'Dogs face Aztecs for Old Oil Can

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Fresno State (4-2, 1-1 Pac-12) at San Diego State (2-4, 1-1 Pac-12)
Saturday, October 17 | 7:30 p.m. PT | CBS Sports Network | Snapdragon Stadium | San Diego, Calif.

Fresno State Game Notes (PDF) | San Diego State Game Notes (PDF)
Fresno State Weekly Press Conference | Ultimate Broadcast Guide

MEDIA COVERAGE
TV - CBS Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Rich Watlz
Analyst: Adam Breneman
Sideline: Jordan Giorgio

Radio - Bulldog Sports Network
Play-by-Play - Paul Loeffler
Analyst - Pat Hill
Sideline - Kenny Wiggins

Radio - Bulldog Sports Network (Spanish)
Play-by-Play - Jose Gonzalez
Analyst: Abraham Montano

Social Media: Twitter: @FresnoStateFB | Instagram:@fresno_state_football | Facebook: FresnoStateFootball | YouTube: FresnoStateAthletics

Live Stats: GoBulldogs.com/LiveStats

A LOOK INSIDE
Series: San Diego State leads, 32-27-4

Head Coaches:
Matt Entz
Fresno State Record (Years): 13-6 (2nd season)
Career DI Record (Years): 73-17 (5 seasons)

Sean Lewis
Record at San Diego State (Years): 14-17 (3rd season)
Career Record (Years): 38-48

QUICK LOOK

Fresno State is 4-2 overall and 1-1 in Pac-12 play. The Bulldogs play this weekend, then enter their bye week.
Fresno State and San Diego State will play for the Old Oil Can this weekend.
Fresno State leads the conference in scoring defense, allowing 20.0 points per game. The Bulldogs have held three opponents to 10 points or fewer.
The Bulldogs rank sixth nationally and second in the conference with a plus-1.33 turnover margin per game. Fresno State has forced 11 turnovers while committing only three.
Fresno State's 11 takeaways are tied for the conference lead and rank 10th nationally. The Bulldogs have intercepted seven passes and recovered four fumbles.
The Bulldogs' seven interceptions rank ninth nationally and are tied for the conference lead. Four Fresno State defenders have recorded an interception, led by Simeon Harris with three and Ethan Tierney with two.
Harris has nine career interceptions at the FBS level, tying for the national lead with Alabama's Bray Hubbard and Iowa State's Braden Awls.
Fresno State has thrown only one interception in 176 team pass attempts. The Bulldogs rank seventh nationally in fewest passes intercepted and have completed five consecutive games without throwing a pick.
QB Jayden Mandal has thrown 155 pass attempts without an interception, tying the 8th-most in program history. He sits on the list with Marcus McMaryion (2018).
Fresno State's three total giveaways are tied for the fewest in the conference and rank 12th nationally. The Bulldogs have played turnover-free football in four of their six games.
The Bulldogs have committed only 27 penalties for 192 yards. Fresno State ranks fifth nationally and leads the conference with 32.0 penalty yards per game.
Fresno State has scored at least 26 points in five consecutive games. The Bulldogs are averaging 34.0 points during that stretch.
Kicker Manaki Watanabe has converted 12-of-14 attempts through five appearances, including a perfect 3-of-3 from at least 50 yards.
An Ashland transfer, Watanabe has made 33 field goals in 18 career games. His average of 1.83 field goals per game leads all active NCAA players.

ABOUT THE MATCHUP

Saturday will mark the 64th all-time meeting between Fresno State and San Diego State. The Aztecs lead the series 32-27-4. San Diego State is Fresno State's second-most-played opponent behind San Jose State, while Fresno State is SDSU's most-played opponent.
The series began in 1923, making this one of the oldest rivalries for both programs.
The 2026 contest will be the programs' first meeting as Pac-12 opponents. The teams previously shared membership in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, Pacific Coast Athletic Association/Big West and Mountain West.
San Diego State has won the last two meetings, defeating Fresno State 33-18 in San Diego in 2023 and 23-0 in Fresno in 2025.
Fresno State is looking for its first win in the series since its dramatic 32-28 comeback victory in 2022.
In that 2022 game, Fresno State scored 15 points in 13 seconds late in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs scored a touchdown and two-point conversion, recovered an onside kick and followed with a 37-yard touchdown pass to complete the comeback.
The teams have split their last 10 meetings, 5-5, with neither program winning more than two consecutive games during that stretch.
Fresno State leads the Old Oil Can trophy series, 7-6, although San Diego State currently possesses the trophy following its wins in 2023 and 2025.
The Old Oil Can was introduced in 2011. Its origin is tied to an old oil can from Fresno that was reportedly discovered during construction on the San Diego State campus. The trophy represents the oil cans travelers once carried while driving the old Grapevine route between the Central Valley and Southern California.
Fresno State's longest winning streak in the series is eight games from 1954-61. San Diego State followed by winning nine consecutive meetings from 1962-70.
The Bulldogs' largest victory in the series was a 66-0 win in 1942. Their largest modern-era win was a 63-37 victory in 1993.
Fresno State's 63-37 win in 1993 secured a share of the WAC championship. Ron Rivers rushed for 218 yards and two touchdowns, while Trent Dilfer passed for 272 yards and three scores.
Fresno State won consecutive high-scoring meetings in 1992 and 1993, defeating the Aztecs 45-41 and 63-37. The teams combined for 186 points across those two games.
In Fresno State's first Mountain West game in 2012, Derek Carr passed for 536 yards and five touchdowns in a 52-40 victory over San Diego State. It remains the highest-scoring game in the trophy era. Fresno State's 2013 victory also required late-game heroics. Marcel Jensen blocked a potential game-winning field goal as regulation expired before Marteze Waller scored in overtime to give the No. 15 Bulldogs a 35-28 win.
The Bulldogs defeated undefeated No. 21 San Diego State 30-20 in 2021, handing the Aztecs their first loss of the season. It was Fresno State's second win over a ranked opponent that year, under former head coach Kalen DeBoer.
From the creation of the Mountain West Championship Game in 2013 through 2022, the Fresno State–San Diego State winner advanced to the conference title game in nine of 10 seasons. The only exception was the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
The 2025 game marked San Diego State's first shutout of Fresno State since a 10-0 victory in 1998.

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Players Mentioned

Simeon Harris

Jayden Mandal

Ethan Tierney

Manaki Watanabe

Fresno State Athletics