Thanks to the Fresno State special teams and a big-play offense, first-year coach Matt Entz is giving Bulldogs football fans a reason to believe the program has a bright future.

The Bulldogs specials team were nearly perfect Saturday in Corvallis. Meanwhile Oregon State’s special units suffered a complete meltdown.

The result?

A pulsating 36-27 Bulldogs victory that pushed Entz’s crew to 2-1  in 2025 and ended a three-game losing streak in Corvallis stretching back too 1992.

And, oh, what a finish! One that sent the Beavers home quiet and frustrated and pondering what’s ahead for them.

Dylan Lynch kicked a 43-yard field goal with 29 seconds left to give the Bulldogs a 29-27 lead. Then Jakari Embry’s 45-yard interception return for a touchdown sealed the win.

It was the second straight victory for the Bulldogs after being pegged as underdogs by the oddsmakers. The Beavers were favored by 1.5 points at kickoff.

Nine Lead Changes

This was the last time the teams played as non-conference foes. Next year, Fresno State joins the Pac-12 and will face Oregon State yearly.

Even with several long snapper miscues and problems with kickoff coverage for Oregon State, the game saw nine lead changes.

Simply put, the Bulldogs could not stop a Beavers offense led by quarterback Maalik Murphy, who threw for 371 yards and four touchdowns.

Oregon State racked up 528 yards of offense, compared to Fresno State’s 318. Oregon State had nearly double the first downs, 29-15, and total plays 83-46. The Beavers had a nearly 15-minute time of possession advantage.

Special teams sunk the Beavers. Oregon State scored four touchdowns, but went 0-for-4 on conversions — two botched snaps on PAT, and two missed 2-point conversions. Two more botched snaps nuked punt attempts, with Fresno State returning one for a touchdown. Another bad snap led to a missed field goal.

Special Teams Woes

The special teams mistakes started on the opening kickoff, allowing Rayshon Luke 31 yards that helped set up a scoring drive. But the long snapping dashed the Beavers chances.

Backup long snapper Jackson Robertson replaced Dylan Black, who came back from testicular cancer, only to be injured last week versus Cal. He could not connect with his holder.

Other miscues:

• Robertson also botched a snap on a first-quarter punt attempt, but it did not lead to Bulldogs points.
• Robertson botched two PAT snaps and was yanked from the game. His replacement, linebacker Will Haverland, had never even played a college football down.
• Haverland managed to snap the ball well enough for a second-quarter field goal, which gave the Beavers a 15-14 lead.
• A mishandled snap on a punt led to punter AJ Winsor kicking the ball off the ground, leading to a Jaden Carrillo 42-yard return for a TD in the second quarter.
• Fresno State missed a 2-point conversion after the punt return touchdown. Analyst Ryan Leaf said offensive coordinator Josh Davis showed “hubris” with the play call, a failed Warner run.
• Haverland botched a third-quarter punt attempt Winsor had to eat.
• The Beavers pooch-kicked its third quarter kickoff instead of kicking it deep to Luke.
• Another bad snap on a fourth quarter field goal attempt led to a missed 28-yard try.

“Special teams? F-ing joke,” head coach Trent Bray said uncensored during the halftime interview.

In comparison, Fresno State’s special teams had one blemish — a holding penalty wiped out Luke’s 99-yard kickoff return touchdown. Lynch made all three of his field-goal attempts, and Nick Verdugo averaged 41.3 yards on three punts.

Meanwhile, senior linebacker Jadon Pearson continued his early season role as a tackling machine with a game-high 16 stops —  9 solo.

A Back-And-Forth Game

The Bulldogs scored on their first drive, concluding with quarterback E.J. Warner running untouched 30 yards for the touchdown. It was the longest run of Warner’s college career, even longer than any run his Hall of Fame father Kurt Warner ever made.

Warner only attempted 18 passes, completing 72% for 121 yards. He did throw his nation-leading fifth interception, but managed the game-winning drive.

Led by Murphy, Oregon State’s offense ran and passed through the Bulldogs defense, with tailback Anthony Hankerson breaking lose for 136 yards on 25 carries.

Oregon State’s offensive dominance was on display with an 18-play, 11-minute drive to start the second half.

A controversial targeting penalty on Fresno State linebacker K’vion Thunderbird extended the drive. Thunderbird hit wide receiver David Wells Jr. and jarred the ball free for an apparent turnover. While reviewing the play, officials flagged Thunderbird for targeting, showing a shoulder-to-helmet hit on a defenseless receiver. The Beavers scored on the next play to retake the lead, but missed a 2-point conversion.

Thunderbird was ejected and will miss the first half next week against Southern.

Fresno State responded with a 34-yard Lynch field goal. The kick came after a delay of game penalty on a 4th-and-1. Fresno State brought in substitutions for the play, allowing for Oregon State to sub, taking the play clock down to zero.

The Bulldogs defense did step up at times. Jahzon Jacks sacked Murphy on a 3rd & 10 from the Fresno State 12. The 10-yard loss forced a field goal attempt. The sack turned four-down territory into another special teams miscue. A bad snap led to normally reliable Caleb Ojeda missing a 40-yard shot.

The Beavers scored a go-ahead touchdown with 1:19 left, taking only 49 seconds to travel 68 yards.

Warner showed poise on the game-winning drive, taking the ball at the Bulldogs 31 with 1:12 to go. The first three plays yielded three first downs in a row — a Warner 11-yard run, a 12-yard pass to Ezekiel Avit, and another Warner run for 16.

Warner played it safe on three sideline passes in a row, for five yards total, setting up Lynch’s game-winning kick.

“There is such a thing as adversity and when adversity strikes, we got to be the bigger person to come back hard,” cornerback Al’zillion Hamilton told the Bulldogs Radio Network after the win.

$250,000 Payday

The Bulldogs and Beavers signed a home-and-home deal in 2017 — and amended in 2019 — for games in 2022 in Fresno and this year’s game (originally scheduled for the 2024 season).

The contract required the home team to pay a $250,000 guarantee for each game.

Fresno State received a $750,000 guarantee from Kansas for the Aug. 23 game in Lawrence.

Moving forward, the two teams will presumably play each year, alternating locations, as part of the re-established Pac-12 Conference.

Southern Up Next

The Bulldogs return to Valley Children’s Stadium Saturday, 7 p.m., Sept. 13 to host FCS school Southern University. The game will be produced locally, not carried on a national network, and air on CBS 47. Matt Norville and Cam Worrell will call the game, with Taylor Martinez on the sidelines.

Fresno State announced a broadcast deal with Nexstar Media Group — owner of CBS 47 and sister station KSEE24 — this week. Nexstar will also air several other sports including basketball, softball and baseball.

The Jaguars of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, reportedly already received a $550,000 payday. That includes the band coming to town.

Bulldog Bites

Luke led the Bulldogs with 86 yards on 12 carries.

Kickoff, scheduled for 12:40 p.m., was pushed back five minutes. Still, The CW did not switch to the Fresno State-Oregon State game until 1:08, or about five minutes left in the first quarter. The prior game, a Baylor win at SMU, went into overtime.

A crawl at the bottom of the screen said to watch the start of the game either online or on The CW app. Neither worked, experiencing technical difficulties. The CW finally fixed the problem moments before the over-the-air broadcast switched. The first quarter also streamed on the Pac-12’s YouTube page.

For the third time this season, the Bulldogs wore the “4-paw Bulldog” helmet logo. It paired with the white jersey and red pants.