FORT COLLINS, CO. (FOX26) — Fresno State started slow and never recovered from costly turnovers and penalties in the 1st half, losing to Colorado State in Fort Collins, 49-21, on Friday night.

The Bulldogs (5-2, 2-1 MW) carried a 5-game win streak into the game. The Rams (2-4, 1-1 MW) had not beaten an FBS team all season.

None of that mattered when Colorado State running back Justin Marshall broke an arm tackle and scampered 73 yards for the Rams’ opening touchdown.

The explosive play sparked a run of four consecutive touchdown drives for CSU, which were aided by Bulldog miscues.

Fresno State quarterback E.J. Warner threw an interception on the following drive; the Rams scored on the short field to take a 14-0 lead.

The Bulldogs attempted a fake punt that failed, resulting in another short field and touchdown for Colorado State.

In the second quarter, an offside penalty against Fresno State gave CSU a free five yards on 4th & 4. The Rams cashed in on the next play to extend their lead, 28-7.

Then, Warner had the football stripped away from him on a scramble, and the Rams returned the fumble 36 yards for a touchdown.

Every time Fresno State made a misstep, Colorado State capitalized on it, and there were little to no mistakes on the Rams’ side.

Their offense ran efficiently, picking up a season-best 6.3 yards per play. They did not turn the ball over. They went 4-for-4 on TD opportunities in the red zone, compared to Fresno State’s 0-for-2, which has been a common theme in 2025.

Fresno State has scored touchdowns on barely half of its red zone trips this season. The Bulldogs’ red zone offense ranks 105th out of 134 FBS teams.

The Rams played a clean game for the most part; the Bulldogs were far from that.

Fresno State coughed up 117 penalty yards, its most in a game since the Oct. 2, 2021 loss at Hawaii.

Warner committed four turnovers – three interceptions and a fumble – the most by a Bulldog in one game since Haener’s five turnovers in that same defeat to Hawaii.

Here’s a telling stat: Fresno State ranks 10th in the country in turnovers forced (11), despite not getting any Friday night, but also ranks dead-last in the country in turnovers lost (14).

With how the Bulldogs lost Friday’s game, by falling behind early, it steered them away from their strength – running the football. They attempted a season-low 21 run plays, not including Warner scrambles, for 111 yards (5.2 yards/carry).

On the flip side, Warner attempted 49 passes, which was 20 more than his previous season-high, and completed 57% of them.

Those numbers helped Warner finish with a season-best 350 passing yards and three touchdown passes. Josiah Freeman was a bright spot with two TD catches for the second straight week. It just wasn’t enough to get a win.

“I did a poor job of preparing our football team,” said head coach Matt Entz afterward. “I didn’t do a good enough job having them ready to go on defense, either.”

Per Pro Football Focus, Fresno State missed 15 tackles against Colorado State, its most in a game this year. This was coming off a win over Nevada in which they only missed six.

“it’s unfortunate we weren’t ready to play, and our fans deserve better,” Entz said. “That’s not the product [we want]. That’s not us, and we’re going to wish we had this game back at some point during the season.”

Entz also wishes there was no bye week for the Bulldogs next – “It’s probably the worst thing, because now we get to be angry and upset… for two weeks.”

But there is, and Fresno State will return to the football field for its Homecoming and Black-Out game after the bye week, on Saturday, Oct. 25 against San Diego State.