One of the biggest, most anticipated football games is finally upon The Red Wave. Fresno State heads to Ann Arbor to take on the defending national champion and ninth-ranked Michigan Wolverines on Saturday in the season opener.

The question on everybody’s mind: Do the Bulldogs, playing the role of David, have a chance against Goliath?

Head coach Tim Skipper, offensive coordinator Pat McCann, and defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle made their feelings known at Monday’s news conference in the Duncan Athletic Building.

“It all comes down to the fundamentals and us being in the right place, and if we can get our guys in that mindset throughout the game, then we have a fighting chance,” said Coyle.

Skipper could hardly contain his excitement for the game. “It’s finally here. Seeing the players excited to play, being physical, running around, having fun, bringing the juice, and having a lot of energy to play, I’m excited about it,” said Skipper.

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Bulldogs Head to Ann Arbor for Historic Matchup

The game will be broadcast NBC at 4:30 p.m., PDT.

This will be coach Skipper’s first game as the official head coach for the Bulldogs since taking over on July 15 when Jeff Tedford stepped down because of health concerns. He’s fired up about what a national audience will see from his team.

“They’ll see some kids and coaches that compete very hard. They’re mentally tough and handle adversity throughout the game. They fly around and hit you in the mouth and impose their will on opponents. That’s what I want people to see,” said Skipper.

This game has a few firsts and historical implications. This is the first time the teams have played against each other. This is the Bulldogs’ third time competing against a defending national champion, but it’ll be their first in the College Football Playoff era. This also could be their first time playing before more than 100,000 fans since facing Alabama in 2017.

And, both teams are led for the first time by newly appointed Black head coaches, with Skipper squaring off against Michigan’s Sherrone Moore, who succeeded Jim Harbaugh.

“I’d like for that to be a normal thing. I believe a lot of African Americans, including myself, are appreciative of the opportunities we get. I appreciate what Sherrone Moore has done with the program. Hopefully those after us will get the same opportunities in the future, I’m excited about that,” said Skipper.

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Michigan Focused on Bulldogs, not Texas or Controversy: Moore

Much of the pre-game buzz is centered on Michigan and the program’s 2023 sign-stealing controversy that is being investigated by the NCAA.

“They have to deal with it. I’m just concentrating on my team. As long as we’re ready to go and fight, we’ll be fine,” said Skipper.

Despite the investigation and a titanic week two game against Texas, Moore said the Wolverines are purely focused on the Bulldogs. He pointed to the Bulldogs’ road victories at The Big Ten’s Purdue and the Pac-12’s Arizona State as all the convincing his team needs that it must play well to fend off Fresno State.

“We have a really mature culture. You can’t be worried about two or three days from now because then you’re going to lose today,” Moore told the media on Monday. “We know they are a good football team. Last year, they went into Purdue and beat them.

“It starts with their quarterback Mikey Keene. He gets the ball out quick, he’s mobile and the offense goes through him. For us to be successful against them, it’s about how we stop him and how we contain him. He’s going to be able to scramble outside of the pocket so we have to keep him contained and confuse him with coverages.”

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Bulldogs’ Defense Rallies Together to Step Up to the Wolverines

Coyle knows he’s got his work ahead of him. This is a whole different level of size and speed that the Bulldogs will face.

“We’re going to hang our hat on what we’ve done but certainly we’ll have some things we haven’t shown. We’ve had a whole year to study them. That’s the fun part of setting up a gameplan,” said Coyle.

The Wolverines’ PFF grades and rankings from last year were mostly in the top 10 of every offensive category with their offense tied at No. 5, passing at No. 11, receiving at No. 6, and run blocking at No. 9. Thus far, the Wolverines haven’t decided on a starting quarterback to replace NFL first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy.

“We don’t have to do extra stuff. We’ve talked to our players about our execution. If we can execute to the best of our abilities and perform that way, we’ll see how things shake out,” said Coyle.

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Bulldogs’ Offense Ready to Face Michigan’s Top-Ranked Defense

Michigan is favored to win and has all the proof on paper. The Wolverines are 12-0 against the Mountain West’s current teams. They went undefeated last season and are on a 15-game winning streak.

Their defense complements their past success. They were a top 5 finisher in their PFF grades and rankings last year being the No.1 defense, run defense at No. 2, tackling at No. 2, pass rush was tied at No. 3, and pass coverage was No. 1.

Bulldogs offensive coordinator Pat McCann feels confident knowing that he has eight returning starters on that side of the ball. Those top guys include All-Mountain West talents like Keene, running back Malik Sherrod, and offensive linemen Mose Vavao and Jacob Spomer. That veteran experience could prove vital in this matchup.

“Their prepared, they know what to expect. They’re not worried about the moment being too big for them. That’s definitely been helpful. They won’t be rattled, and their experience is a perk,” said McCann.

New Wrinkles in Bulldogs Offense

The Bulldogs have plenty of game film on their opponent and their championship run to dissect their strengths and weaknesses. What Michigan doesn’t have that can prove beneficial for Fresno State is that last year’s tape won’t showcase the overall big-play capabilities the Bulldogs have been working on.

Tedford’s offensive acumen is amazing, and his trademarks are embedded in the playbook. Since his departure, McCann has been steering this scoring ship throughout the camps and scrimmages. At this point, how much of McCann’s identity can be seen in this offense?

“Tedford was a coaching idol of mine. He’s the best leader I’ve ever been around. His imprints are on the strategy, but he didn’t force things on the staff or impede on anyway. He just mostly focused on the gameplan and would ask questions,” said McCann. “The influence is there but we are who we are. We have a system that we believe in, and it works. Coach Skipper has empowered us to keep doing what we have been doing.”

Whether it’s the spirit of Tedford, the “anybody, anytime, anywhere” mentality, or winning their last three season-openers, the Bulldogs will utilize everything in their arsenal to show that they deserve to be on the same field with the Wolverines.