Fresno State vs. Cal Poly Mustangs: Things to watch and an eye toward bigger matchups
The Fresno State Bulldogs open the season on Thursday against Cal Poly and if history is any guide at all, the game will not be close.
The Bulldogs’ past five games against lesser Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponents:
2021: 63-10, Cal Poly
2019: 34-20, Sacramento State
2018: 79-13, Idaho
2017: 66-0, Incarnate Word
2016: 31-3, Sacramento State
Even a 2016 Fresno State team that finished 1-11 had an easy time of it against Sacramento State. But the Bulldogs still are must-see TV in their opener, even if just fixing an eye toward the Power Five conference matchups on the schedule next week against Oregon State and the following week at for-now No. 14 USC.
Here are three things to watch …
The Baxter effect on special teams
Fresno State had its issues on special teams last season, struggling with its return and cover teams and an inconsistent punting game.
The Bulldogs ranked eighth in the Mountain West in punting and last of 12 in punt returns. They also were 11th in touchback percentage on kickoffs and eighth in opponent kickoff returns. Fresno State did not allow a kickoff return touchdown, but that is a dangerous combination.
But the number that stands out is kickoff return — still. The Bulldogs have not returned a kickoff for a touchdown since A.J. Jefferson took one back 92 yards against Nevada on Nov. 7, 2008. It has been 166 games and 596 kickoff returns since that score.
“In 2008, I was probably 9 years old, so I don’t know what grade I was in right there, but I know I was playing football somewhere,” said wideout Erik Brooks, who is the Bulldogs’ kick return man.
Notably, that last return TD came with John Baxter as special teams coordinator. Baxter spent 13 seasons at Fresno State building a reputation for strong fourth-down and kickoff play and went on to eight seasons at USC and one at Michigan.
Now, coach Jeff Tedford hired Baxter as tight ends coach and special teams coordinator, and Brooks expects a fast return on investment.
“I like our chances on all the returns, on all the special teams to make some big plays — blocked kicks, blocked punts, run punts back, run kicks back,” he said. “I have full confidence we’re going to get some of that going.”
Baxter said he had not watched any film from last season, but likes where the Bulldogs special teams units are heading into the season.
“When we went to spring practice, every one of these players got evaluated,” he said. “One of the things we talk about, our signature, is being technically trained and situation aware. In other words, being able to play and win with technique and understanding how the conditions of the game — field position, time on the clock, down and distance — affect your assignment.
“We’ll see where we’re at. One of the things that’s kind of wild about any first game, we’re playing with a bunch of 18- to 22-year-old guys with a ball that is not round. You can’t even make the stuff up that’s about to happen.”
A true freshman starting at defensive tackle?
Freshman Gavriel Lightfoot made a quick impression in fall camp and while it’s no surprise that he worked his way to the top of the depth chart it also is … well, surprising. There have been some Fresno State true freshmen to play on the interior defensive line through the years, but it appears that Lightfoot would be the first to start a game there since 1997 when Russell Harding lined up against Utah in the fifth game of the season before moving to the offensive line due to injuries on that side of the football.
“He’s had a really good camp,” Tedford said of Lightfoot, who is 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds. “He’s really dependable. I really believe that he’s mentally, physically and emotionally ready to play in there and that’s what you need to be as a freshman, because there’s a lot coming at you.
“But he has proven over camp that he’s ready for that.”
The Bulldogs are much deeper in the interior defensive line than they were a year ago and will be able to rotate and keep those players fresher through a game. There is no set target on the number of snaps for any individual player, but Fresno State will have a deep roster of players dressed for their opener on what will be a warm night.
Lightfoot, or any other Bulldogs defensive lineman, won’t be asked to take on Kevin Atkins-type duty. The former Bulldog last season averaged 55 snaps a game when no other tackle played more than 33.
“I think we’re going to be able to stay fresh there,” Tedford said. “I think we have more depth now. We’ll be doing it by committee.”
That can’t be good news for Cal Poly, which ranked last in the Big Sky last season when averaging just 2.6 yards per rush and 12th of 13 in the conference in sacks allowed with 35. If the Mustangs have any success on the ground it likely isn’t a good sign for Fresno State with Oregon State coming to town.
The Beavers at least leaned toward the run, rushing the football on 60% of their offensive plays while averaging a healthy 5.3 yards per carry.
The Haener, Moreno-Cropper connection
Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener targeted wideout Jalen Moreno-Cropper 119 times last season including a three-game stretch at UCLA (17), against UNLV (12) and at Hawaii (13) with 42 targets.
They connected on 71.4% of those throws, 11 for touchdowns. That was one of the highest in the nation and second-highest in the Mountain West behind only the Nevada combo of Carson Strong and Romeo Doubs at 72.7%, according to Pro Football Focus.
Moreno-Cropper was working primarily out of the slot then, but now moving outside will there be some growing pains between them early in the season? Will they form a similar high-voltage combo?
“I think we’ve had our ups and our downs through camp,” Haener said at the start of the week. “I think it’s a learning curve as far as Jalen moving outside and doing some different things on the perimeter, so I think everybody is going to be excited to see what we do this season.”
The game
Fresno State vs. Cal Poly
When: Thursday, 7:35 p.m.
Where: Valley Children’s Stadium
TV: FS1 (Eric Collins and Devin Gardner)
Find it fast: Channels 652, 1652 on AT&T Uverse; 35, 408, 731, 1208 on Comcast; 219 on DirecTV; 150 on Dish Network
Radio: Bulldog Sports Network (Paul Loeffler, Pat Hill, Cameron Worrell)
Find it fast: 1400AM in Visalia/Tulare; 1340AM in Fresno; 1280AM in Stockton; 970AM in Bakersfield; 92.9FM in Modesto; 96.7FM in Fresno.
The records: Bulldogs (0-0, 10-3 in 2021), Mustangs (0-0, 2-9)
The series: Bulldogs lead 33-10-2
The streak: Bulldogs have won eight in a row
Last meeting: The Bulldogs won 63-10 in 2021
The line: Bulldogs -33.5
Tickets: 559-278-DOGS or gobulldogs.com
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