Some programs reinvent themselves quickly.
And two of those teams, one looking steadier by the week and one still searching for balance, will meet Friday when Colorado State football hosts Fresno State. The Rams are looking for a breakthrough win in Mountain West play, while the Bulldogs enter the matchup showing a mix of resilience, inconsistency and flashes with some new players and staff.
The Rocky Mountain Collegian spoke with FSU’s The Collegian sports editor and assistant sports editor Finnley Pendergast and Nolan Reynolds to preview the matchup.
Pendergast said this season has felt completely different from last year.
“Well, this has been a very different year from last year,” Pendergast said. “Infamous quarterback Mikey Keen was known for throwing the ball 1000 times a game and into the hands of the other team a couple times. And so now that we have a really good running back room, it’s been interesting to see a whole different game. And then the defense has been really well actually coming up with plays stopping the game, when last year, any close game is going to end up at a loss.”
This fall, the Bulldogs have leaned on a more reliable defense and a balanced offense, creating what he described as “way higher” energy compared to previous years.
“You look at the dichotomy between the Oregon State game and the Hawaii game, where Oregon State had three missed punt snaps and we returned one for a touchdown, and they missed three extra points,” Reynolds said. “And then you go to the Hawaii game, and everything that happened for us against Oregon State happened against us. So, it’s kind of nice to see us have a little bit of resilience in these games.”
He said those results have shown both sides of FSU, one capable of capitalizing on mistakes, another vulnerable to committing them.
“I’ve honestly been very just confused at how this full season has gone because of last year,” Pendergast said. “Every close game ends with a loss, and you bring in so many new people, not just on the coaching staff, but a lot of new players. And that is, they’ve just all gelled and worked together, it seems. And so, even when they do start slow, like against Nevada, they came out with a win.”
Both writers said FSU is winning, but not without flaws.
“I think play calling gets stale sometimes, especially those middle quarters, whether it’s going into halftime or coming out of the break,” Pendergast said. “It doesn’t seem like there’s a whole lot of a plan. And so, that’s where you see, like, a lot of scores in the first quarter or the fourth quarter, and then in those middle it’s like, what are we doing sometimes, right?”
Reynolds tied those lulls to FSU quarterback E.J. Warner’s protection.
“Quarterback play can be rough at times, especially if we’re under pressure,” Reynolds said. “We saw that a lot in the first game against Kansas. E.J. kind of got beat up early, and it led to him having three turnovers. I think the third quarter against Nevada, they had negative total yards in the quarter.”
He added that Warner has also led two game-winning drives, showing that FSU has handled late-game situations better than it did in the past.
When asked about keys for CSU, both writers mentioned the importance of controlling the line of scrimmage.
“Stop the run (and) get a lot of pressure on the O-line, because the O-line has been moved around a lot of different players,” Pendergast said. “This team wants to run the ball because they have five guys that can do it at a high level. And so, if you’re blocking all those running lanes and forcing E.J. Warner into some uncomfortable spots, that will definitely be in the Rams best interest.”
FSU’s defense has featured several standouts, including veterans who have been consistent through the first half of the season.
“You can definitely hear (K’vion Thunderbird’s) name on Sundays, probably next year,” Pendergast said. “So, he’s someone that the defense really relies on just as a whole.”
“Jadon Pearson hit 52 tackles, nowhere near (Owen Long’s) 68, but he was leading the nation at one point.” Reynolds said.
On offense, Warner has built a new set of targets.
“Josiah Freeman, he was one of the only returning wide receivers that actually had a catch last season,” Pendergast said. “He’s had three touchdowns so far. He had two last week. He’s a big, fast receiver, and I think you see him and E.J. Warner building that relationship.”
Reynolds said the tight ends have also taken on larger roles, adding diversity to the passing game.
The overall picture, both writers agreed, is that FSU has already done more than expected this season, even with a new coaching staff and major roster changes.
“I didn’t expect them to do this,” Pendergast said. “You have some returners, but they didn’t have a huge impact on last year. And so you miss out on so many different skilled guys that the guys that they came in have just really stepped up, especially with the run game, just relying on that. I’ve been very surprised.”
“A lot of our home games were against bottom-five Mountain West teams, and of our away games were against top-five Mountain West teams,” Reynolds said. “So, it’s kind of a tale of two seasons with our home and away schedule. I think this next month definitely is going to be telling of where we truly stand, not even just in this season, but for next year and in the Pac 12.”
At the end, both offered score predictions.
“My first thought was 35-14 (FSU) with at least four of those being from the running backs,” Pendergast said.
“Yeah, I’m gonna go 38-17 (FSU),” Reynolds said.
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Reach Michael Hovey at sports@collegian.com or on social media @michaelfhovey.
