Aztecs Scouting Report: Fresno State

San Diego State and Fresno State have history.

It dates back to 1923. It includes membership in five different conferences. And it includes 59 meetings — the most against any Aztecs opponent.

Last year’s get-together in Fresno was canceled because of COVID-19 concerns within the Bulldogs program (instead SDSU substituted a last-minute nonconference game at Colorado).

In recent years, a conference championship appearance has been on the line when SDSU and Fresno State take the field.

Either the Aztecs or Bulldogs won the West Division of the Mountain West each year from 2013, when the conference was split into two divisions, until 2019, when Hawaii surprised its peers.

Nevada was picked to win the West this year in a preseason media poll, but it is the Aztecs and Bulldogs atop the standings heading into Saturday night’s showdown at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson.

No. 21 SDSU (7-0, 3-0 MW), which leads the series 30-25-4, is a one-point favorite against Fresno State (6-2, 3-1 MW).

About the Bulldogs

The past decade has seen substantial highs and lows for the Fresno State program.

The Bulldogs earned back-to-back conference championships in 2012-13 with future NFL quarterback Derek Carr leading the way.

Within three years, however, the program bottomed out. A one-win season in 2016 led to head coach Tim DeRuyter’s dismissal and the hiring of Jeff Tedford, who turned things around with a 10-win season in 2017 and a school-record 12 wins in 2018.

Tedford departed for health reasons following a 4-8 finish to the 2019 season.

Former Fresno State offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer was hired to replace Tedford and immediately faced an unprecedented challenge amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fresno State started last year’s coronavirus-truncated season with three wins in four games before virus issues within the program forced two midseason games — against San Jose State and SDSU — to be canceled.

The Bulldogs finished poorly when they returned to the field, losing to Nevada and New Mexico to finish 3-3.

The 2021 season represented a fresh start, and Fresno State opened some eyes early in a 31-24 loss at then-No.11 Oregon (where the Bulldogs led early in the fourth quarter) and a 40-37 win at then-No. 13 UCLA (which was coming off a win over LSU).

Fresno State got off to a shaky start in conference play, needing to rally in the fourth quarter for a 38-30 win over winless UNLV before suffering a 27-24 loss at Hawaii.

The Bulldogs restored order the past two weeks with a 17-0 win at Wyoming and a 34-32 victory over Nevada.

The offense

The Bulldogs rank 11th in the nation in total offense (481.5 yards) and 22nd in scoring offense (35.7 ppg) largely due to the presence of senior quarterback Jake Haener, who ranks third in the nation in total passing yards (2,582, 322.8 ypg), sixth in passing TDs (22) and 21st in completion percentage (67.9, 205-for-302).

It’s not a surprise. Haener led the Mountain West a year ago in passing yards per game (336.8) after sitting out the 2019 season following his transfer from Washington.

The quarterback has spread his passes among more than a dozen receivers, including eight players who each have at least 13 receptions (SDSU tight end Daniel Bellinger leads the Aztecs with 12 catches).

Haener’s favorite target — by far — is junior wide receiver Jalen Cropper (55 catches, 580 yards, 10 TDs), whose highlights this season include 14 receptions against UCLA and four TDs against UNLV.

Another popular target is sophomore wide receiver Josh Kelly (32 catches, 318 yards, 2 TDs).

Fresno State also gets its running backs involved in the passing game. Senior Ronnie Rivers (116 carries, 573 yards, 4 TDs) is third on the team with 25 catches and senior Jordan Mims (54 carries, 318 yards, 2 TDs) has 13 catches.

Rivers left the game against Nevada in the first quarter when he suffered a lower leg injury on a 64-yard touchdown run.

Fresno State offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said in Monday’s press conference that Rivers has been cleared by doctors to “practice as tolerated, so we’ll see how it goes (Tuesday).” This week would mark the 50th career game for Rivers, who is in his fifth season.

All Mims did in Rivers’ absence Saturday night was rush for a career-high 134 yards and score TDs both rushing and receiving to earn Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week honors.

The defense

The Bulldogs are not as accomplished on this side of the ball, though successful nonetheless. They rank 39th in total defense (338.6 ypg) and 51st in scoring defense (22.75 ppg).

Of particular note against SDSU’s run-dominant offense, Fresno State ranks 31st in rush defense (120.5 ypg).

Fresno State features a solid defensive line led by three seniors — tackle Kevin Atkins and ends Arron Mosby and David Perales — who have combined for 14 sacks among them.

Mosby also leads the team with four forced fumbles (two recoveries).

A player who is seemingly all over the field is junior defensive back Evan Williams, who leads the team with 58 tackles. He also has two interceptions.

The defense has been successful separating the ball from ball carriers, collecting nine fumbles. The Bulldogs also have six interceptions.

They are minus-1 in turnover margin, however, because the offense has turned the ball over 16 times (7 interceptions, 9 fumbles).