FRESNO – Heading into the fourth quarter this past Saturday night, it looked like Fresno State football were well on their way to their third straight victory. With a 20-7 lead and all the momentum heading into the final frame, it looked like the Bulldogs were about to close it out against a visiting Hawaii team that had struggled to get their offense going. But when the visiting Rainbow Warriors needed them most, a pair of devastating Fresno State penalties kept them in the game.
On fourth down for Hawaii, a targeting foul on Fresno defensive back Cam Lockridge extended the drive that later resulted in a touchdown. Then on another fourth down in the closing moments of the game, a defensive pass interference on linebacker Tuasivi Nomura kept the game alive for the Warriors. A few plays later, quarterback Brayden Schager connected with wide receiver Nick Cenacle for the go-ahead three-yard touchdown pass to steal the 21-20 win from the Bulldogs on Nov. 2.
“All the penalties added up and we didn’t finish there at the end,” Fresno State interim head coach Tim Skipper said. “We had plenty of opportunities to finish the game but we just couldn’t do it. We stalled out on offense and we couldn’t keep them out of the end zone on defense and they got the victory.”
After scoring 33 points and accumulating 401 yards of offense the previous week against San Jose State, the Fresno State offense only mustered 176 offensive yards against the Warriors. Quarterback Mikey Keene avoided any turnovers as he went 25-for-31 through the air for 176 yards and one touchdown. But the Bulldogs could get nothing going on the ground as they finished the night with 19 net rushing yards.
“They got tackles for loss when we were running the ball and they got pressure when we were trying to throw it so you got to tip your hat to them,” Skipper said about Hawaii’s defense. “They attacked us up front. They won the one-on-one battles and they knocked us backwards.”
The Bulldogs also struggled to contain the Hawaii offense. While they committed two turnovers, the Warriors amassed 346 yards of offense and went 3-for-4 on fourth down. They also dominated time of possession as they had the ball for 38 minutes and eight seconds. Schager went 29-for-53 through the air for 244 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
And the Warriors demonstrated their offensive firepower on the first drive of the game where they drove right down the field thanks to the arm and legs of Schager. Once they reached the Fresno five-yard line, Schager connected with wide receiver Pofele Ashlock for a touchdown to go up 7-0.
On Fresno’s opening possession, Keene looked to respond as he got the passing game going to get his team down the field. It looked like the drive was about to end when Keene fumbled the ball and the Warriors recovered it, but a defensive personal foul extended the drive and put the Bulldogs at the Hawaii 10-yard line. On the next play, running back Elijah Gilliam ran it in for the touchdown to tie the game.
As the Warriors looked to retake the lead, they began playing aggressive as they went for it on fourth down twice in their own territory. They converted their first try, but the next one resulted in a sack that set up the Fresno offense at the Hawaii 28.
With short field position, the Bulldogs quickly marched down to the five-yard line. Keene then found wide receiver Raylen Sharpe for a touchdown to give the Bulldogs the lead. But the Warriors blocked the extra point to keep the Bulldogs’ lead at 13-7.
After a hot start for both offenses, the game became a grind. Through the rest of the first half and the early goings of the third quarter, neither team could gain much traction as punts became a familiar sight for the crowd.
But halfway through the third, the Hawaii offense finally found a rhythm as they moved their way down the field to the Fresno 25. But as Schager looked to make a play on third and 16, his pass over the middle was batted up into the air and landed into the arms of Phoenix Jackson. The linebacker was then off to the races as he ran it 89 yards for the touchdown to put Fresno up 20-7.
Despite that big play, the Bulldogs could not ride the momentum to put the game away. With the game still in reach, the Warriors put together a drive that got them to the Fresno 38. Looking to convert on fourth and nine, Schager’s pass to Ashlock fell incomplete as the ball was jarred loose by a hit from Lockridge. However, the officials ruled that Lockridge committed a targeting personal foul with his hit on Ashlock. After a review confirmed the call, the Warriors had new life at the Fresno 23.
A few plays later, Schager found wide receiver Nick Cenacle open for a nine-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 20-14 with just over nine minutes left. The Bulldog offense then went three-and-out on the ensuing drive and punted it back to the Warriors. With all the momentum, the Warriors stayed hot as they worked their way down to the Fresno 36 with under two minutes left.
As the Warriors looked to take the lead, Cenacle fumbled the ball and defensive back Jayden Davis recovered it to give it back to the Fresno offense. But the Bulldogs again went three-and-out as they milked little time off the clock and punted it back to Hawaii with a minute and a half left in the game.
With little time remaining, the Warriors quickly worked their way down to the Fresno 18. On fourth and ten, Schager threw the ball to wide receiver Tylan Hines in the end zone but the pass fell incomplete. However, Nomura drew a pass interference on the play that put the Hawaii offense at the three. A few plays later, Schager found Cenacle open for the touchdown to go up 21-20 with 15 seconds left on the clock.
“They did a good job and they kept fighting,” Skipper said about the Warriors. “They made the long trip over here, didn’t let the adversity get to them and they kept fighting through it because we had all the momentum for most of the game and then we lost it there in the fourth.”
In the closing seconds of the contest, the Bulldogs failed to pull off the miracle as they fell to 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the Mountain West Conference. Next up for Fresno State is a road trip to face the Air Force Falcons who are 0-4 in conference play. As the Bulldogs look to get back on track, Skipper knows they will have to be ready for the Falcons’ offensive attack.
“We have to get ready for an option team. That’s never easy no matter what so we’re going to have to get our focus back and get ready to go,” Skipper said. “It’s going to be a time of possession game so when we’re on offense, we’re going to have to put up points.”
