The Fresno State football team dashed Colorado State’s hopes for a possible berth in the Mountain West Conference championship by defeating the Rams 28-22 at Valley Children’s Stadium on Saturday. The victory on Senior Night makes the Bulldogs bowl eligible for the fourth straight year.

The Bulldogs are 6-5 this season, 4-3 in the MW.

The loss for the 7-4 Rams moves them down a spot into third place as UNLV takes the second seed in the MW title chase.

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Bulldogs’ Resilience Pays Off

“We just kept on swinging, kept fighting, and didn’t have excuses for bad situations and things that are happening. We just kept playing,” said coach Tim Skipper. “Bowl eligibility is everything. That’s why we’re in this business. This is why we do what we do in the offseason. It feels good to get six wins.”

Even with the absence of standout cornerback Cam Lockridge, the defense didn’t miss a step in front of a spirited Red Wave crowd.

Colorado State opened the game with a rushing touchdown from running back Justin Marshall to go up 7-0 with 8:28 into the first quarter.

The Bulldogs answered right back with running back Bryson Donelson racing into the end zone to tie it 7-7 with 7:06 on the game clock.

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Impressive Ground Game

Donelson and the rushing game had an impressive night. The ground attack has struggled for the majority of the year being ranked No. 125 in the FBS. The true freshman had 13 carries for 150 yards with the offense accumulating 162 rushing yards.

Both teams went three and out to conclude the first quarter.

The second quarter began with the Rams giving the ball back to the Bulldogs. Donelson’s 43-yard run put them into the red zone. Backup quarterback Joshua Wood took it to the pylon to put them ahead 14-7 with 10:54 to go into the second quarter.

After CSU turned the ball over on downs another Donnelson run set them up in scoring distance.

Quarterback Mikey Keene threw an interception to safety Henry Blackburn but a penalty on cornerback Dylan Phelps helped keep the drive alive.

On a fourth and goal Keene jumped over the goal line extending the ball out to get the score. Blackburn knocked it out of his hands in the end zone that was recovered by the Rams’ defense.

Fortunately, the Dogs’ defense bailed out the offense by forcing Colorado State to turn the ball over.

Keene delivered a 28-yard strike to wide receiver Mac Dalena at the corner of the end zone to extend the Bulldogs’ lead 21-7 with 2:18 on the game clock.

The Bulldogs got the ball back and put together a two-minute drill with Keene hitting Jalen Moss for a 15-yard touchdown pass, stretching their lead 28-0 to close out the first half.

Second Half Struggles

The offense went absolutely dormant for the rest of the second half.

Both teams ping-ponged possessions back and forth for most of the third quarter. The only score came from Rams’ quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, who rushed for a touchdown to cut their deficit 28-14 with 3:25 remaining in the third quarter.

CSU chewed up most of the time in the fourth quarter. The Rams attempted a critical fourth-and-15 and didn’t execute with 7:45 to go into the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs did nothing with their possession, which allowed CSU to march down the field until linebacker Phoenix Jackson intercepted the ball with 2:41 on the game clock.

The offense didn’t run out the clock. The defense allowed a give-me touchdown, and the successful two-point conversion inched the Rams close to a comeback 28-22 with 17 seconds left.

Finishing games has been an issue for the Bulldogs. They’ve been outscored by opponents in the last quarter 105-47 this year. There was some concern from the fans, but it wasn’t going to be the same storyline that evening.

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Bulldogs Get the Victory

The Bulldogs got the onside kick that sealed the victory, and the seniors went out on a high note in the final home game of the season.

“It was great sending off the seniors the right way. Getting another win, our last time playing in Bulldog Stadium, and it being a ‘dub’ is a great feeling,” said Dalena.

The offense got them the points needed to win behind Keene’s standout performance, completing 20-28 passes for 181 yards. It was the defense that decided the outcome of the game to put them into the postseason.

Fans have been scratching their heads about the lack of consistent snaps from defensive end and USC transfer Korey Foreman. He had his best game as a Bulldog tying for most tackles on the defense with six with Devo Brides and had a sack.

It was the Dogs’ last conference matchup. They’ll be at UCLA on Saturday with kickoff at 12:30 p.m.

“We’ll celebrate this win and move on. We’re going to go down there to the Rose Bowl. A great atmosphere. Play against a good UCLA team and we’re going to have to get ready to go play,” said Skipper.