The Mountain West tournament is here. And that means throw the regular season out of the window. Every team is 0-0 in each game in a do or die matchup. Anything can happen and since it’s in Vegas, something crazy is bound to happen.
The first matchup of this years tournament sees the Fresno State Bulldogs take on the Colorado State Rams. Both teams are coming in off of down years and both teams have a chance to take this game. Colorado State swept the season series, but Fresno State didn’t make it easy.
Held relatively quiet in their first matchup, Holland stepped up in the second matchup in the abscence of Isaih Moore. He finished with 14 points and five rebounds, while going 60% from deep. CSU has a tendency to let someone get hot from deep. If that guy is Holland, the Bulldogs could take this one.
As Tonje goes, the Rams go. Isaiah Stevens is the leader of this team, but Tonje is the motor that keeps it running. When Tonje has a down overall game, so do the Rams. When he is all over the court, the Rams can run wild. If the Rams want to advance Tonje has to step up.
Things to Watch
Can the Rams move the ball? Can Colorado State hold the line on defense? Can the Bulldogs slow down the Rams? Can Fresno State gets anything going on offense? These are all questions that will determine the outcome of this game.
The Rams like to score, they haven’t done that well on the defensive end this year. If the Rams can play their game and hold the Bulldogs down they can advance. The Bulldogs slow it down and drag things out. If they can force the Rams into tough shots and make easier shots themselves, Fresno State will come out on top.
Predictions
Neither Colorado State nor Fresno State has been exceptional this year. Fresno State scares San Diego State more, but the Bulldogs haven’t done well against the Rams this season. Expect the Rams to start fast and finish this game strong to salvage something from this season.
Jake Haener beat UCLA last September. Now he’ll try to beat the other Los Angeles school, a school he wanted to play for. #FresnoState #USC
Jake Haener is a 23-year-old quarterback from California’s Monte Vista High High School. Haener was rated a three-star recruit out of high school and had offers from top schools: Utah, Washington, Hawaii, Florida Atlantic and Fresno State, but eventually committed to Chris Petersen and Washington.
Haener finished his high school career with 8,464 yards on 597-for-977 passing, with a school-record 90 touchdowns along with 24 interceptions over three years and 35 games. As a senior, he led the Mustangs to a 12-1 record.
In 2018 as a freshman Haener saw action in three games for the Huskies. He threw for 107 yards on 13 attempts with a completion percentage of 69.2.
After season’s end Haener transferred to Fresno State. Haener never got the chance to play for USC, a team he always dreamed of playing for but will get to face this Saturday night at the Coliseum in L.A.
Fresno State QB Jake Haener says he grew up rooting for USC. He said, 'I wanted that offer but little Jake Haener wasn't tall enough and didn't have enough stars next to his name … Now I get the chance to play there.'#FresnoState#GoDogs@BarkBoard@insidetroypic.twitter.com/sQrO3U4TCL
“No one else thinks we can win,” Haener told 247Sports. “I’ve been the underdog my whole life and it’s going to be no different this Saturday. I’m gonna embrace it, gonna love it … This is what we play for. This is what we do all those extra hours and long summers and long winters – it’s time now. This is why you play college football, for moments like this. These are the moments I dreamed of as a kid and I’m one of the few that actually get to go out and live that dream.”
Keep in mind the Fresno State Bulldogs upset No. 13 UCLA last season in the Rose Bowl. This team has very similar starters relative to 2021. This will be an interesting team to keep an eye on this Saturday.
Fresno State College Football Preview 2022: Team breakdown, season prediction, keys to the campaign, and what you need to know
Fresno State Bulldogs Preview 2022: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Fresno State season with what you need to know and keys to the season.
The guy is only 60. What’s more fun than coaching football if that’s your life’s work?
Jeff Tedford was a big time passer for Fresno State in the early 80s, became a hot offensive coordinator and quarterback coaching guru at Oregon, and then he took over Cal and turned it into a – at the time – Pac-10 power.
