2020 Fresno State Bulldogs football team

American college football season

2020 Fresno State Bulldogs football
ConferenceMountain West Conference
Record3–3 (3–3 MW)
Head coach
  • Kalen DeBoer (1st season)
Offensive coordinatorRyan Grubb (2nd season)
Offensive schemeAir raid
Defensive coordinatorWilliam Inge (1st season)
Base defenseMultiple 4–2–5
Home stadiumBulldog Stadium
Seasons
← 2019
2021 →
2020 Mountain West Conference football standings
  • v
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 Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 24 San Jose State y$   7 – 0     7 – 1  
Boise State y   5 – 0     5 – 2  
Nevada   6 – 2     7 – 2  
San Diego State   4 – 2     4 – 4  
Hawaii   4 – 4     5 – 4  
Fresno State   3 – 3     3 – 3  
Air Force   2 – 2     3 – 3  
Wyoming   2 – 4     2 – 4  
New Mexico   2 – 5     2 – 5  
Colorado State   1 – 3     1 – 3  
Utah State   1 – 5     1 – 5  
UNLV   0 – 6     0 – 6  
Championship: San Jose State 34, Boise State 20
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
  • Note: Due to COVID-19, the Mountain West suspended the season, but later decided to begin play on October 24.[1]
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2020 Fresno State Bulldogs football team represented California State University, Fresno in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs were led by first–year head coach Kalen DeBoer and played their games at Bulldog Stadium as a member of the Mountain West Conference.

On August 10, 2020, the Mountain West Conference suspended all fall sports competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]

On September 24, 2020, the Mountain West Conference resumed all fall sports competitions.

Schedule

Fresno State had non-conference games scheduled against Colorado and Texas A&M. They were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3][4]

On November 19, the game vs. San Jose State scheduled for November 21 was canceled because of a positive COVID-19 test and contact tracing within the Fresno State program.[5]

On November 22, the game vs. San Diego State scheduled for November 27 was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Fresno State football program.[6]

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
October 244:30 p.m.HawaiidaggerKSEEL 19–340
October 297:00 p.m.Colorado State
  • Bulldog Stadium
  • Fresno, CA
CBSSNW 38–170
November 712:30 p.m.at UNLVCBSSNW 40–272,000
November 1411:30 a.m.at Utah StateFS2W 35–160
November 214:00 p.m.San Jose State
  • Bulldog Stadium
  • Fresno, CA (rivalry)
CBSSNNo Contest[5]
November 276:00 p.m.San Diego State
  • Bulldog Stadium
  • Fresno, CA (rivalry)
FS1No Contest
December 56:00 p.m.at NevadaFS2L 26–3750
December 127:30 p.m.at New MexicoFS1L 39–49250

[7]

Game summaries

Hawaii

Game One – Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (0–0) at Fresno State Bulldogs (0–0)
Period 1 2 34Total
Rainbow Warriors 7 10 71034
Bulldogs 7 6 3319

at Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, California

  • Date: Saturday, October 24, 2020
  • Game time: 4:30 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 77 °F (25 °C) • Wind: NW 6 mph
  • Game attendance: 0
  • TV announcers (KSEE): Mark Demsky (play-by-play), Andrew Marden (analyst)
  • Pregame line: Fresno State –2.5
Game information
First quarter
  • (11:34) FRES – Ronnie Rivers 7-yard run, Cesar Silva kick (Drive: 5 plays, 26 yards, 3:22; Fresno State 7–0)
  • (4:00) HAW – Chevan Cordeiro 20-yard run, Matthew Shipley kick (Drive: 5 plays, 37 yards, 1:50; Tied 7–7)
Second quarter
  • (7:12) HAW – Matthew Shipley 34-yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 73 yards, 5:37; Hawaii 10–7)
  • (1:50) FRES – Juan Rodriguez 18-yard pass from Jake Haener, kick missed (Drive: 2 plays, 33 yards, 0:11; Fresno State 13–10)
  • (0:27) HAW – Chevan Cordeiro 3-yard run, Matthew Shipley kick (Drive: 6 plays, 72 yards, 1:17; Hawaii 17–13)
Third quarter
  • (6:18) HAW – Calvin Turner 2-yard run, Matthew Shipley kick (Drive: 14 plays, 76 yards, 6:31; Hawaii 24–13)
  • (3:41) FRES – Cesar Silva 22-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 2:37; Hawaii 24–16)
Fourth quarter
  • (12:08) HAW – Matthew Shipley 24-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 62 yards, 2:53; Hawaii 27–16)
  • (10:13) FRES – Cesar Silva 25-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 1:55; Hawaii 27–19)
  • (4:52) HAW – Calvin Turner 4-yard run, Matthew Shipley kick (Drive: 12 plays, 70 yards, 5:15; Hawaii 34–19)
Statistics HAW FRES
First downs 27 22
Plays–yards 87–552 70–409
Rushes–yards 53–323 37–120
Passing yards 229 289
Passing: comp–att–int 20–30–0 17–31–3
Time of possession 32:56 27:04
Team Category Player Statistics
Hawaii Passing Chevan Cordeiro 20/30, 239 yards
Rushing Chevan Cordeiro 13 carries, 116 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Jared Smart 7 receptions, 89 yards
Fresno State Passing Jake Haener 17/31, 289 yards TD, 3 INT
Rushing Ronnie Rivers 18 carries, 79 yards, TD
Receiving Keric Wheatfall 3 receptions, 73 yards

