Fresno State head coach Matt Entz is seen along the sidelines in the game against Rice Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026 in Fresno. Rice led 17-14 at halftime.
ERIC PAUL ZAMORA
ezamora@fresnobee.com
Fresno State’s offense continued to struggle in the first half Saturday night, particularly in the opening quarter.
This time, the Bulldogs faced Rice, a team that entered the nonconference portion of the schedule with one of the worst defenses in the FBS.
Through the first three games, Fresno State had scored 38 points in the first half.
Against Rice, however, the Bulldogs once again couldn’t get going early before the offense finally found its rhythm and Fresno State defeated the Owls 38-24.
Just how concerning has the Bulldogs’ slow start become?
Rice’s defense had given up points in the first quarter until shutting out the Bulldogs in the quarter.
It was also the fourth consecutive game in which Fresno State failed to score an offensive touchdown in the opening quarter.
There are legitimate factors contributing to the struggles.
The Bulldogs have lost key players along the offensive line, but the backups have the ability to protect quarterback Jayden Mandal and create running lanes.
Fresno State coach Matt Entz acknowledged the team’s slow starts and said the Bulldogs need to find a way to get moving.
“I said it two weeks in a row: production on third down, or lack thereof,” Entz said. “I think we’re doing a decent job on early downs, but we haven’t had the success we want, expect, or require to be successful on third down. I think we were 1 of 5 on third down in the first half. A week ago we were 1 of 8. That’s not a recipe for success.”
That has to change if Fresno State wants to contend for a Pac-12 championship.
Even Mandal acknowledged that he needs to play better.
The struggles are particularly notable given the quality of the opposing defense.
Entering Saturday’s game, Rice ranked 80th nationally in total defense, allowing 349.7 yards per game. The Owls ranked 61st in passing defense at 190.7 yards per game, 98th against the run at 159.0 yards per game and 106th in scoring defense at 27.7 points per game.
The Bulldogs eventually found their offense against Rice, but slow starts will become more difficult to overcome as the schedule gets tougher.
Fresno State opens Pac-12 play Saturday at Washington State in Pullman, Wash.
The following two games loom even larger: No. 22 Boise State visits Valley Children’s Stadium before the Bulldogs travel to face San Diego State.
If Fresno State is going to compete against those teams and throughout its Pac-12 schedule, the offense needs to start faster.
Entz didn’t budge when asked about making adjustments.
“If you were to come to practice you would see third down periods, things that happen on the practice field,” he said. “We try to do a team takeoff early in practice. We did it last week. We’ll continue to emphasize those things because no way are we going to sit here and keep doing the same thing. That’s a definition of insanity. We’re going to find a way to get better.”
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Anthony Galaviz writes about breaking news/sports for The Fresno Bee. He covers the Las Vegas Raiders, high schools, boxing, MMA and junior colleges. He’s been with The Bee since 1997 and attended Fresno City College before graduating from Fresno State with a major in journalism and a minor in criminology.
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