After a diverted flight to Texas, Fresno State faces a challenge Saturday: living up to the praise Texas State coach G.J. Kinne offered the Bulldogs and second-year coach Matt Entz.

The coaches have ties that date back to their days at the Football Championship Subdivision when Kinne coached at Incarnate Word and Entz at North Dakota State.

So compliments among cordial coaches are often typical.

“Super, super well coached team, got a lot of respect for those guys,” Kinne told reporters this week. “He’s a big time coach and they’re going to be prepared.

“They’re wired the right way, great on special teams, offense, got a lot of weapons. … Really well coached, sound, physical, very disciplined team. … Going to be a big-time challenge.”

The question, however, remains whether the Bulldogs and Entz can live up to such high praise.

Fresno State (5-4, 2-3) visits Texas State (5-4, 3-2) at 1 p.m. Saturday in a game could test Entz’s and the Bulldogs’ resolve. Fresno State is coming off a 17-10 loss at Utah State last week and the Bulldogs’ offensive development was exposed.

Offensive Woes

Has Fresno State gotten better on offense as the season has gone on or did the unit already reach its plateau and declining performances are all that’s left?

“Effort is not a problem,” Entz said. “It’s execution. Understanding what the assignment is and making sure we go out there and perform it at a high level. Effort has never been a problem, it won’t be a problem for us.”

Responsibility is shouldered by all on the offensive side.

And some frustrated fans have blamed many of the usual suspects — the quarterback (Jayden Mandal), the offensive coordinator (Josh Davis), the offensive line (coached by Brian Ferentz), as well as the head coach (Entz).

Poor Showing at Utah State

Fresno State, which has taken pride in being a run-first, rushing-oriented offense under Entz, generated a season-worst 16 rushing yards against Utah State.

And when it was over, the Bulldogs finished with 278 total yards for their third worst production of the season.

Granted, some of the poor numbers running the game can be attributed to the Bulldogs falling behind 14-0 in the first half.

But the Bulldogs did try running the game 27 times and averaged just 0.59 yards per carry.

Add the fact that Mandal has yet to find comfort being the primary option as a passer — whether it be making fast enough reads, accurate enough throws, or just having a strong football intelligence in general — some could argue that the Bulldogs aren’t making big enough offensive strides.

“I think we still have a young quarterback who’s still trying to press and make plays,” Entz said.

First Quarter Struggles

Fresno State also has not scored a touchdown on the road in the opening quarter this season. In fact, the Bulldogs have a mere three points to show in the first quarter through five road games.

“That’s a million-dollar question,” Entz said when asked about the first quarter struggles this season, especially on the road. “It’s inconsistency. … You want to find out about your opponent from a structural standpoint. And over the course of the week, we should probably run those (scripted opening plays) six or seven times.

“So they should be the place that we feel the most confident in,” Entz added. “My concern is we’re getting away from those. Because all of a sudden, a second of and long, we’re off schedule. We’re not able to stay within those openers long enough.”

Texas State is statistically one of the best offenses in the country, averaging 517 total yards.

But the Bobcats aren’t nearly as strong on defense, which might help Mandal and the Bulldogs after facing a stout Utah State defense.

Texas State gives up 30.8 points and 406.9 total yards per game.

“I think just getting prepared and having confidence in our scheme and running off the ball, and playing fast,” Fresno State tight end Brock Lium said, “that gives us the ability to just have fun, which makes us have more energy.”

Flight Re-Routed

The Bulldogs football team’s flight to Texas departed before the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all plane throughout the nation Friday afternoon.

Fresno State’s flight out of Fresno Yosemite International Airport left at 12:25 p.m., about an hour before the FAA orders to ground flights.

Fresno State’s plane was slightly diverted, landing instead in San Antonio rather than its original destination of Austin, a Fresno State athletics spokesperson told GV Wire. The team then took a bus to Austin.

Pac-12 Matchups

Oregon State (5-4, 3-2) at No. 17 Boise State (8-1, 5-0), 3 p.m.

Spread: Boise State 14.5-point favorite

The skinny: Boise State will look to clinch hosting rights for the 2026 Pac-12 Championship with a win against Oregon State. The Broncos ride an eight-game win streak against a Beavers team that’s suddenly dropped two straight after knocking on the door of the Top 25 rankings. Oregon State quarterback Braden Atkinson was limited to a 55.6 completion percentage and 192 passing yards in last week’s 42-21 loss to Texas State. He still leads the NCAA with an average of 352.1 passing yards per game. Boise State running back Dylan Riley leads the nation in rushing yards (1,241), rushing yards per game (137.9), all-purpose yards (1,547), and all-purpose yards per game (171.9).

Utah State (4-5, 3-2) at San Diego State (4-5, 3-2), 6:30 p.m.

Spread: Utah State 2.5-point favorite

The skinny: The Aggies are coming off their 17-10 win against Fresno State and now go on the road to try to take out another California team. San Diego State, however, is 4-1 at home, including a 26-20 victory against Washington State.  The Aztecs also are coming off a bye week. Utah State remains the Pac-12 best defense, limiting opponents to a conference-low 327.7 total yards per game. The unit has kept opponents under 300 total yards in each of Utah State’s past four games. Aztecs running backs Lucky Sutton and Javion Kinnard rank third and fourth, respectively, in the Pac-12 with an average of 78.8 and 76.6 rushing yards per game. San Diego State’s Sione Hala leads the conference with 88 total tackles (9.8 per game). Utah State’s Asher Cunningham ranks fourth in tackles with 73 (8.1 per game).

Colorado State (3-6, 1-4) at Washington State (1-8, 0-5), 7:30 p.m.

Spread: Washington State 8.5-point favorite

The skinny: The Pac-12 worst offense in Washington State goes up against the nation’s worst defense in Colorado State. The Cougars produce an average of 307.1 total yards and 19 points per game. The Rams give up an average of 542.2 total yards and 44.8 points per game. Washington State’s lone win this season was a 48-7 victory against Duquesne. The Cougars have since lost six straight, including a 26-20 defeat at San Diego State in Washington State’s most recent game two weeks ago. Colorado State has dropped its past two, including last week’s 64-38 loss to Boise State. Rams quarterback Hauss Hejny is averaging 231.8 passing yards per game, third best in the conference. Washington State’s Jaylen Thomas is tied with a Pac-12 best three interceptions.