Forget about what might or might not have happened during the various NFL careers, David Carr, Trent Dilfer, Joey Harrington and Akili Smith were fantastic college quarterbacks. And then there’s that Aaron Rodgers guy who Tedford helped tutor into an all-time great.
Now he has another great quarterback to work with. More on that in a moment.
After two amazing years at Fresno State – and one bad one – he stepped down after the 2019 season. Now with former head coach Kalen DeBoer off to Washington, Tedford is back to his alma mater being gifted a full cupboard of talent on both sides of the ball to make a run at the Mountain West title.
Fresno State Bulldogs Preview 2022: Offense
The Fresno State offense worked. It was No. 1 in the Mountain West in total offense and second in scoring, the passing game was fantastic, now Tedford and offensive coordinator Kirby Moore – the Fresno State wide receivers coach over the past five years – should be able to keep it all going. It starts with …
Jake Haener started his career at Washington, came to Fresno State, was about to follow DeBoer to Washington, changed his mind, and now the quarterback who threw for close to 4,100 yards and 33 touchdowns last season is a hot name in all the 2023 pro prospects lists.
Not only does Fresno State get another year of him winging it around, but his star targets are back. Jalen Cropper caught 85 passes and scored 11 times, Josh Kelly is an excellent 52-catch No. 2 option, and coming in is Nikko Remigio, a 97-catch possession receiver from Cal.
Longtime star RB Ronnie Rivers is off trying to become an Arizona Cardinal, but Jordan Mims can rip off big runs – he was second on the team with 710 yards and six scores – working behind a good-sized offensive front that returns three starters and gets guard Jacob Isaia from Michigan State.
As long as left tackle Donate Bull and the rest of the line are keeping Haener from getting hit, they’re doing their job.
Fresno State Bulldogs Preview 2022: Defense
The offense made all the noise, but the defense wasn’t bad allowing 347 yards and 21 points per game. With seven starters back including a few all-stars, the production should be there. Really, as long as this group can hold serve while the O does its thing, all will be fine.
The pass rush was fine, but what this group did at a higher level was come up with tackles for loss. Even with all the talent returning, losing Arron Moseby and Kevin Atkins – they combined for 28.5 tackles for loss – hurts.
Senior end David Perales will be one of the most disruptive forces in the Mountain West, and 315-pound Leonard Payne is a good, experienced anchor in the middle with Atkins done. The transfer portal will help getting Joshua Pakola from Stanford for the outside.
The back seven should be a rock as long as the corners can come up with a few more big plays.
If Evan Williams isn’t the best safety in the Mountain West, he’s in the team photo. He led the team with 92 tackles, and the linebacker combination of Malachi Langley and Levelle Bailey – 117 tackles between the two – is set even with USC’s Raymond Scott coming into the mix.
What does Phil Steele’s preseason top 40 look like? Which programs are the favorites to reach the College Football Playoff?
Phil Steele is one of the top voices in all of college football. His annual college football preview magazine is something fans look forward to every year.
Now, we get a look at his preseason top 40 college football rankings. The Iowa Hawkeyes are inside his top 20 after winning the Big Ten West in 2021. How many other Big Ten teams find their way inside the top 40?
According to Phil Steele, seven Big Ten teams will finish inside the top 40. Is one of them perhaps his predicted national champion? Let’s take a look below at how Phil Steele projects all of the top 40 to shake out in 2022.
Here’s a look at the full top 25 rated Madden 23 players. You can probably guess who, but there’s one Iowa Hawkeye that made the cut.
Ultimately, it’s bragging rights more than anything else. Still, there’s something about being named as one of the Madden NFL 23’s 99 club members.
If you’re unfamiliar with how Madden NFL 23 works, a 99 overall rating is the highest any player in the game can get. Naturally, it’s a big deal when players are rewarded with that distinction. Four players earned that honor in Madden NFL 23 as you’ll see below.
