The Fresno State Bulldogs welcome the Colorado State Rams to Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, California, for a Mountain West Conference showdown under the Friday night lights at 10 pm EST. This will mark the first game of the year for the Rams while the Bulldogs seek to atone for a dismal road loss to the Hawaii Rainbows last Saturday. Furthermore, Fresno State failed to cover as 2.5 point dogs, thus making them just 3-7 against the number in their last ten games, overall. The Bulldogs have not fared well in this area versus the Rams as of late either in going 2-4 ATS in their last six meetings while dropping two of their last three versus the spread at Bulldogs Stadium. In fact, the Rams destroyed the Bulldogs in last season’s matchup in rushing for just under 180 yards while accumulating over 300 yards passing in a game where Colorado State was double-digit dogs.
This matchup started off as a pickem contest, yet the line moved in favor of the Rams (-2) while the total stands at 58 points, up from 57.5 at opening.
Addazio makes debut for Rams
Former Boston College coach Steve Addazio will lead his Rams onto the field for the first time as he seeks to improve from a 4-8 season in 2019. As during his time with the Eagles, the head coach will certainly want to ramp up production in a rushing attack that ranked 102nd in the country with 132 yards per game. However, the Rams will be without their leading rushing in 2019 in Marvin Kinsey, thus meaning that senior Marcus McElroy, Jr. (307 yds, 3 TD’s) will need to step it up in the backfield in 2020. The offensive line took two big hits as two of their best from 2019 transferred, yet the team retained two lineman from last year’s squad. Most importantly, the Rams return some huge pieces from a passing attack that ranked 15th in the nation in putting up 305 yards per game in 2019.
QB Patrick O’Brien will seek to improve from a 2800 yard passing year last season while posting 13 touchdowns next to six picks in addition to completing 62% of his passes. Expect the senior to be more accurate in his final season as he certainly possesses some targets that are experienced and talented such as junior Warren Jackson, who posted an 1100 yard receiving campaign last year while also posting 8 scores in the air. Sophomore receiver Dante Wright (805 yds, 6 TD’s) along with junior tight end Trey McBride (560 yds, 4 TD’s) will also be looking to ramp up their production as well after promising performances last year. However, they will be matching up against the Fresno State team that allowed just 229 pass yards to a pass happy Hawaii squad last weekend. On the other hand, the Rams may indeed have some success on the ground if the Bulldogs are not able to improve in stopping the rush.
Defensively, the Rams were able to effectively defend the pass in ranking 9th in the nation, however, the unit suffered versus opposing rushing attacks in giving up just under 200 yards per game. The team lost some critical pieces at the linebacker and safety positions, however are depending upon safety Logan Stewart (76 tackles) to carry much of the load in the defensive backfield. As far as the linebacking corps, CamRon Carter (39 tackles, 1.5 sacks) and Dequan Jackson (24 tackles, 1.5 sacks, ff) are expected to step up after getting considerable time on the field last season.
Up front will be where the Rams will be stacked as they return the bulk of their defensive line led by junior defensive end Emmanuel Jones (5 sacks) along with defensive tackle Ellison Hubbard (4.5 sacks). Also, the Rams will be enhanced up front by the addition of former Miami tackle Scott Patchan. Expect the front four to pin their ears back versus a Bulldogs team that committed four turnovers last weekend.
Haener throws three picks in loss to Warriors
QB Jake Haener did not begin his first start of the season on a consistent note as he not only completed just 55% of his passes for the game, but had three INT’s as well. His favorite target was sophomore Keric Wheathall (307 yds, TD in 2019) who caught three passes for 73 yards while junior Eric Brooks (3 rec, 47 yds) is expected to step up to be the complementary receiver alongside Wheathall. Nonetheless, the QB position must be more consistent than illustrated versus Hawaii. Haener will certainly possess a golden opportunity to prove his worth versus a secondary that was truly fantastic last year and expected to reload in 2020 behind a defensive-minded coach in Addazio. Important to note that senior receiver Zane Pope (525 yds, TD in 2019) is questionable for undisclosed reasons.
Fresno State rushed for 120 yards versus Hawaii with senior Ronnie Rivers (899 yds, 13 TD’s, 5.1 ypc in 2019) getting the bulk of the touches (19) while rushing for 79 yards. It will be interesting to see how they will perform versus what should be a stout defensive line for the Rams. However, Rivers is indeed a talent in the backfield in accumulating 26 rushing scores during his Bulldogs’ career while also being a threat outside of the backfield in racking up 352 receiving yards while cashing in on three passing scores (8 yards per catch).
Defensively, the Bulldogs, despite collecting four sacks versus the Warriors while recovering a fumble, were destroyed on the ground as they allowed a total of 323 rushing yards including four rushing touchdowns. Again, the team must be more forceful in the trenches if they are able to remain competitive versus a Rams offense that will be seeking to establish their rushing attack first and foremost. Junior linebacker Sherwin King, Jr. (6 tackles) must remain active while the defensive line, led by senior defensive end Kwami Jones (5 tackles, 3 sacks), must also prove their worth in Friday night’s contest. Important to note that the secondary did not give up a touchdown pass versus Hawaii as defensive back Bralyn Lux led the defense with eight tackles and a forced fumble.
Stats & Trends
- Rams are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite
- Rams are 4-0 ATS vs. a team with a losing record.
- Bulldogs are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 home games.
- Bulldogs are 2-5 ATS in last 7 contests versus Rams
