FRESNO, Calif. -- Fresno State earned its first win under head coach Matt Entz in a 42-14 defeat over Georgia Southern on Saturday night at Valley Children's Stadium. The win also marked the 200th win inside the Bulldogs' home stadium, which opened in 1980.
It was a tale of two halves on Saturday night, as Fresno State trailed by one at halftime but held Georgia Southern scoreless in the second half, with only 75 yards of total offense.
Fresno State had 527 yards of total offense, with 316 yards in the second half alone which was powered by 225 in the run game. Sophomore Bryson Donelson led the Bulldogs with 23 carries for 167 yards and a touchdown. Rayshon Luke added 96 yards and three scores.
How it Happened
Fresno State made quick work on its first drive, moving downfield and adding three to the board with a 36-yard field goal from Dylan Lynch. The Bulldog defense held the Georgia Southern offense to a 3-and-out on its first drive, and Jordan Malau'ulu returned the ensuing punt 54 yards to the Georgia Southern 20-yard line. It took the Bulldogs just three plays to break into the endzone, and Rayshon Luke had a 17-yard run to score and put the 'Dogs up 10-0 in the first quarter.
Georgia Southern strung together an eight-play scoring drive to get on the board with 1:17 left in the first quarter. With the Bulldog offense looking at a fresh first down attempt at their own 35-yard line, E.J. Warner faced pressure and threw a pass to Ezekiel Avit that was picked off at the Georgia Southern 43-yard line.
The Eagles would turn the turnover into points, scoring on a nine-play 57-yard drive to take a 14-10 lead.
Fresno State's offense saw a spark in its run game, headlined by Bryson Donelson with three-straight runs for a combined 60 yards. However, after an Eagle penalty moved the ball to the 1-yard line, Donelson fumbled the ball, and Georgia Southern gained possession, ending the scoring chances.
Following the turnover, the Bulldog defense forced another three-and-out to not lose momentum for the home team. However, three plays later, Warner attempted a deep ball to Josiah Freeman that was picked off in the red zone. The Bulldog defense continued to hold it down, as a tipped ball by Jayden Davis fell into the hands of his fellow safety Ryan Wilson for the interception.
Fresno State tacked on three points right before the half, trailing 14-13 headed into the locker room.
Out of the half, the Bulldog defense kept the Eagles off the board. Fresno State's offense was powered by the legs of the Bulldog running backs, as the group was responsible for all but three yards of the 55-yard scoring drive. Donelson scored from eight yards out for his first score of the season. Fresno State opted to go for the two-point conversion, and it was successful as Warner hit Freeman on the fly sweep, and Freeman walked untouched into the endzone to put Fresno State up 21-14 with 8:36 left in the third.
The Bulldogs tacked on one more touchdown by the legs of Luke, scampering in from 12 yards out to extend the lead to 28-14 with 1:43 left in the third.
At third-and-10, Al'zillion Hamilton knocked down a pass attempt that would've cleared the first down mark, forcing Georgia Southern to bring out its punt team. Donelson powered for another big drive, setting the 'Dogs up at the Georgia Southern 3-yard line. Brandon Ramirez finished the drive with the three-yard punch in to put the 'Dogs up 35-14 mid-way through the fourth.
Georgia Southern's next possession was short-lived, as the Eagles gained only five yards before punting on 4th-and-five to give the ball back to the Bulldogs. Malau'ulu received the 41-yard punt on the Fresno State 29-yard line with 9:16 left on the clock in the fourth quarter.
Fresno State tacked on its final touchdown of the game, driven by running backs Donelson, Ramirez and Luke, who carried the ball 72 yards in the five-play scoring drive. Luke broke through the middle to score a 29-yard touchdown, followed by a successful PAT attempt from Lynch to finalize the Bulldogs' 42-14 victory over Georgia Southern.
Up Next
Fresno State travels to Oregon State next week for a 12:30 p.m. kickoff on The CW.