What about the top 25 players? Who are they, what college did they play for and what’s their rating in Madden NFL 23?
As you’ll see, the top 25 highest-rated players in Madden NFL 23 span 23 different colleges, comprise all of the Power 5 conferences and even add a little FCS and Division II flair as well.
Fans can probably guess which player it is, but there is one former Iowa Hawkeye that made the top 25 highest-rated players in Madden NFL 23. Let’s take a look at the full list below.
See for yourself what makes Fresno State’s Jake Haener one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2023 NFL draft
It’s never too early to look ahead to the next group of top prospects, so if you’re looking to get a head start on the 2023 NFL draft class, we’ve got you covered.
What makes Fresno State’s Jake Haener one of next year’s top quarterback prospects?
Fresno State’s record against the spread so far this season is 17-14-1, while Coastal Carolina’s is 14-11-0. The Bulldogs have a 13-19-0 record going over the point total, while games involving the Chanticleers have a record of 11-11-1 when it comes …
Fresno State’s record against the spread so far this season is 17-14-1, while Coastal Carolina’s is 14-11-0. The Bulldogs have a 13-19-0 record going over the point total, while games involving the Chanticleers have a record of 11-11-1 when it comes to hitting the over. The teams score an average of 138.5 points per game, 12.0 more points than this matchup’s total. Fresno State is 3-7-0 against the spread and 3-7 overall in its last 10 contests, while Coastal Carolina has gone 5-5-0 against the spread and 5-5 overall.
Fresno State at Coastal Carolina odds, spread and lines
Moneyline: Fresno State -157, Coastal Carolina +133
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Fresno State at Coastal Carolina odds, spread, & more
The Bulldogs record only 1.0 more point per game (65.7) than the Chanticleers give up (64.7).
Fresno State is 9-3-1 against the spread and 13-1 overall when scoring more than 64.7 points.
Coastal Carolina is 10-3 against the spread and 12-4 overall when allowing fewer than 65.7 points.
The Chanticleers score an average of 72.8 points per game, 13.8 more points than the 59.0 the Bulldogs allow to opponents.
When it scores more than 59.0 points, Coastal Carolina is 13-7 against the spread and 16-9 overall.
Fresno State’s record is 17-10-1 against the spread and 18-11 overall when it gives up fewer than 72.8 points.
The Bulldogs have out-scored their opponents by a total of 234 points this season (6.7 points per game on average), and the Chanticleers have put up 259 more points than their opponents on the year (8.1 per game).
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Check out Draft Wire’s exclusive interview with Fresno State offensive line prospect Alex Akingbulu
It’s been a long road for Alex Akingbulu, but the end goal is in sight: Making it into the NFL.
The Fresno State offensive lineman broke out with a tremendous 2021 campaign, finishing as a first-team All-Mountain West nominee for his play at right tackle. A former UCLA transfer who suffered an injury that saw him miss both his 2016 and 2017 high school seasons, Akingbulu has had to do his fair share of waiting for his time to shine. However, once given the chance, he proved to be an anchor for the Bulldogs in one of the program’s best seasons in recent memory.
Draft Wire had the chance to speak exclusively with Akingbulu about his journey, his pursuit of a Master’s degree, his work ethic, and more.
JI: You’re enrolled in a Master’s program in Education. Can you speak a bit on the importance of furthering your education?
AA: Especially as student athletes, I feel like we get lost in on-the-field stuff and trying to better our lives and go to the next level, which is the NFL. Obviously, that’s not guaranteed, and the percentages of that is very low, as well. With education, the percentages are high. You control your own destiny in that aspect. Free education, just coming from a Nigerian household, that’s just something I remember my parents just preaching to me every day, to take care of your education. That’s something you could take with you for the rest of your life. I just got blessed and took advantage of COVID, and different situations of grad transferring and just furthering my education.
JI: With your parents being Nigerian immigrants, how did your upbringing help mold you into the person and worker you are today?
