Fresno State head coach Matt Entz questions a call in the game against Boise State Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026 in Fresno.
ERIC PAUL ZAMORA
ezamora@fresnobee.com
What a deflating loss for Fresno State.
The Bulldogs picked up a sack to push San Diego State back to the Bulldogs’ 35-yard line, but Cooper DiLeva made a 51-yard field goal to give the Aztecs a 26-23 victory at Snapdragon Stadium in a Pac-12 Conference matchup on Saturday night.
The loss virtually ends Fresno State’s hopes of reaching the Pac-12 championship.
The Bulldogs (4-3 overall, 1-2 Pac-12) could still get in with some help and by winning out, including the Halloween matchup against Oregon State. Fresno State has a bye next week and must regroup for the Beavers.
San Diego State (3-4, 2-1) keeps “The Old Oil Can” trophy for another season.
Bulldogs quarterback Jayden Mandal couldn’t drive his team down the field to give kicker Malakai Watanabe a chance to tie the game.
It’s the same tune Fresno State coach Matt Entz has been singing all season.
“We just got to find ways to start faster,” he told Kenny Wiggins after the game. “We can’t be down 13-0, and all of a sudden, that becomes a huge difference in the game, and we’re scratching and clawing just to get back in it, and I feel terrible for them.”
Except for the game against Boise State, when the Bulldogs scored a first-quarter touchdown for the first time all season, they were once again held scoreless in the opening quarter.
Fresno State couldn’t generate much offense, even with the return of Rayshon Luke, who sat out last week because of a concussion.
The Bulldogs entered the game as 6.5-point favorites but struggled to meet expectations.
Fresno State finished with just 276 yards of total offense, compared with San Diego State’s 384.
Aztecs starting quarterback Jayden Denegal left the game with an injury, forcing freshman Stone Saunders to take over. Saunders helped lead San Diego State to the win, setting up DiLeva’s decisive field goal after the Bulldogs’ sack pushed the Aztecs back.
Mandal wasn’t effective behind a vulnerable offensive line that gave up six sacks. He finished 13 of 25 for 141 yards and no touchdowns. He also missed a wide-open Josiah Freeman in the end zone on a play in the fourth quarter.
“We gotta be better at the simple things,” Entz said. “Tackling alignment, communications, technique — all those things. We’re not where we should be. I mean, there’s some really good things that happened tonight at different times, but just not enough, not consistent enough.”
The only consistent thing the Bulldogs have done is start slow. Until that changes, Fresno State will have a hard time overcoming its own problems with five Pac-12 games remaining.
This story was originally published October 17, 2026 at 11:23 PM.
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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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