Colorado State

Game Two – Colorado State Rams (0–0) at Fresno State Bulldogs (0–1)
Period 1 2 34Total
Rams 3 7 0717
Bulldogs 7 17 7738

at Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, California

  • Date: Thursday, October 26, 2020
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Wind: WNW 5 mph
  • Game attendance: 0
  • TV announcers (CBSSN): Ben Holden (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (analyst)
  • Pregame line: Colorado State –2.5
Game information
First quarter
  • (6:44) FRES – Ronnie Rivers 13-yard pass from Jake Haener, Cesar Silva kick (Drive: 12 plays, 86 yards, 6:26; Fresno State 7–0)
  • (4:07) CSU – Robert Liss 24-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 2:32; Fresno State 7–3)
Second quarter
  • (13:57) CSU – Marcus McElroy Jr. 15-yard run, Robert Liss kick (Drive: 10 plays, 81 yards, 3:24; Colorado State 10–7)
  • (11:00) FRES – Cesar Silva 34-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 2:50; Tied 10–10)
  • (6:32) FRES – Ronnie Rivers 32-yard run, Cesar Silva kick (Drive: 6 plays, 68 yards, 2:38; Fresno State 17–10)
  • (1:03) FRES – Jordan Mims 15-yard pass from Jake Haener, Cesar Silva kick (Drive: 10 plays, 91 yards, 3:14; Fresno State 24–10)
Third quarter
  • (2:43) FRES – Ronnie Rivers 1-yard run, Cesar Silva kick (Drive: 12 plays, 67 yards, 4:56; Fresno State 31–10)
Fourth quarter
  • (7:58) FRES – Jalen Moreno-Cropper 6-yard pass from Jake Haener, Cesar Silva kick (Drive: 5 plays, 17 yards, 2:41; Fresno State 38–10)
  • (0:41) CSU – Trey McBride 20-yard pass from Patrick O'Brien, Robert Liss kick (Drive: 5 plays, 36 yards, 1:15; Fresno State 38–17)
Statistics CSU FRES
First downs 21 24
Plays–yards 73–381 80–432
Rushes–yards 39–158 43–84
Passing yards 223 348
Passing: comp–att–int 17–33–0 25–36–0
Time of possession 24:10 35:50
Team Category Player Statistics
Colorado State Passing Todd Centeio 10/23, 141 yards
Rushing Todd Centeio 12 carries, 89 yards
Receiving Trey McBride 8 receptions, 130 yards, TD
Fresno State Passing Jake Haener 22/32, 311 yards, 3 TD
Rushing Ronnie Rivers 23 carries, 95 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Keric Wheatfall 5 receptions, 87 yards

