The Bulldogs could not stop Jalon Daniels.

If the Kansas sixth-year quarterback wasn’t accurately completing passes, he was running out of trouble. He made Fresno State’s defense look soft. The Jayhawks defeated Fresno State 31-7 to open the 2025 season.

The Week 0 matchup saw Kansas improve to 1-0; Fresno State fell to 0-1.

It was the first game at the $448 million renovated David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, and the Jayhawks delivered for a sellout crowd of 41,525.

Daniels finished 18 of 20 for 176 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 47 yards on eight attempts.

E.J. Warner, playing his first game at quarterback for Fresno State, constantly found himself making up for lost ground and turned the ball over three times. He finished 18 of 29 for 179 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble.

“Just too many mistakes, got in our way, can’t beat ourselves,” coach Matt Entz told the Bulldog Sports Network after the game. “If we could have minimized some of those things, it would have been a lot closer.”

This was Entz’s first game as Fresno State’s coach.

One glaring comparison was yardage on first downs. Fresno State averaged only 3.0 yards; Kansas averaged 8.5. After matching Kansas touchdown for touchdown in the first quarter, it was all Jayhawks. They dominated on offense and made the Bulldogs’ running game irrelevant.

Bryson Donelson was the leading rusher with 34 yards on 11 carries. Rayshon Luke added 11 yards on seven attempts.

See game stats here.

A Good Start

The Jayhawks scored on their first two drives — of 86 and 75 yards, respectively.

Fresno State’s offense seemed to have an answer for Daniels, at least on the opening possession.

Warner started strong, completing his first five passes for 81 yards on a drive that answered Kansas’ opening score.

On a third-and-6, nearly sacked, Warner improvised by flipping a desperation pass to Donelson, who rumbled 39 yards into Kansas territory. Elijah Gilliam, now the fourth-string running back, capped the drive five plays later with a 3-yard touchdown run.

first touchdown of 2025 😏

7-7 pic.twitter.com/uRyAC202UU

— Fresno State Football (@FresnoStateFB) August 23, 2025

The Bulldogs finally brought pressure on Daniels by the third drive, forcing a punt. But the Daniels-led offense quickly resumed its onslaught, converting 10 points off turnovers.

Offensive Mistakes Follow

Warner’s efficiency faded by the second quarter. One drive ended when his pass to Josiah Freeman bounced off the helmet of a Jayhawks defender. On the next drive, Warner threw under pressure to Devin Dye — only Dye wears a blue jersey. Kansas turned the interception into a 47-yard field goal.

Warner led a two-minute offense at the end of the first half — technically 56 seconds. The Bulldogs drove 38 yards, but kicker Dylan Lynch missed a 55-yard field goal attempt. His career long is 52 yards.

Taking the ball first in the second half, Warner appeared to get Fresno State back on track. Donelson rushed 12 yards for a first down, but on third-and-7, Bangally Kamara gator-rolled Warner, forcing a fumble — his second turnover of the game.

That was the point of no return for Fresno State. Kansas followed with a pair of 21-yard runs, setting up another Daniels touchdown. On the next drive, a tipped pass led to Warner’s second interception of the day.

He’ll take that 🤝 @Devin_Dye6 https://t.co/g6IqDu08A6 pic.twitter.com/NPAebFbARJ

— Kansas Football (@KU_Football) August 23, 2025

Offensive coordinator Josh Davis’ different running calls did not fool Kansas — not run-pass option plays, not reverses, not runs up the middle.

Georgia Southern Next

Fresno State returns home Saturday, Aug. 30, to host Georgia Southern. The Eagles of Statesboro, Georgia, are an FCS team playing in the Sun Belt Conference.

They finished last season 8-5, losing the New Orleans Bowl to Sam Houston. Georgia Southern did not play in Week 0.

Bulldog Bites

This was the first game in a three-game series announced between the schools in 2020. Kansas will visit Fresno in 2030, and the Bulldogs will make a return trip in 2031. Fresno State received a reported $750,000 guarantee for Saturday’s game.

Adding insult to injury, when Al’zillion Hamilton drew a pass interference penalty, he collided with his own coach on the sideline.

The Fresno State defense did get a fourth-and-one at the Bulldog 15 stop in the fourth quarter, although a replay showed an uncalled facemask penalty that should have given Kansas another attempt.