Fresno State football enters its most critical two-week stretch of the season. Wins Saturday at home against San Diego State, and Nov. 1 at Boise State could set the Bulldogs up for a berth in the Mountain West Conference game.

The Bulldogs and Aztecs will play in the sunshine — a 12:30 p.m. kickoff time on FS1. It is the earliest home start since an 11 a.m. game in 2021 against UConn.

Fresno State head coach Matt Entz said San Diego State is the toughest team since the season opener at Kansas. The Bulldogs will have to prepare for the Aztecs’ RPO (run-pass option) offense.

The Bulldogs are looking to bounce back after a 49-21 loss at Colorado State.

“We have to go into every game with a chip on our shoulder. We play better when we have that underdog mentality, and the fact that we got big-headed, we started to look beyond. Shame on me and that won’t happen again,” Entz said.

Boise State has the inside track for the title game, with its 56-31 domination of UNLV on Saturday. A second conference loss by Fresno State may make it impossible to play for the MWC championship.

Sticking with Warner

Despite 12 turnovers (nine interceptions and three lost fumbles), Entz is sticking with E.J. Warner as his quarterback.

“It comes down to decision-making, and again, there was frustration (at Colorado State) with just the late throw over the middle. That’s not a recipe for success,” Entz said.

Entz did emphasize Warner’s positive stats — a nearly 70% completion rate, 10 touchdowns, and 500 snaps.

“We need more leadership. We need E.J. to have more skin like a duck. He needs to let some things go. I worry that things compound when he has one bad play — one turns into two, two turns into four. And so we’re trying to work with that a little bit over the course of the bye week and move it into this game,” Entz said.

Tedford to Be Inducted Into Ring of Honor

Saturday is homecoming for Fresno State. The program will induct former head coach and quarterback Jeff Tedford into the Ring of Honor.

Entz gave a window into his relationship with Tedford. They’ve talked several times and Tedford has attended practice.

“Coach Tedford’s been tremendous. He’s a huge support. He’s allowed me to get my feet on the ground with how do things operate, where are the rabbit holes, where are traps in Fresno State, dealing with across campus and all those things. He’s been really good,” Entz said.

Tedford will be the 13th member of the Ring of Honor, and third coach following Jim Sweeney and Pat Hill.

Preparing for Daytime Kickoff

It’s a rivalry game Saturday, and the Bulldogs and Aztecs play for the Old Oil Can trophy. San Diego State leads the all-time series, 31-27-4. Both teams will join the Pac-12 Conference next year.

Entz does not plan to change the practice schedule for the 12:30 p.m. kickoff. The team already holds morning practices.

“The fact that we’re a morning practice team will fit well into what we’re doing. And it’s no different from what we did up at Oregon State as far as there’s a little bit of a shell of what that schedule looks like. The fact that it’s a home game, we’ll be able to follow our normal routine,” Entz said.

The Bulldogs practiced four times during the bye week, and worked out twice on Monday.

What is the Old Oil Can? Fresno State provided a history:

“The trophy stems from the discovery of an old oil can from Fresno (circa 1935) that was recovered during a San Diego State campus building project,” the program said.

While the rivalry dates back decades, this is only the 13th trophy game.

Bowl Eligibility on the Line

With its next win, Fresno State becomes bowl-eligible. While that would be great for the program, there is also a financial incentive for Entz.

Entz would earn a $50,000 bonus for coaching in a bowl game, according to his contract, and another $25,000 for winning the bowl game.

A seventh regular-season win also nets a $40,000 bonus. Each win after that increases the win bonus by $20,000.