UNLV

Game Three – Fresno State Bulldogs (1–1) at UNLV Rebels (0–2)
Period 1 2 34Total
Bulldogs 6 14 71340
Rebels 7 10 10027

at Allegiant Stadium • Paradise, Nevada

  • Date: Saturday, November 7, 2020
  • Game time: 12:30 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Windy • Temperature: 60 °F (16 °C) • Wind: SW 25 mph
  • Game attendance: 2,000
  • TV announcers (CBSSN): Ben Holden (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (analyst)
  • Pregame line: Fresno State –11.5
Game information
First quarter
  • (10:20) FRES – Jake Haener 54-yard run, kick failed (Drive: 5 plays, 78 yards, 2:16; Fresno State 6–0)
  • (6:11) UNLV – Charles Williams 2-yard run, Daniel Gutierrez kick (Drive: 12 plays, 74 yards, 4:05; UNLV 7–6)
Second quarter
  • (11:39) UNLV – Daniel Gutierrez 28-yard field goal (Drive: 18 plays, 74 yards, 6:13; UNLV 10–6)
  • (9:34) FRES – Ronnie Rivers 5-yard run, Cesar Silva kick (Drive: 5 plays, 73 yards, 1:58; Fresno State 13–10)
  • (6:12) UNLV – Tyleek Collins 43-yard pass from Max Gilliam, Daniel Gutierrez kick (Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 3:13; UNLV 17–13)
  • (1:25) FRES – Ronnie Rivers 33-yard pass from Jake Haener, Cesar Silva kick (Drive: 5 plays, 63 yards, 0:42; Fresno State 20–17)
Third quarter
  • (13:24) FRES – Ronnie Rivers 16-yard run, Cesar Silva kick (Drive: 3 plays, 25 yards, 0:25; Fresno State 27–17)
  • (6:35) UNLV – Daniel Gutierrez 20-yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 72 yards, 6:33; Fresno State 27–20)
  • (3:41) UNLV – Max Gilliam 71-yard run, Daniel Gutierrez kick (Drive: 2 plays, 71 yards, 0:17; Tied 27–27)
Fourth quarter
  • (14:55) FRES – Ronnie Rivers 10-yard run, Cesar Silva kick (Drive: 11 plays, 79 yards, 3:35; Fresno State 34–27)
  • (7:14) FRES – Cesar Silva 35-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 1:43; Fresno State 37–27)
  • (1:51) FRES – Cesar Silva 31-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 47 yards, 3:56; Fresno State 40–27)
Statistics FRES UNLV
First downs 22 19
Plays–yards 73–487 79–402
Rushes–yards 36–243 46–242
Passing yards 244 160
Passing: comp–att–int 20–35–0 15–31–2
Time of possession 29:35 30:25
Team Category Player Statistics
Fresno State Passing Jake Haener 15/23, 164 yards, TD
Rushing Ronnie Rivers 19 carries, 133 yards, 3 TD
Receiving Ronnie Rivers 6 receptions, 99 yards, TD
UNLV Passing Max Gilliam 15/31, 160 yards, TD, 2 INT
Rushing Max Gilliam 16 carries, 139 yards, TD
Receiving Kyle Williams 5 receptions, 52 yards

Utah State

Game Four – Fresno State Bulldogs (2–1) at Utah State Aggies (0–3)
Period 1 2 34Total
Bulldogs 7 21 0735
Aggies 13 3 0016

