The best on-field Fresno State performance perhaps in Saturday’s unprecedented 23-0 loss to San Diego State was by the university’s marching band.

They excelled with tunes such as “Wanted Dead or Alive” by Bon Jovi and “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” by Johnny Cash.

As to the football, Bulldogs coach Matt Entz said at his weekly news conference Monday, “Just not a very well-executing offense.”

The shutout was the first for Fresno State in Valley Children’s Stadium — formerly Bulldog Stadium — history, and the first home shutout since 1980, when the team played at Ratcliffe Stadium.

Entz is still mulling why preparation did not lead to better results on the field.

“If I knew why players showed up — sometimes we just didn’t perform to our capability on Saturday — I’d probably be a millionaire,” Entz said.

Another thing Entz said he won’t do in the middle of a two-game losing streak is second-guess himself or make dramatic changes.

“If you do that, you lose the trust of your team,” Entz said.

Fresno State heads to another rivalry game Saturday at Boise State. The teams will compete for the Milk Can trophy.

Conklin to Remain the Starter

Entz said he is sticking with Carson Conklin at quarterback.

He said he evaluated E.J. Warner and Conklin during the bye week.

“We did a lot of good versus good at different times and wanted to kind of throw him into the fire to see how he responded,” Entz said.

Entz praised Conklin’s poise in the pocket.

At last week’s Monday news conference, Entz said Warner was his quarterback. Now, he admits the evaluation started before then.

“I’m going to keep things awfully close to the vest. You’re going to realize that the longer you’re around me. I am going to talk in general terms, because the last thing I ever want to do is point fingers at our players,” Entz said.

That 11-and-Out Drive

Conklin started the game well, leading an 11-play, 40-yard drive that stalled at the Aztecs’ 35-yard line.

Instead of going for it on 4th-and-7 or attempting a 52-yard field goal, the Bulldogs punted.

“We thought we could play a field-position game, which we did,” Entz said. “Fifty-two-yarder? We’re only hitting about 60% of our field goals right now. That’s pushing the maximum of our range. The percentage might even be less at this point from that distance.”

The Bulldogs pinned SDSU at its own 8-yard line. The Aztecs then marched 92 yards for a touchdown — the first score of the game.

That was the only touchdown allowed by the Bulldogs’ defense. Fresno State held SDSU to three field goals and forced two turnovers.

But that wasn’t nearly enough to get the offense going. The team did not have a play longer than 14 yards.

How to Improve the Running Game

Despite talented backs such as Bryson Donelson, Brandon Ramirez, and Rayshon Luke, the running game is not producing.

“We need to continue to be consistent up front. I see the preparation — I’m out there with our guys every day. I sit in meetings, I watch it, they get every look possible. And then we need to break a tackle or two at some point,” Entz said.

Entz suggested the offense may need to simplify its running-game approach.

Fresno State is averaging 149.6 rushing yards per game but was held to only 45 yards on 23 attempts against San Diego State — its fewest rushing attempts this season.

Thunderbird Out for Rest of the Year

Linebacker K’vion Thunderbird is out for the rest of the season, Entz said. He suffered a broken bone in his arm Oct. 10 at Colorado State.

Fresno State listed Thunderbird as out for the game in its availability report against SDSU.

“Unfortunately, he will not be back this year,” Entz said.

Entz’s Message to the Red Wave

With two conference losses, a spot in the Mountain West title game is nearly impossible. But Entz wants the Red Wave to keep hope.

“I hope the true football fans out there see that we’re making progress. We’re growing. It’s tough to win football games, and we’re proving that,” Entz said.

Entz was asked about fans not staying until the end of the game.

“The Red Wave is tremendous. We’ve got to put a better product on the field, and then they’ll stay in their seats, I anticipate. So sure, I’ll take responsibility for there not being many people there. I’ve got to do a better job coaching,” Entz said.