It’s gut-check time for a Fresno State team that gave up 73 to Ole Miss in an ugly loss last week, but now has a shot at a national-attention sort of win against a good Pac-12 team.
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Utah is ranked number twenty-one in the nation after opening with a seven point victory over Michigan and a ten point win over rival Utah State. Fresno State began at the Utah 17 but gained 1 yard and settled for a field goal.
The Utes come away with an expected victory over Fresno State Saturday, beating the Bulldogs 45-24. Fresno State finished with 365. Stevie Tu’ikolovatu recovered a Chase Virgil fumble and returned it 37 yards for the score.
Utah has won eight straight nonconference games…. Fresno State’s defense might have a slew of problems, but generating pressure hasn’t been one of them with six sacks and enough fight into the backfield to at least be pesky – even if Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly was able to move the offense at will. The Utes have yet to show any sort of firepower or offensive explosion, and that might be hard to kickstart now considering … It was Fresno State’s first lead against a power-five conference team since the 2013 season opener.
Running back Marteze Waller ranks 18th in the FBS in rushing after two weekends with 245 yards and his 2,433 career rushing yardage is the eighth most among all active players.
Now a fifth-year senior at Utah, Norris was back in Central California doing the same thing Saturday night against Fresno State, now as an all-conference caliber linebacker for No. 21 Utah. “I’ve got to figure that they’d like to take the pressure off the quarterback, and if Wilson is hurt they certainly wouldn’t want to get Thompson hurt”.
“They’re one of the most physical defensive lines out there”, Northern said. That’s one of the main keys I’ll be watching for at Bulldog Stadium. We all thought so, until Mississippi took everyone for a spin on a 12-month time machine. With less than three minutes left, the Utes drove down the field, and with 2:09 left on the clock, running back Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala scored on a three yard run to make the score 21-16.
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With starting quarterback Travis Wilson (shoulder) possibly sidelined and backup Kendal Thompson known more for his legs, Fresno State’s secondary has to prove last week was an aberration and not a return to the old status quo.
