LOS ANGELES, Calif. (FOX26) — As Fresno State prepared all spring and summer to face No. 14 USC in the season opener Friday, Sept. 4, the Bulldogs’ second-year head coach Matt Entz had a (former) Trojan alongside him for most practices.
His name is Ben Hynds, the Assistant Athletic Director for Football at Fresno State. Hynds is considered an integral piece to the program, someone who Entz calls “the tie between my office and the players.”
Entz met Hynds in 2024 when they were on the same coaching staff at USC.
Hynds worked in Football Operations, and Entz assisted HC Lincoln Riley with day-to-day head coaching duties, learning more about running a Division I FBS program after winning two FCS National Championships at North Dakota State.
But Hynds is just one trace of USC that can be found within the Fresno State football program. There are other traces of Entz’s one season as the Trojans’ linebackers coach and assistant head coach for defense – including how practice looks.
“Some of the periods in practice, we might have stolen a little bit, or borrowed, or try to reshape to fit who we wanted to be,” said Entz.
And what Entz wants to be at Fresno State could be completely different than USC. From the sheer standpoint of philosophies, Riley’s Trojans are inclined to throw the ball, and Entz’s Bulldogs love to run it.
But that does not mean familiarity with their foe won’t come in handy as 21.5-point underdogs as of Friday morning.
“I don’t know if I’d say I know their tendencies, but I know their personnel a little bit, having been there for two different recruiting classes,” said Entz. “And I’ve got some really good friends on that staff.”
Riley will coach against a former assistant of his for the first time, and you can watch the game on FOX26 at 6 p.m. PT.