FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Colorado State football has never lost to Fresno State in the Mike Bobo era.
In their first meeting back in 2015, the Rams were sparked by three special teams touchdowns and overcame a 17-point deficit to top the Bulldogs on their home turf. One year later, CSU absolutely dominated Fresno State on a Saturday afternoon at Hughes Stadium. On that November day, the Rams beat their West Division foes 37-0 in CSU’s first and only shutout victory since 1997.
However, as Bobo explained at his weekly press conference on Monday, quite a bit has changed in the last three seasons. When CSU beat down FSU at home, the Bulldogs were 1-8 coming into the game and ultimately finished the season with a 1-11 record. Fresno State is not the same program that they were a few years ago, though.
Since Jeff Tedford arrived in 2017, the Bulldogs have gone 25-9 overall and have made back-to-back appearances in the Mountain West Championship Game. Last season, the Bulldogs went 12-2, won the conference and convincingly beat Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for coach Tedford and what he’s done there with that program,” Bobo said.
Bobo explained that he’s watched every single game that FSU has played under Tedford, and what impresses him most about the Bulldogs is how consistent they are on both sides of the football. Offensively, Bobo said Fresno State can grind down opponents with their running game and that they do a nice job of incorporating their tight ends with innovative play calling in the passing game.
“They obviously lost some skill from last year but I think what they do on offense, schematically, is very sound,” Bobo said.
Bobo broke down how the Bulldogs like to keep opposing defenses on their toes with speed sweeps as well as smoke and mirror plays on offense.
“They do a great job of putting your defense in tough situations, especially with No. 5 (Jalen) Cropper, the freshman, with some of the speed sweep stuff they do with him — it’s very similar to what we do with Dante Wright,” Bobo said.
So far this season, Cropper is averaging 19.0 yards per carry and 8.3 yards per reception. The 5-foot-11, 155-pound, wide receiver has not been as productive in the passing game as Wright has for CSU but it’s clear that he provides the same type of spark.
On the defensive side, Bobo talked about how physical the Bulldogs have played since Tedford arrived. After watching the film from last season, Bobo expressed that that FSU was truly dominant — their safeties flew to the football, their linebackers loved to hit and the team played within the system. According to Bobo, there has not been much of a drop off in 2019 either. Aside from a few positions where the Bulldogs are a little inexperienced or impacted by injury, like at right cornerback, Bobo feels this is still a very formidable unit.
“It’s an aggressive defense,” Bobo said. The fifth-year head coach of the Rams described how the Bulldogs put a lot of pressure on the quarterback and aren’t afraid to stack the box with nine guys to stop the run. But if they sense that you’re passing the ball, the defensive backs are savvy enough to drop into quarters concept and make the QB beat them through the air.
“They’re just a really tough football team,” Bobo said.
The Rams will get their first taste of the Tedford-led Bulldogs Saturday night. Kickoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. MT and the game will be televised on ESPNU.