at Maverik Stadium • Logan, Utah

  • Date: Saturday, November 14, 2020
  • Game time: 11:30 a.m. PST
  • Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 37 °F (3 °C) • Wind: W 14 mph
  • Game attendance: 0
  • TV announcers (FS2): Kevin Fitzgerald (play-by-play), Evan Moore (analyst)
  • Pregame line: Fresno State –10.5
Game information
First quarter
  • (11:02) USU – Jaylen Warren 86-yard run, kick failed (Drive: 1 plays, 86 yards, 0:13; Utah State 6–0)
  • (4:46) FRES – Jalen Moreno-Cropper 9-yard pass from Jake Haener, Cesar Silva kick (Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:10; Fresno State 7–6)
  • (4:43) USU – Savon Scarver 94-yard kick return, Connor Coles kick (Utah State 13–7)
Second quarter
  • (12:27) FRES – Jalen Moreno-Cropper 59-yard pass from Jake Haener, Cesar Silva kick (Drive: 4 plays, 96 yards, 1:27; Fresno State 14–13)
  • (5:41) FRES – Josh Kelly 71-yard pass from Jake Haener, Cesar Silva kick (Drive: 4 plays, 85 yards, 1:20; Fresno State 21–13)
  • (1:59) USU – Connor Coles 38-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 44 yards, 3:35; Fresno State 21–16)
  • (0:34) FRES – Ronnie Rivers 4-yard run, Cesar Silva kick (Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 1:25; Fresno State 28–16)
Third quarter
  • No scoring plays
Fourth quarter
  • (5:21) FRES – Jalen Moreno-Cropper 44-yard pass from Jake Haener, Cesar Silva kick (Drive: 7 plays, 72 yards, 3:12; Fresno State 35–16)
Statistics FRES USU
First downs 25 12
Plays–yards 75–541 60–343
Rushes–yards 37–119 35–199
Passing yards 422 144
Passing: comp–att–int 29–38–1 9–24–0
Time of possession 33:49 26:11
Team Category Player Statistics
Fresno State Passing Jake Haener 29/38, 422 yards, 4 TD, INT
Rushing Ronnie Rivers 25 carries 132 yards, TD
Receiving Jalen Moreno-Cropper 10 receptions, 202 yards, 3 TD
Utah State Passing Jason Shelley 9/24, 144 yards
Rushing Jaylen Warren 9 carries, 136 yards, TD
Receiving Deven Thompkins 3 receptions, 92 yards

Nevada

Game Five – Fresno State Bulldogs (3–1) at Nevada Wolfpack (5–1)
Period 1 2 34Total
Bulldogs 7 13 0626
Wolf Pack 17 7 01337

at Mackay Stadium • Reno, Nevada

  • Date: Saturday, December 5, 2020
  • Game time: 6:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 44 °F (7 °C) • Wind: WNW 4 mph
  • Game attendance: 50
  • TV announcers (FS2): Anthony LaPanta (play-by-play), Ron Johnson (analyst)
  • Pregame line: Nevada –6.5
Game information
First quarter
  • (11:34) NEV – Brandon Talton 49-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 38 yards, 3:26; Nevada 3–0)
  • (8:05) FRES – Josh Kelly 9-yard run, Mac Delena kick (Drive: 8 plays, 77 yards, 3:23; Fresno State 7–3)
  • (5:12) NEV – Cole Turner 5-yard pass from Carson Strong, Brandon Talton kick (Drive: 4 plays, 40 yards, 1:00; Nevada 10–7)
  • (3:30) NEV – Cole Turner 2-yard pass from Carson Strong, Brandon Talton kick (Drive: 3 plays, 21 yards, 1:19; Nevada 17–7)
Second quarter
  • (12:03) FRES – Jake Haener 3-yard run, Mac Delena kick (Drive: 16 plays, 75 yards, 6:27; Nevada 17–14)
  • (9:14) NEV – Tory Horton 17-yard pass from Carson Strong, Brandon Talton kick (Drive: 6 plays, 59 yards, 2:43; Nevada 24–14)
  • (1:32) FRES – Keric Wheatfall 19-yard pass from Jake Haener, kick missed (Drive: 4 plays, 58 yards, 1:00; Nevada 24–20)
Third quarter
  • No scoring plays
Fourth quarter
  • (13:42) NEV – Tory Horton 85-yard pass from Carson Strong, kick missed (Drive: 3 plays, 85 yards, 0:53; Nevada 30–20)
  • (5:32) NEV – Tory Horton 32-yard pass from Carson Strong, Brandon Talton kick (Drive: 5 plays, 65 yards, 2:40; Nevada 37–20)
  • (1:39) FRES – Zane Pope 21-yard pass from Jake Haener, kick missed (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 3:53; Nevada 37–26)
Statistics FRES NEV
First downs 30 14
Plays–yards 105–599 62–416
Rushes–yards 40–114 22–62
Passing yards 485 354
Passing: comp–att–int 41–65–0 23–39–2
Time of possession 35:01 24:59
Team Category Player Statistics
Fresno State Passing Jake Haener 41/65, 485 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Ronnie Rivers 14 carries, 69 yards
Receiving Keric Wheatfall 6 receptions, 113 yards, TD
Nevada Passing Carson Strong 23/39 354 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT
Rushing Toa Taua 11 carries, 39 yards
Receiving Tory Horton 5 receptions, 148 yards, 3 TD

