WEEK 4: Southern Utah Thunderbirds (0-3) vs. Fresno State Bulldogs (0-3)
WHEN: Saturday, September 20 -- 7:00 PM, PST
WHERE: Bulldog Stadium; Fresno, CA (41,031)
TV: The game will be televised online as part of the Mountain West Network and Campus Insiders. Click here for further details.
RADIO: Fresno's two ESPN affiliates, 940 and 1600 AM, will broadcast the game in English and Spanish, respectively.
SERIES RECORD:
WEB SITES: GoBulldogs.com, Fresno State's official athletics site | , Abiliene Christian's official athletics site
2015 appears to be the beginning of a new youth movement in the Central Valley. While the Bulldogs may not have the look of a Mountain West contender this year, this season opener against a capable FCS squad figures to
What to watch - Southern Utah: One of the things that both the Thunderbirds and Bulldogs have in common, at least for the moment, is first-half scoring troubles. In three games, Southern Utah has scored just seven points before halftime and Fresno hasn't been much better, scratching just 19 points together. The situation might be more dire for the visitors, though, considering that Southeastern Louisiana and South Dakota State won't ever been confused with USC and Nebraska.
It's an open question as to whether the Bulldogs can get back to their ballhawking ways, but if the first three games are any indication they should have some opportunities at a big play. Two SUU quarterbacks, Aaron Cantu and Ammon Olsen, have combined for 5.7 yards per attempt and seven interceptions. Nearly 40% of the aerial attack has flowed through one receiver, senior Chris Robinson. If they get him involved early and keep the chains moving with a balanced offense, they might be able to surprise the Bulldogs and lay for the foundation for an upset.
What to watch - Fresno State: Why is this quarterback competition still going? It's not clear anyone has an answer besides "we're waiting for someone to stop being lousy", but there's no sense in burying the lead. Brian Burrell played four quarters against the Cornhuskers last Saturday and... left a lot to be desired. Sure, he had a 66-yard touchdown run, but it came when the Bulldogs were down by 29 and Nebraska had no real reason to respect the running game at all (offensive coordinator Dave Schramm hadn't given it to them). His 241 yards on 59 attempts were the fewest of any quarterback with at least that many passes in a game since 2000. DeRuyter will play the waiting game with regards to naming a starter, though it's likely he'll want to get a longer look at Connette.
On defense, you can imagine that Donavon Lewis and Ejiro Ederaine are dying to take their best shot at an offensive line that's allowed six sacks in three games. Fresno has been shut out in that department in two of three games so far, but they haven't gone without a sack in consecutive games since they went three straight since 2009. This is a defense that thrives on being aggressive and throwing heat at opposing quarterbacks, and the opportunities for big sacks have been there periodically but haven't been cashed in because of lackluster tackling. An early takedown would certainly energize the crowd and could be the spark the team needs to roll through an inferior opponent.