On three separate occasions, the stadium lights at Valley Children’s Stadium oddly went dark during the middle of the game.

The Fresno State football team could relate, seeming to lack power for a moment, too, while held scoreless in the opening quarter — this against a Sacramento State team that’s spent the last 33 years operating as a lower-tier Football Championship Subdivision program.

But just as the stadium lights would turn back on within 2 to 10 seconds, the Bulldogs also showed that they just needed some time to warm up before they’d start to shine.

Fresno State shook off its slow start to score 32 points in the second quarter alone en route a 49-3 nonconference victory against Sacramento State on Saturday.

After getting a feel and read of where and how Sac State’s defense tried to pressure during the first quarter, Bulldogs quarterback Jayden Mandal got Fresno State in a rhythm both with methodical marches down field and big-play strikes.

Mandal finished the night accounting for three touchdowns and completed 23 of 26 passes for 316 yards.

Quite the bounce-back performance following last week’s struggles during a 39-0 loss at No. 14 USC when Mandal completed only 7 of 15 passes for 77 yards, got intercepted once and drew five sacks, including two safeties.

Fresno State quarterback Jayden Mandal throws for a 2-point conversion while getting pressure from Sacramento State's Tim Thomas in their game at Valley Children's Stadium in Fresno on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. Fresno State quarterback Jayden Mandal throws for a 2-point conversion while getting pressure from Sacramento State’s Tim Thomas in their game at Valley Children’s Stadium in Fresno on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com

How good Mandal actually is might lie somewhere between Saturday’s performance and his season-opening showing.

But at least for one night, Mandal got to live out many Central Valley boys’ dreams of shining bright for the Bulldogs, while much of the announced crowd of 40,198 seemed to cheer him on.

Fresno State fans in the Green V section cheer during the Bulldogs first home game of the season against Sacramento State at Valley Children's Stadium in Fresno on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. Fresno State fans in the Green V section cheer during the Bulldogs first home game of the season against Sacramento State at Valley Children’s Stadium in Fresno on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com

“I’m really excited about the young man,” Fresno State coach Matt Entz said. “But he also had some people make plays for him. And he did a really good job orchestrating the offense, a lot of run checks, a lot of adjustments out there tonight.

“We had some things we wanted to get into. We had some things we wanted to get out of when we saw field pressure. And he really did a great job orchestrating what that looked like. He doesn’t get rattled very easily, which is beneficial to our sideline.”

The Buchanan High alumnus’ three touchdowns showcased a variety of his skills.

His 18-yard touchdown pass to running back Rayshon Luke for the game’s first score showed Mandal could make the simple, quick read and with the finesse touch to throw a swing pass.

Then Mandal unleashed his arm during a 73-yard, downfield strike that resulted in a touchdown to Ezekiel Avit.

On Fresno State’s third touchdown, Mandal plunged forward for a 1-yard score and showed he could quickly learn from mistakes after his attempted sneak on the previous play resulted in no yards.

Plenty of other Bulldogs had strong games, too, while giving the Red Wave some hope that maybe the Bulldogs can compete for a championship in their first season of Pac-12 play.

Fresno State's Josiah Freeman gets knocked out of bounds by Sacramento State's Dionte Thornton after a catch down the sideline in their game at Valley Children's Stadium in Fresno on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. Fresno State’s Josiah Freeman gets knocked out of bounds by Sacramento State’s Dionte Thornton after a catch down the sideline in their game at Valley Children’s Stadium in Fresno on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com

Fresno State finished with 542 total yards on offense, while displaying a run-oriented attack that used timely play-action passing to create big plays down field.

Running back Bryson Donelson rushed 13 times for 102 yards and three touchdowns

Receiver Josiah Freeman finished with six catches for 100 yards.

Fresno State's Rayshon Luke leaps away from Sacramento State's Elias Mullican on his way to a touchdown after a catch down the middle during their game at Valley Children's Stadium in Fresno on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. Fresno State’s Rayshon Luke leaps away from Sacramento State’s Elias Mullican on his way to a touchdown after a catch down the middle during their game at Valley Children’s Stadium in Fresno on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com

Perhaps more importantly for the offensive unit’s confidence, the Bulldogs offensive line did not allow a sack a week after getting manhandled in the trenches against USC.

“I thought we had a really good plan going into (the game),” Entz said. “We knew they were going to be a high-pressured team. They were going to load the box. There was going to be a lot of one-on-ones along the perimeter. We took advantage of it. And then we got the run game going.”

Fresno State's Bryson Donelson, center, gets taken down by Sacramento State's Amari Wallace on a run up the middle during their game at Valley Children's Stadium in Fresno on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. Fresno State’s Bryson Donelson, center, gets taken down by Sacramento State’s Amari Wallace on a run up the middle during their game at Valley Children’s Stadium in Fresno on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com

Fresno State’s defense, meanwhile, held Sac State to 262 total yards, including 150 passing yards on 15 of 31 completions.

Defensive lineman Martin Owusu registered six tackles and sack.

Defensive back Simeon Harris nabbed an interception.

Linebacker K’Vion Thunderbird made four tackles.

Fresno State moved to 6-0 all-time against Sac State.

“This,” Entz said, “was a great opportunity to take a step in the right direction.”

Fresno State head football coach Matt Entz, left, looks up at the scoreboard during the Bulldogs game against Sacramento State at Valley Children's Stadium in Fresno on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. Fresno State head football coach Matt Entz, left, looks up at the scoreboard during the Bulldogs game against Sacramento State at Valley Children’s Stadium in Fresno on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com Fresno State players run onto the field before the start of their first home game of the year against Sacramento State at Valley Children's Stadium in Fresno on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. Fresno State players run onto the field before the start of their first home game of the year against Sacramento State at Valley Children’s Stadium in Fresno on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com Fresno State's Jahzon Jacks, left, puts his hands up as Sacramento State quarterback Jackson Sharman throws during their game at Valley Children's Stadium in Fresno on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. Fresno State’s Jahzon Jacks, left, puts his hands up as Sacramento State quarterback Jackson Sharman throws during their game at Valley Children’s Stadium in Fresno on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com

This story was originally published September 12, 2026 at 11:03 PM.

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Bryant-Jon Anteola

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Bryant-Jon Anteola is a multimedia reporter for The Fresno Bee, writing stories and producing videos about sports, news and random topics relatable to those in the Fresno area. He’s won a McClatchy President’s Award and received honorable mention by the Associated Press Sports Editors. He enjoys sports because of the competition, camaraderie and energy, and views sports as a microcosm of society.