Fresno State made a change at quarterback against San Diego State, starting sophomore Carson Conklin in place of E.J. Warner, and ended up getting shut out for the first time ever in Bulldog/Valley Children’s Stadium.
So, what now? And, what next?
Fresno State in the short term is one victory away from bowl eligibility, and coach Matt Entz said Monday the Bulldogs would ride with Conklin despite the messy first start against the Aztecs in hopes that he can elevate an offense averaging just 16.0 points in four conference games.
The move, Entz made clear, was about more than the play on the football field and the versatility that Conklin could add to an offense that lacks dynamic playmakers.
“You see the way he handles himself and the way he handles his teammates, and I appreciate that,” Entz said. “I’ve been fortunate to have been around some very talented quarterbacks in my coaching career — four of them are in the NFL right now. All of them are servant leaders. All of them are professional in how they approach the game, the mental side of it. There is no stone unturned. Not that E.J. didn’t do those things, but you just see it’s on a different level, especially the interaction with his teammates.
“I think there’s some value there, when you’re willing to go through the tough times and the good times with your teammates. I think you create that bond and that camaraderie that’s necessary and required of the ultimate team game in football.”
In the longer term, the Bulldogs this offseason will likely be in the exact same place as they were a year ago: lacking a quarterback with much experience. Entz’s preferred roster construction includes three scholarship quarterbacks, but at season’s end the Bulldogs will have Conklin, sophomore Jayden Mandal and freshmen Jonathan Craft and Jayden Turner. Fresno State also has commitments from two Class of 2026 quarterbacks in Jacob Chambers from Rancho Cucamonga and Deagan Rose from Clovis.
That will work itself out, in the transfer portal era.
But with Fresno State headed to a Mountain West matchup Saturday at Boise State and games remaining against Wyoming and Utah State and at San Jose State, can Conklin and offensive coordinator Josh Davis put enough pieces together to extend the Bulldogs’ bowl streak to five in a row?
Conklin is more versatile than Warner and could be an asset in the run game, though there was little of that against San Diego State. He rushed three times, not including one sack and two plays where he scrambled away from pressure. A read-option went for zero yards and draws for minus-2 yards and 1 yard.
He also hit just 47.6% of his passes in his start, and was intercepted twice. His passing efficiency rating of 74.50 was the lowest by a Fresno State starting quarterback since 2015, when Zack Greenlee posted a 45.12 in a loss to BYU. The offense generated 227 yards and 14 first downs, averaging a season-low 3.5 yards per play.
Entz said after the game that the Bulldogs needed to lean into the run game more in what was a two-score game into the fourth quarter.
“We will continue to learn and grow,” he said. “I am disappointed that we couldn’t run the ball better, or that we got away from the run when it was 16-0 and down two scores. I felt like we still had opportunities there. We were moving the ball.”
San Diego State has the best run defense in the Mountain West, but the Bulldogs did have some success in a season-low 23 rushing attempts. The Bulldogs also attempted 42 passes against a defense that is one of the best in the nation against the pass — San Diego State ranks second in opponents completion percentage (50.9), third in opponents passing efficiency rating (96.80) and fifth in opponents yards per passing attempt (5.2).
Conklin was sacked just one time, but was pressured on 18 of 45 dropbacks. The Bulldogs’ wideouts also had three clear dropped passes, and four others that could have been caught.
“He stood in the pocket,” Entz said. “He really didn’t flinch. You could tell he had been in games before. From an operating standpoint, I thought he did a really good job.”
Warner likely is in a backup role from here. The decision to take the senior out of the portal was a curious one from the start, not only because his skillset didn’t match up with quarterbacks that Entz had success with when playing deep into the FCS playoffs and winning national championships at North Dakota State, but because there was a full body of work to evaluate what he could and could not do.
Warner had started for two seasons at Temple and one at Rice, and in all three seasons ranked in the Top 10 in the nation in interceptions.
The offenses that he led struggled to score, averaging 22.2, 21.1 and 21.9 points per game.
Warner was not a factor in the run game and was limited in the passing game, issues that have been evident this season. Warner has hit on just 4 of 17 (23.5%) throws that traveled 20 or more yards downfield. He has three touchdowns, but also five of his nine interceptions have come on deep throws, according to Pro Football Focus.
