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Fresno State Survives Nevada Rally to Extend Winning Streak to Five
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By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 30 seconds ago on
October 4, 2025

Fresno State scored 20 points in the second quarter, and found its offense at the right time for a 20-17 victory over Nevada at Valley Children's Stadium. (GV Wire Composite/Paul Marshall)

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The momentum swung Fresno State’s way at just the right time.

Taking advantage of four Nevada first-half turnovers, the Bulldogs built a 20-3 lead. They needed every point, holding off a furious Nevada comeback for a 20-17 football win Saturday night at Valley Children’s Stadium in front of 40,005 fans.

“I would rather be lucky than have lost,” Fresno State coach Matt Entz said.

The Bulldogs scored all 20 points in the second quarter, and it could have been more. After forcing a fumble, Fresno State’s offense stalled at the 3-yard line. Dylan Lynch converted a 21-yard field goal.

Fresno State (5-1, 2-0 MWC) won its fifth game in a row. Nevada fell to 1-4, 0-1 MWC.

The Bulldogs have a short week, with a Friday night game at Colorado State.

Bulldogs Hold Off Nevada Second-Half Rally

In the second half, the Wolf Pack mounted a comeback seizing the momentum.

Nevada’s defense, led by linebacker Dylan LaBarbera, forced four three-and-outs in the first four possessions of the second half. The Wolf Pack scored 14 unanswered points to pull within three.

Quarterback E.J. Warner helped the offense finally find its rhythm on the fifth — and ultimately final — drive.

Warner converted on two key third downs, something the Bulldogs struggled with all game.

Fresno State took over with 8:42 remaining but gained just 2 yards on the first two plays, continuing a frustrating trend on third down (2-for-11 at that point). Warner found tight end Richie Anderson III of a 13 yard completion up the middle for a critical first down.

But the Bulldogs soon faced another third-and-long. Warner scrambled for an 11-yard gain to move the chains at the Nevada 48.

The success of the final drive stumped even Entz.

“If I knew exactly, I would probably be a millionaire and I wouldn’t be sitting up here,” Entz said. “We started to press a little bit and our play calling, the personnel on the field — I think just had to take a deep breath and just trust our training, go back to the things that we were good at, and that’s what we did.”

The Wolf Pack burned their remaining two timeouts, but could not stop the running game. Brandon Ramirez closed the game with four straight rushes for 39 yards. Three victory-formation kneel downs by Warner cemented the win.

“Brandon Ramirez, what a great job. He had limited reps during the course of the game, but comes in and gets 40 big time yards for us,” Entz said.

Warner Shakes Off Early INT

On the Bulldogs’ third play of the game, Warner threw his sixth interception of the season. That was his last mistake. He finished 18-for-26 for 190 yards and two touchdowns.

Running back Rayshon Luke led the Bulldogs with 83 yards on eight rushes, most on a 68-yard run.

Safety Camryn Bracha made sure Nevada didn’t take advantage of Warner’s turnover. On Nevada’s fourth play, Bracha intercepted a Chubba Purdy pass at the Bulldogs’ 2-yard line, thwarting Nevada early.

“A good football team is when you can win when you’re not playing your best football,” Bracha said.

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David Taub,
Senior Reporter
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email

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