Things can’t get much better for the Bulldogs after a dominant 48-0 win over New Mexico State, but the road to a Mountain West title now starts in earnest.
Fresno State (2-1) opens its conference schedule on the road against New Mexico (0-3) on Saturday, and Head Coach Tim Skipper wants to see his team start fast and physical early to secure another victory.
What he said: “Playing on the road is always a challenge,” Skipper said at his weekly press conference on Monday. “As a football player, as a coach, you kind of have to embrace that everybody hates you and the atmospheres and all that type of stuff. But to be honest with you, it’s no different than being home.”
- Skipper added, “We have to play Bulldog football. We just have to play physical. We have to play smart. We’ve got to keep the penalties down, and then when we get opportunities, we’ve got to take advantage of them.
- “That’s what the road is – road is starting fast and taking advantage of opportunities and trying to play ahead of the sticks – all those type of things, and keep the field position battle in our favor.”
A Familiar setting: Skipper’s return to Albuquerque will allow him to revisit the place where he got his first ever win as a head coach.
- Although he was just the acting head coach for what was assumed at the time to be a one-game reprieve for former Head Coach Jeff Tedford, Skipper led the Bulldogs to a 37-10 win over New Mexico State in the New Mexico Bowl.
- It’s also Fresno State’s fourth time in the last four seasons visiting Albuquerque, and the ‘Dogs have come away victorious each of the first three times. Along with the win in the New Mexico Bowl last year, the Bulldogs beat New Mexico 41-9 in 2022 and beat UTEP 31-24 in the 2021 New Mexico Bowl.
Scouting report: New Mexico’s 2024 season under new head coach Bronco Mendenhall did not start off as planned with a 35-31 loss over FCS school Montana State.
- The Lobos went on to lose to Arizona and Auburn, but kept both games very close in the first half.
- It’s largely a new squad for the Lobos, with 42 players who have transferred into the program.
- “To me, every single game is about transfers now,” Skipper said. “The portal has changed the game. The word transfer is like a normal deal now. Every team has new guys. We have new guys. It’s just all part of it. You just look at the film, you see what you see – we go attack it, game plan it. The names are changing, the jersey numbers are changing, but schemes are schemes. So we’re attacking schemes.”
- One thing New Mexico has been exceptionally good at so far is keeping quarterback Devon Dampier off the turf. Dampier has not been sacked even once this season. He presents a challenge with his running ability, leading the Lobos with 65 rushing guards per game and has 3 touchdowns on the ground.
Looking ahead: Skipper said Monday that he stays in the moment of each game week, something that could prove to be a challenge for the Bulldogs this week given the next two opponents.
- After the New Mexico game, the Bulldogs will travel to Las Vegas to take on undefeated UNLV (3–0). With wins over Power 4 opponents Houston and Kansas, UNLV already looks like one of the top teams in the Mountain West.
- And after the Rebels, the ‘Dogs will have a bye week and return home to take on future Pac-12 companion Washington State (3-0). The Cougars also boast wins against two Power 4 opponents in Texas Tech and Washington. While the Bulldogs don’t need a victory over Washington State to secure a Mountain West title, a win would go a long ways in securing the automatic qualifying spot for the Group of 5 in the new 12-team College Football Playoff.
