Arizona State (1-1) will take on the Fresno State Bulldogs (2-0) in its third game of the season tomorrow.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The game will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. MST at Mountain America Stadium and air once again on FS1.
Let’s examine the Sun Devils’ opponent, the Fresno State Bulldogs.
Fresno State Depth Chart/Game Notes
Fresno State’s depth chart
Bulldogs’ game notes here: https://t.co/DIymd0PiyN pic.twitter.com/hNwef8i7su
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) September 15, 2023
Fresno State Stats
Fresno State stat leaders (via Fresno State game notes)
Fresno State offensive individual stats (via Fresno State game notes)
Fresno State defensive individual stats (via Fresno State game notes)
Fresno State Key Notes
* Fresno State has the second-longest winning streak in the country with 11 straight wins, only behind Georgia (19). They entered this season coming off a Mountain West Championship in 2022.
* The Bulldogs pulled off an upset victory against Purdue on the road in Week One, defeating the Boilermakers 39-35. Last week, they defeated Eastern Washington 34-31 in double overtime.
* They are coached by Jeff Tedford. Tedford coached his alma mater (Fresno State) from 2017-2019 before stepping away due to health problems. He returned as head coach last season. In his four seasons as coach of the Bulldogs, Fresno State has gone 36-18 overall. Tedford has also dominated Arizona State in his time as a coach.
If there's a team Jeff Tedford has owned throughout his career it's Arizona State.
From his time as a head coach at Fresno State, Cal and his time as an offensive consultant & OC at Washington & Oregon…his teams have a combined record of 14-2. @ABC30 pic.twitter.com/USNYFPsWDz— Stephen Hicks (@StephenABC30) September 15, 2023
* The Bulldogs lost QB Jake Haener to the NFL Draft this offseason, but have rolled with Chandler alum Mikey Keene under center. Keene transferred to the Bulldogs after two seasons at UCF, where he had 2,377 passing yards for 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He was 8-3 in his 11 games as a starter for UCF.
* Leading rusher Elijah Gilliam is not listed on the team’s depth chart for this week’s game.
* “Former Fresno State offensive line coach Saga Tuitele now holds the same title at Arizona State after spending just one season (2022) in the Central Valley. In his time with the Bulldogs, Tuitele’s offensive line was the second highest graded run-blocking unit in the Mountain West.”
* The offense loves to throw the ball. Keene averages over 40 attempts per game, but throws mostly short passes.
* The Fresno State defense has been one of the worst in the country, allowing 33 points per game and only managing one sack. They run a 4-2-5 and mix up a lot of unique blitzes.
Fresno State Key Players to watch
#1 QB Mikey Keene (So., UCF Transfer)
- 2023 Stats: 54-of-83 for 599 yards for six touchdowns and two interceptions
- Ninth in country for passing touchdowns, and 14th for passing yards per game
- Dominated Arizona high school football, winning two state championships at Chandler
#3 WR Erik Brooks (Sr.)
- 2023 Stats: 17 receptions for 265 yards and three TDs
- Ranks top-8 nationally in all three categories
- Former walk on
RB is a question mark with Gilliam not on the depth chart. Malik Sherrod is listed as the starting running back, but only has eight carries for 17 yards on the year.
#84 TE Tre Watson (Jr.)
- 2023 Stats: 9 receptions for 87 yards
- Good blocker and reliable hands
#6 LB Levelle Bailey (Sr.)
- 2023 Stats: 12 tackles, 1.5 TFL, one interception, two PBUs
- Leading tackler on team last season (87) and 2022 Second-Team All-Mountain West selection
#7 DB Morice Norris Jr. (Sr.)
- 2023 Stats: 13 total tackles, 3 for loss
#5 DE Devo Bridges (Sr.)
- 2023 Stats: 11 total tackles, 2 for loss, 3 QB hurries
#92 DT Gavriel Lightfoot (So.)
- 2023 Stats: 5 tackles
- 2022 Honorable mention all-conference selection after tallying 68 tackles
Stay tuned for tomorrow when we will break down how ASU matches up with Fresno State and give our predictions for the game.
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Brendan Mau is a Phoenix Suns insider and college sports reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