AA: Man, it definitely had a big impact. My parents coming from Nigeria here, of course, you come into a different country and continent, first thing you have to do is work hard. They landed here, that’s the first thing they did, and that’s the main thing that they preached is just being able to work hard. In America, there’s definitely a lot of room to grow, and a lot of room to up your status in this economy, so just knowing that your future’s in your hands, and if you work hard enough for it, then everything else will pay off.
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
JI: After your NFL career, what do you hope to accomplish in the field of education?
AA: I definitely want to go back to my community. In Los Angeles, obviously, like Carson, California, even back in Nigeria, as well. There’s a lot of places that need more depth on education, and specifically financial literacy, and that’s something that I’m really adamant about. I feel like as a kid, I wasn’t able to get that much information and know what taxes do and how that affects you, and things like that. Just being able to give back to the community and talk to African-American or any children in general that don’t have those skills and don’t know much about financial literacy.
JI: As you’re pursuing your NFL dreams, do you feel your status as a pro athlete will help you out as you try and achieve those goals in your community?
AA: Oh, absolutely. It’s crazy, Because even in smaller things like in college, you see your influence on the younger generation. Going to the league, a bigger microscope is put on you, and I see it in a positive way, just being able to impact others and use that platform to benefit the community.
JI: You finished this year as a first-team All-Mountain West lineman. Between transferring and suffering injuries in high school, what does it mean to end your collegiate career on such a high note?
AA: Man, I think it just goes back to working hard each year, it’s been a long college career. Six years, and I can truly say each year I matured more, developed more, learned my body more. It just kind of peaked off in this last year, setting goals for myself, listening to my coaches, listening to the guys around me; also, accepting the leadership role on the team. I put my all into this season. I can say, this is the most I’ve been focused and driven in my life, and just seeing that at the end, there’s accolades and things went in my favor, it kind of just shows you like, “Okay, if I put my best foot forward, I will get results.” That was the main thing I got from them.
(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
JI: Which offensive linemen have you grown up idolizing?
AA: Growing up in high school, Tyron Smith was the main guy I looked at. I used to watch his high school film, because he was actually a slender guy in high school, and I was too, so just see how he grew from that slimmer guy in high school to being one of the best tackles ever, in my opinion, it’s definitely motivating. Right now, I can say, I’ve kind of shifted to watching Trent Williams a lot. He is the guy to me, and he adds a different element to offensive line, especially tackle play, in the crafty things he does. He has a new element to the game, so I love to watch him play.
JI: Some people have said that Trent Williams is the best flat-out offensive player in all of football.
AA: Yeah, absolutely. He changes a lot in the game. When you don’t have to worry about one side of the field, especially with a lot of great [pass-] rushers in the league, that changes so much.
JI: How do you like to spend your free time outside of football?
AA: Outside of football, I actually like to make music. It’s not necessarily rap – I don’t know if you know Afrobeats, like Wizkid and Burna Boy and stuff like that. To make that type of music, it’s therapeutic. Me and my friends, we just mess around with that and then play video games. Also, I like to watch like podcasts a lot. That’s kind of one thing I’ve really dove into, just listening to different guys, different athletes talk about their experiences, but that’s pretty much it. I stay inside. I really don’t do much, honestly. Just those those few things.
JI: Are you more of a producer or a performer?
AA: My friend produces, and then I sing or rap, depending on the type of a beat. So I write music, and then I sing, as well.
JI: Let’s say I’m an NFL general manager. What would I be getting if I drafted you to my team?
AA: One thing I can say is, I know now with all the maturity that I have, leadership roles do not necessarily have to come with age. I can bet on me being a vocal leader in any aspect of the team, just coming in and being humble, ready and hungry to learn and work. I’m always trying to better my game and just being taken under anybody’s wing, just pretty much hungry and ready to do anything and set my role. I can play either side and pretty much any position on the line, as well. [I bring] versatility and being able to be hungry.
