“Learn, burn, return.”

That is Fresno State football coach Matt Entz’s mantra to forget about the 31-7 loss at Kansas, and prepare for Saturday’s game against Georgia Southern at Valley Children’s Stadium.

Entz took responsibility at his weekly news conference Monday for the team’s performance in his Fresno State debut. He responded with phrases that coaches often use after a disappointing loss  — “you can’t let one turn into two,” “we need to learn from our mistakes,” and “the next game is the most important one.”

Added Entz: “(Our players) knew that we did not play our best football. I’ve seen us play better football as a group collectively. And we can clean things up. We can be better teachers, we can be better coaches, and then we just got to make sure that our product on the field fits and we have answers and solutions on game day.”

Entz said his team played well for the first 25 minutes against Kansas, but then did “not handle adversity well.”

Quarterback E.J. Warner threw an interception, which Kansas converted to a field goal to make the score 24-7. Entz said he had hoped the Bulldogs would have cut the deficit to seven ahead of receiving the second-half kickoff.

Warner — a senior transfer in his Bulldogs debut — threw two interceptions total and lost a fumble. Entz said his quarterback is already putting the game behind him, studying up for Georgia Southern.

“He’s a smart, intelligent young man. He knows he can’t turn the football over. It’s not like I got to come at him and tell him the obvious,” Entz said.

Can the Bulldogs Corral Georgia Southern’s Up-Tempo Offense?

Entz expects an up-tempo offense from the Eagles, who will play their first game. Communication and tackling will be key.

With the first home game of the season, Entz wants to “harness the energy” Kansas fans showed at the first game at renovated Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

Reviving the Running Game

Entz said the offensive allowed too many negative plays. Kansas recorded 10 tackles for loss, including three sacks.

“Missed assignments, things of that nature that we can clean up. Execution becomes a big issue. It’s there. I’ve seen us run the football more. We got to trust our fundamentals, trust our training,” Entz said.

The stat sheet showed a balanced attack — 29 rushes and 29 pass attempts. Bryson Donelson led the rushing with a meager 34 yards on 11 attempts.

Fresno State averaged only three yards on first down plays, a sign of inefficiency, Entz said. The goal is four yards.

“We got to be more successful on early downs. Three plus three plus three equals punt,” Entz said.

Bulldog Bites …

Former USC coach Clay Helton is Georgia Southern’s head coach. Helton went 2-0 against Fresno State.

Not only is this the first time Georgia Southern plays Fresno State, this is the program’s first game EVER in California, or even against a California team. Game two happens the following week, Sept. 6 at USC.

The Eagles will remain in California between games, camping in Oxnard.

Fresno State is scheduled to return the trip to Georgia Southern in 2028.