Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
5-2 , 2-1
Wyoming
4-2 , 0-2
'Dogs post shutout in Laramie
10/16/2021 4:04:00 PM | Football
Going up against a heavy rushing offense, Fresno State held Wyoming to only 128 yards rushing. Wyoming was forced to move to an air attack, where it was quickly covered as the Bulldogs had four interceptions in the game - highlighted by two by Evan Williams. Williams also led the team in tackles with seven.
Offensively, the Bulldogs put up 163 yards rushing with a team-high 78 rushing yards from Jordan Mims. Quarterback Jake Haener finished the game with 96 yards passing, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
How It Happened
Fresno State scored first as Haener found Juan Rodriguez on a 2-yard touchdown pass with 6:57 left in the first quarter. The rest of the half was a defensive battle, as neither team scored and Fresno State took a 7-0 lead into the locker room.
The Bulldog defense held the Cowboys to 4-of-7 on their third down conversions while also recovering a fumble and snagging an interception in the half.
Fresno State's next score was set up by the defense's second interception of the day as Levelle Bailey tipped the pass from Sean Chambers and Malachi Langley was there for the grab. Langley returned the interception for 33-yards to the Wyoming 6-yard line. From there, it took the offense just three plays before Haener found Jalen Cropper on a 3-yard completion to give the 'Dogs a 14-0 lead with 1:52 remaining in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs tacked on a field goal with 10:25 remaining in the game. Cesar Silva cashed in Evan Williams' second interception of the day, converting from 41 yards.
Wyoming brought in Levi Williams at quarterback, but the Bulldog defense did not give in. Forcing a turnover on downs and then its fourth interception of the day, the Bulldog defense shut down what Wyoming was trying to do offensively to close the game.
Notes
- Fresno State's defense had four interceptions, its most in a game since facing Idaho on Sept. 1, 2018 when the group had five.
- Fresno State forced five turnovers (4 INT, 1 FR), its most in a game since UNLV on Oct. 18, 2019.
- Fresno State scored 17 points off turnovers, its most in a game this year.
- Fresno State's last shutout on the road was Nov. 2, 1974 at Cal State Northridge (41-0).
- The Bulldogs recorded their second shutout this season. It is the first time since 2017 that a Fresno State team had multiple shutouts in a season.
- The 'Dogs held Wyoming scoreless for the first time since Oct. 9, 2010 (45-0 vs. TCU).
Head Coach Kalen DeBoer
On the game…
"I'm proud of our guys. I think we beat Wyoming at their own game. We took care of the football and got the turnovers. There are still a lot of things we can get better at, but I am excited that we are finding different ways to win. I think that's a sign of a great football team. You have to find different ways to win. Whether it is offensive or defensive. Whether it's a shutout, the run game, the pass game. There's things that we got better at today that will carry over. I can't wait to watch the film to see exactly what we did. I'm just proud of the guys for finding a way to win."
Evan Williams, S, Jr.
On having two interceptions and leading the team in tackles…
"I'm ecstatic. We've put so much time into this game and putting this defense together. When you see that hard work come together, it feels great."
On the defense…
"We knew this game was going to be a dog fight. We were ready for a battle. Wyoming has a good defense. Our defense came into this game that it has to be us. We had a sour taste in our mouths from two weeks ago. We knew this had to be our game. I'm proud of all the guys for getting after it. I love to see that goose egg up on the scoreboard after the game."
Kevin Atkins, DT, Sr.
On the game…
"We knew that the game was going to come down to who was going to be the more physical team. We knew they were going to run the ball and we needed to rise to the occasion to stop the run."
Jake Haener, QB, Sr.
On the run game…
"We wanted to establish the run game. They gave us some favorable looks to do so. We did a good job of establishing the run game and trying to get the pass game going when we could. Every day is different. We just have to do what it takes win and today that was the run game."
On Jordan Mims…
"It was great to see Jordan getting the run game going and fighting for those extra yards. It inspired a lot of guys on the sideline and took some of the pressure off Ronnie Rivers. The one-two-punch was great for us today. When we have both of them going, it makes us two dimensional. It also opens up lanes for the pass game. I was happy for the guys to get a lot of carries and put this win on their shoulders. I'm proud of them."
Fresno State hosts Nevada on Nov. 23 for Homecoming. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. PT and will air on FS2. During halftime, Fresno State will retire Lorenzo Neal's No. 22 jersey.
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Team Stats
FSU 7, WYO 0
FSU - Rodriguez,Juan 2 yd pass from Haener,Jake (Silva,Cesar kick) 10 plays, 41 yards, TOP 05:47
FSU 14, WYO 0
FSU - Cropper,Jalen 3 yd pass from Haener,Jake (Silva,Cesar kick) 3 plays, 6 yards, TOP 00:36
FSU 17, WYO 0
FSU - Silva,Cesar 41 yd field goal 4 plays, 3 yards, TOP 00:55
