FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — About a half-hour before kickoff, signs of a significant change were there.
Sacramento State transfer Carson Conklin was taking E.J. Warner’s reps in pregame warmups and ended up replacing Warner as Fresno State’s starting quarterback.
That move came against the No. 1-ranked defense in the Mountain West that featured multiple future NFL Draft picks.
It did not pay off, as San Diego State shut out Fresno State on Saturday, 23-0. The last home shutout loss for the Bulldogs happened exactly 45 years ago, on Oct. 25, 1980, back when the team still played at Ratcliffe Stadium.
Fresno State (5-3, 2-2 MW) did not reach the red zone (inside the opponent’s 20-yard line) until there were 4 minutes left in the game.
By then, the Aztecs (6-1, 3-0 MW) already intercepted Conklin twice and returned one of those for a touchdown with 8 minutes remaining.
The Bulldogs’ offense didn’t have a single pass completed for 15 yards or more, or a single run that gained 10 yards or more.
But, head coach Matt Entz thought a change was necessary after Warner threw 9 interceptions in 7 games. Only one other FBS college QB in the country has thrown more.
“I felt like I had the right to make that decision,” Entz said. “We talk about ‘The ball is the team’ [and] we weren’t living that. We had turned the ball over too many times, too often, and then at the same time [I’m] trying to push a button, maybe get a little more leadership out of some people on offense.”
Entz said he never thought about bringing Warner back in the game Saturday: “I felt good with my decision. Slept better at the end of the week than I had the previous 10 days.”
Fresno State continues to move away from running the football. After a season-low 22 carries for the running backs at Colorado State, they only toted 17 carries on Saturday.
The Bulldogs were playing from behind most of the afternoon, but because of timely defensive stops, they were never out of it until the late pick-six.
Fresno State’s defense registered six tackles for loss, two sacks, a fumble recovery, and an interception by Al’Zillion Hamilton. They did not allow an Aztecs touchdown after Lucky Sutton rushed for a 1-yard score with 4 minutes to go in the 1st quarter.
The Aztecs settled for field goals from 42, 50 and 27 yards out.
Fresno State will look to keep its strong defense and find an offensive spark on the road at Boise State (6-2, 4-0), the preseason Mountain West title favorite.
Kickoff at Albertsons Stadium is slated for Saturday, Nov. 1 at 12:30 p.m. PT.