while.
– There’s no bulk among the projected starting linebackers, but this group can move. It might take a little bit, but everything will be fine by the middle of the season.
– The secondary will help ease a whole lot of concerns with two starters returning including the fantastic duo of S Juju Hughes and CB Jaron Bryant. There might not be 19 picks again but the defensive backfield will be excellent as long as the line can apply a bit more pressure.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP FRESNO STATE PLAYERS
Best Fresno State Offensive Player
RB Ronnie Rivers, Jr.
The 5-8, 179-pound do-it-all cog in the attack led the team with 743 yards and ten scores, caught 26 passes for 311 yards and three touchdowns, and was a decent punt returner, too – all after missing the first three games. He only had one 100-yard day until the Las Vegas Bowl against Arizona State, and then … kaboom. 24 carries, 212 yards, two touchdowns in the win. Expect him to get the ball in his hands far more often.
2. TE Jared Rice, Sr.
3. QB Jorge Reyna, Sr.
4. RB Jordan Mims, Jr.
5. OT Syrus Tuitele, Jr.
Best Fresno State Defensive Player
LB Mykal Walker, Sr.
Is he an undersized defensive end, or an undersized linebacker? No matter where the 6-3, 227-pounder plays, he makes things happen with a tremendous burst into the backfield and closing ability on the ball. With 4.5 sacks with 14 tackles for loss, 87 tackles, and a pick six, he’s one of the Mountain West’s top playmakers.
2. SS JuJu Hughes, Sr.
3. CB Jaron Bryant, Sr.
4. DT Jasad Haynes, Sr.
5. P Blake Cusick, Sr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Fresno State Offense
The receiving corps has to be good as soon as possible. It would be one thing if the offense lost all of the top wide receivers and had a veteran quarterback in place to make the new parts comfortable, but Jorge Reyna is getting his feet wet as the starter. The passing game wasn’t huge – averaging 267 yards per game – but it was ultra-efficient. Jared Rice and the tight ends should help, but replacing KeeSean Johnson and Jamire Jordan won’t be easy.
Biggest Key To The Fresno State Defense
A bit more of a pass rush might be nice. It’s not like the scheme is pass rush averse – the Bulldogs came up with 90 tackles for loss and 34 sacks in 2017 – and the D can get back there again. It’s hard to argue or complain about anything one of the nation’s stingiest defenses was able to do, but the pass rush and plays in the backfield weren’t there.
The Bulldogs came up with just 24 sacks and 70 tackles for loss, and everything turned out just fine. But with the replacements at linebacker, and with just enough defensive backs missing to be annoying, the more everyone can do to get into the backfield, the better.
Key Player To A Successful Season
QB Jorge Reyna, Sr.
He’s ready to roll. The 6-0, 215-pounder isn’t all that big, but he’s a baller’s baller who can move, has a live arm, and has the JUCO experience to not start from scratch.
Now he has to replace Marcus McMaryion, who ran Jeff Tedford’s offense over the last two seasons, hit 69% of his throws for 3,629 yards and 25 scores with just five picks, and ran for eight scores. Reyna has to do that, but with a whole new group of starting wide receivers figuring out what they’re doing.
Key Game To The Fresno State Season
at San Diego State, Nov. 16
The schedule isn’t all that bad, especially in Mountain West play. If the defending Mountain West champs are close to being as good as they’ve been over the last two seasons, they should be able to get out to a 4-0 conference start before hosting Utah State.
The Bulldogs have to win that, but they might be able to survive with a loss – Utah State has a rougher slate – but they’ve got to take down the Aztecs for a third straight season.
– Fresno State Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Fresno State Fun Stats
– Red Zone Scoring: Fresno State 51-of-57 (89%) – Opponents 17-of-26 (65%)
– Sacks: Fresno State 25 for 127 yards – Opponents 12 for 68 yards
– 3rd Quarter Scoring: Fresno State 157 – Opponents 24
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. FRESNO STATE WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
Really? You’re going to question what Jeff Tedford can do?
There’s rebuilding to be done, but it’s nothing compared to taking a 1-11 2016 team and turning it into a Mountain West championship caliber program with 22 victories over the last two seasons.
There will have to be some tweaking. The running game will have to start doing more until all the new wide receivers and new starting QB Jorge Reyna are ready to go, and having to replace the entire starting linebacking corps won’t be easy. Throw in the loss of solid PK Jimmy Camacho, and this would normally be a team due to take a medium-sized step back, but …
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 9
Six of the first seven games are against teams that didn’t go bowling. Okay, so one of those is on the road at USC, but all the pressure in the world will be on the Pac-12 side of the field.
There’s no Boise State to face from the Mountain Division, and while the San Diego State game is on the road, the showdown with Utah State is in Bulldog Stadium.
Factor in a loss at USC, but the Minnesota game at home isn’t a sure-thing defeat. There will a few misfires – FSU lost to UNLV last season – but there’s no doubting what Tedford has created.
Set the bar at nine regular season wins – at least – with the West Division title coming down to the showdown at San Diego State.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
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