In his first season leading the Fresno State football team, Head Coach Matt Entz closed out the year with a win against the Miami of Ohio RedHawks in the Arizona Bowl.
The Bulldogs couldn’t get into the Mountain West title game for one final time, but the Red Wave can be proud of the way the season ended and confident for the program’s future in the Pac-12.
The ‘Dogs held the RedHawks to just one field goal, which they scored on their first drive of the game.
The RedHawks scored with nine minutes left in the first quarter. For the following 54 minutes, the Fresno State defense made it nearly impossible for the RedHawks to get anything going offensively.
Defensive coordinator Nick Benedetto called another complete game, making it tough on quarterback Thomas Gotkowski all game long.
Gotkowski, a third-string quarterback who got the starting nod, completed just six of his 22 pass attempts for 72 yards. He was also picked off by defensive back Jakari Embry halfway through the opening quarter.
As the RedHawks were forced to keep the ball on the ground, the Bulldogs’ defense didn’t make it any easier. The Bulldogs allowed just 120 rushing yards on 26 attempts.
In his first season in Fresno, Benedetto turned the Bulldogs into a true defensive threat. The ‘Dogs reeled in 20 interceptions this season, which was tied for the third most in all of college football.
With the defense coming up with plenty of stops, the offense didn’t feel much pressure.
In his final collegiate start, quarterback E.J. Warner threw for 214 yards and one touchdown on an efficient 16-of-23 passing. Warner also added 23 yards on the ground.
This season was not what the Red Wave was expecting from their veteran quarterback.
In his 10 starts, Warner completed 69% of his pass attempts for 1,811 yards. Warner threw just 12 touchdowns and led the Mountain West with 11 interceptions.
Despite being benched in the middle of the season, Warner was able to come back and start the final three games of the season. On Saturday, he flashed his skills with the help of wide receiver Josiah Freeman. The two connected seven times for 143 yards, including a 51-yard catch and run in the third quarter.
Warner managed the game well while taking care of the ball.
In order to win games this season, the Bulldogs were never asking their quarterback to carry the offense. Instead, Entz needed someone to keep the ball out of harm’s way and to complement the run game, something Warner did well against the RedHawks.
The rushing attack was not as strong as it usually is, but it didn’t end up mattering. It wasn’t until the ‘Dogs had a comfortable lead that the run game could really start taking control of the game.
The Bulldogs close out Entz’s first season with nine wins and a bowl game victory. To call this season a success would be an understatement.
Entz brought new coaches, new players and a new identity to this Fresno State program. It wasn’t pretty at times, even in the victories, but he got the job done.
Strong running backed by an even stronger defense carried the Bulldogs to a 9-4 record.
This offseason will be an important one for the ‘Dogs, who are transitioning to the Pac-12. The move to a new conference doesn’t just come with a logo change, but an opportunity to get more exposure to Fresno State.
Retention is difficult for every team in this college landscape, but with the way the Bulldogs played this season, Entz coached this team into being a future Pac-12 contender and a marquee destination for both players coming through the portal or straight out of high school.