New Mexico

Game Six – Fresno State Bulldogs (3–2) at New Mexico Lobos (1–5)
Period 1 2 34Total
Bulldogs 7 17 7839
Lobos 7 14 72149

at Sam Boyd Stadium • Whitney, Nevada

  • Date: Saturday, December 12, 2020
  • Game time: 7:30 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 50 °F (10 °C) • Wind: N 7 mph
  • Game attendance: 250
  • TV announcers (FS1): Guy Haberman (play-by-play), Charles Arbuckle (analyst)
  • Pregame line: Fresno State –14.5
Game information
First quarter
  • (11:28) FRES – Jalen Moreno-Cropper 10-yard pass from Jake Haener, Asa Fuller kick (Drive: 6 plays, 44 yards, 1:46; Fresno State 7–0)
  • (6:34) UNM – Isaiah Chavez 3-yard run, Donovan Murphree kick (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:54; Tied 7–7)
Second quarter
  • (14:54) FRES – Zane Pope 16-yard pass from Jake Haener, Asa Fuller kick (Drive: 6 plays, 50 yards, 2:06; Fresno State 14–7)
  • (11:54) UNM – Nathaniel Jones 3-yard run, Donovan Murphree kick (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:00; Tied 14–14)
  • (10:27) FRES – Asa Fuller 39-yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 56 yards, 1:22; Fresno State 17–14)
  • (8:47) FRES – Jordan Mims 84-yard run, Asa Fuller kick (Drive: 1 play, 84 yards, 0:15; Fresno State 24–14)
  • (8:47) UNM – Bobby Cole 74-yard run, Donovan Murphree kick (Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 3:20; Fresno State 24–21)
Third quarter
  • (6:53) FRES – Jake Haener 3-yard run, Asa Fuller kick (Drive: 16 plays, 70 yards, 7:59; Fresno State 31–21)
  • (4:49) UNM – Conner Kinslow 49-yard pass from Isaiah Chavez, Donovan Murphree kick (Drive: 5 plays, 77 yards, 1:58; Fresno State 31–28)
Fourth quarter
  • (10:20) UNM – Nathaniel Jones 10-yard run, Donovan Murphree kick (Drive: 14 plays, 85 yards, 7:33; New Mexico 35–31)
  • (7:26) UNM – Bobby Cole 35-yard run, Donovan Murphree kick (Drive: 1 play, 35 yards, 0:07; New Mexico 42–31)
  • (2:33) UNM – Bobby Cole 9-yard run, Donovan Murphree kick (Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 2:45; New Mexico 49–31)
  • (1:08) FRES – Mac Delena 24-yard pass from Jake Haener, Jake Haener–Zane Pope 2-pont pass kick (Drive: 8 plays, 74 yards, 1:18; New Mexico 49–39)
Statistics FRES UNM
First downs 23 24
Plays–yards 67–408 66–495
Rushes–yards 23–58 48–299
Passing yards 350 196
Passing: comp–att–int 26–43–1 14–18–0
Time of possession 28:27 31:33
Team Category Player Statistics
Fresno State Passing Jake Haener 26/43, 350 yards, 3 TD, INT
Rushing Jordan Mims 3 carries, 84 yards, TD
Receiving Jalen Moreno-Cropper 12 receptions, 134 yards, TD
New Mexico Passing Isaiah Chavez 14/18, 196 yards, TD
Rushing Bobby Cole 18 carries, 138 yards, 3 TD
Receiving Marcus Williams 3 receptions, 55 yards

References

  1. ^ "WE'RE BACK". twitter.com/MountainWest. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  2. ^ "Mountain West Postpones 2020 Fall Sports". TheMW.com. August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  3. ^ Bromberg, Nick. "Pac-12 follows Big Ten's lead and won't play non-conference games in 2020". Yahoo News. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  4. ^ Talty, John (July 30, 2020). "SEC moves to conference-only 2020 schedule, pushes back start of season". AL.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Kuwada, Robert (November 20, 2020). "Fresno State game against San Jose State canceled due to contact tracing among Bulldogs". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  6. ^ "San Diego State at Fresno State Football Game Canceled". themw.com. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  7. ^ "2020 Fresno State Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
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