'Dogs battle tough at No. 11 Oregon

EUGENE, Ore. - The Fresno State football team showed what it can bring to the table Saturday afternoon, pushing No. 11 Oregon to its limit on its home field at Autzen Stadium. The Bulldogs fell 31-24 in front of 43,276 fans in attendance at the season opener in Eugene.

How It Happened
Oregon got out to an early advantage on Saturday, getting a 14-0 lead before the Bulldogs could get on the board with a 33-yard field goal by Abraham Montano with 14:16 remaining in the half. It was Montano who would again score for the 'Dogs, this time on a 39-yard field goal to make it 14-6 in favor of the home team.

Oregon scored another touchdown with just over a minute to go in the half, but Fresno State responded with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Jake Haener to Jalen Cropper with seven seconds remaining. The score at the half was 21-13, Oregon.

Fresno State came out firing in the second half with an explosive 85-yard scoring drive. After taking over on downs, Jordan Mims got the 'Dogs into Duck territory with a 45-yard run. Three plays later, Haener broke into the endzone on a two-yard score. Fresno State completed the 2-point conversion on a pass by Haener to Juan Rodriguez to tie the game at 21-21 with 6:45 left in the third.

Montano nailed a 22-yard field goal to give Fresno State its only lead of the game with 13 minutes left on the clock.

The Bulldog defense held Oregon to a field goal mid-way through the fourth quarter, tying the game at 24. The Bulldog offense surrendered a fumble to the Ducks late in the fourth quarter, and they capitalized. No. 11 Oregon scored the go-ahead touchdown on a quarterback keeper score with 2:57 remaining in the game.

Notable

The last time Fresno State was within one score of beating a Top 15 team was in 2008 when the Bulldogs fell to No. 10 Wisconsin 13-10.
Eight out of the 10 matchups between Fresno State and Oregon have been decided by one score.
Fresno State's three touchdowns were scored by three different players.
Fresno State went 5-for-5 in the red zone.
Josh Kelly has recorded a catch in seven consecutive games.
Jalen Cropper is the only Bulldog to score in both games this season.
Cropper has recorded at least one reception in eight straight games.
Keric Wheatfall has recorded at least one catch in 13 of his last 14 games.
Evan Williams led the Bulldogs in tackles with a career-high 10 tackles (4 solo).
Arron Mosby caused a turnover for the second consecutive game.
Mosby had a career-high 3.5 TFL

Quotable
Head Coach Kalen DeBoer
On the team…
The biggest takeaway after leaving the locker room right now, is that we have a team that has each other's backs. They feel like they can play with anyone. They are hurting right now because they know they have a chance. I have a team that will come out next week with a lot of fire. I can tell you that. I am extremely confident that tomorrow is going to be one of the greatest film sessions. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday are going to be an amazing week of practice."

On Jake Haener…
"He got blindsided in the first quarter, causing that fumble. The second fumble was disappointing. We just have to take care of the football. Besides that, he kept his cool the entire game. He was close to 70 percent. That's what you're looking for when you're in a hostile environment. He kept battling, fighting and kept finding open players. The noise caused some false starts, but we kept fighting."

On the defense…
"I'm excited about how physical we were and how we were able to limit the amount of explosive plays. They got two, but we continued to line up with the ball. We never looked overwhelmed, we lined up right and we were physical. We are becoming stingy. We have a one yard is too many mindset and they are developing more confidence."

Tyson Maeva, Sr., LB
On coming back from a 14-point deficit…
"The heart of the team isn't the problem. We're going to fight the whole night or the whole day. At the end of the day, they made just one more play than we did you know so heart isn't the problem. We just have to execute and make plays."

On the defense after the two touchdowns scored off turnovers…
"We can't we can't not talking about those two touchdowns when we're backed up. When there is a sudden change in a game, it's a big thing. The offense gives up the ball sometimes. We can't be perfect. As the defense, we need to have their backs and execute when we have our backs against the wall. Overall, we just didn't get it done. That doesn't mean we weren't fighting. It doesn't matter where the ball is at, we have to understand the situation and do whatever we can help out our offense."

Up Next
Fresno State returns home for a Sept. 11 matchup with Cal Poly. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium. Tickets are available here.

"Fresno State Athletics: The Pride of the Valley" – The Bulldog Foundation creates championship experiences for Fresno State student-athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in life. To become a BDF member, please visit bulldogfoundation.org.

Follow us on:
Twitter: @FresnoStateFB
Instagram: Fresno_State_Football
Facebook: FresnoStateFootball

'Dogs battle tough at No. 11 Oregon

Next Event

Team Stats

Jake Haener

Players Mentioned

Jake Haener

Josh Kelly

Tyson Maeva

Jordan Mims

Abraham Montano

Jalen Moreno-Cropper

Arron Mosby

Juan Rodriguez

Keric Wheatfall

Evan Williams

Players Mentioned

Jake Haener

Josh Kelly

Tyson Maeva

Jordan Mims

Abraham Montano

Jalen Moreno-Cropper

Arron Mosby

Juan Rodriguez

Keric Wheatfall

Evan Williams