This Friday, the (5-4) Fresno State Bulldogs will travel to Las Vegas, NV to take on the (4-5) UNLV Rebels. Kickoff will be at 10:30 PM EST inside Allegiant Stadium. Both of these teams have had similar seasons, but they will be looking to pick up momentum from one another in this one. The last time these two teams matched up, the Bulldogs walked away with a 38-30 win.
The Fresno State Bulldogs are entering this matchup after winning their fourth game in a row. They took down Hawaii, 55-13, as they were feeling it on both sides of the ball. They will have to play great defense in this one if they want to challenge the Rebels on the road.
The UNLV Rebels are coming into this one after losing to the San Diego State Aztecs, 14-10. The Rebels struggled on the offensive side of the field, as they couldn't score enough points to win that game outright. They will have to do better on both sides of the field if they want to end their losing streak in this one.
The Fresno State Bulldogs currently sit in second place in the MW West, as they are (4-1) in conference play this season. They are also on a four-game winning streak, as they will be looking to keep that alive on the road. On offense, the Bulldogs are scoring 29.2 points per game and they are averaging 410 total yards of offense. This is the 67th most points scored and the 56th most total yards averaged per game. They have shown that they can consistently move the ball down the field, as they have leaned on their passing attack all year. Fresno State is throwing for 273.4 yards per game, which is the 32nd most in the country. Jake Haener will start at quarterback, as he has recorded 11 touchdown passes this season and only three interceptions. He was injured against USC earlier in the year but has now returned. Last week, he threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns. Fresno State is also running for 136.6 yards per game, which is the 86th mos t in the nation. Jordan Mims is the Bulldogs' lead back, as he has recorded 800 yards and scored nine touchdowns this season. Against Hawaii last week, he ran for 123 yards and also scored a touchdown. He has scored in the past four games that the Bulldogs have played.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs are surrendering 22.9 points per game and 262.2 total yards. This is the 43rd least amount of points given up per game and the 49th least amount of yards. They have been incredible at stopping the pass this season, as their secondary continues to be the strongest part of this defense. They are only allowing 201.2 passing yards per game, which is the 32nd least in the nation. Last week, they held Hawaii to just 204 passing yards, as their defensive backs were flying around the field. Fresno State hasn't been as great at stopping the run, though. They are allowing 169 rushing yards per game, which is the 90th most in the country. Levelle Bail ey, the Bulldogs' senior linebacker, has continued to lead this defense. He has recorded 62 tackles this season and forced a fumble, as he has been flying around the field. Last week, he recorded six total tackles.