The Cal Poly Mustangs will play ten of eleven opponents from their 2021season. Under first-year head coach Beau Baldwin, the Mustangs went 2-9 last season.
NCAAF Schedule
The NCAAF schedule makers definitely didn’t give the Fresno State Bulldogs any breaks last year and the Bulldogs were still able to return to prominence in 2021 after two down years.
Fresno State was able to put together a ten-win season that included a quality win at the Rose Bowl over then – No. 13 UCLA.
Fresno State brings back 15 starters from that team and Jeff Tedford is stalking the sidelines once more as the Bulldogs look to win their second Mountain West title in five seasons.
NCAAF Performance Recap
The Cal Poly Mustangs finished last season with a 2-9 record The Fresno State Bulldogs finished their 2021 season with a victory in the Rose Bowl going 10-3.
Cal Poly Mustangs vs. Fresno State Bulldogs Betting Analysis
Mustangs Analysis
Cal Poly fans have seen major changes, particularly on offense, with Baldwin at the helm. The Triple Option is gone, and the new offensive package features three or four wide receivers on most plays with one running back instead of two slots, a fullback, and a pair of receivers in the old Triple Option formation.
Mustangs Offseason
The offseason for the Cal Poly Mustangs was highlighted by the hiring of five new assistant coaches to replace those who moved on to the NFL or FBS schools.
One of the coaches who left is James Montgomery, now running backs coach and recruiting coordinator for the Bulldogs.
Another Fresno State Bulldogs assistant, offensive line coach, and running game coordinator, Saga Tuitele, coached the offensive line at Cal Poly from 2009-15.
Newly acquired running backs coach Robbie Rouse —was a running back at Fresno State from 2009-12, rushing for a total of 4,647 yards and 37 rushing touchdowns while also finishing with 794 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.
He is the first player in program history to record three 1,000-yard seasons and helped the Bulldogs reach a bowl game in three of the four seasons.
Cal Poly’s Defensive Line Coach
Will Plemons, currently Cal Poly’s defensive line coach, coached the same group at Fresno State during three coaching stints — 2004-05 and 2008-11 under Pat Hill and 2019 under Jeff Tedford.
Baldwin and his staff welcomed twenty-seven returning players who started at least five games during the 2021 season — 13 on offense, nine on defense, and five on special teams.
Bulldogs Analysis
Jake Haener threw for 4,096 yards and 33 touchdowns last season, leading the Bulldogs to 33.4 PPG and 6.3 YPP, both marking+ the highest since the 2018 season. With Haener back under center, this team should be able to match that output this season.
Bulldogs Defense
Defensively, Fresno State allowed just 20.5 PPG, 3.6 YPC on the ground and 5.3 YPP last season, and seven members of that unit return, including all-conference defensive end David Perales.
Malachi Langley and Levelle Bailey are part of one of the better linebacker corps in the Mountain West, and Tedford added USC transfer Raymond Scott to the mix to strengthen the position.
Both defensive line and linebacker are stout positions for the Bulldogs, but it is the secondary which is arguably this unit’s biggest strength.
Best Safety in the Conference
Evan Williams is arguably the best safety in the conference and Elijah Gates is a former UCLA transfer which will roam the back end of the defense with him.
There is no question that this defense will be one of the best in the Mountain West, and it could mirror the dominant squads which terrorized the conference under Tedford from 2017-2019.
NCAAF News for this Matchup
Tedford and the Cal Poly Mustangs greeted 40 lettermen, including 14 starters (six on offense, seven on defense, one on special teams) to Fall Camp.
Top Bulldogs to watch for include:
- quarterback Jake Haener
- wide receiver Jalen Cooper
- defensive end David Perales
- running back Jordan Mims
- safety Evan Williams
Reason Why They Are the Top Bulldogs to Watch
Haener passed for 4,089 yards and 33 touchdowns in 2021, completing 17 of 22 passes for 380 yards and four touchdowns against Cal Poly. He was selected as the 2022 preseason Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
Cropper played in all 13 games with 10 starts and made 85 receptions for 899 yards and 11 touchdowns, which led the offense in all categories. He was named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list this summer.
Perales is coming off a season with 45 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, three forced fumbles and three QB hurries in 12 starts on his way to a second-team All-Mountain West selection.
Over the last two seasons Perales has recorded 22.5 tackles for a loss and 11 sacks. Mims returns for a sixth season, playing in all 13 games with two starts on his way to 710 yards and six TDs rushing along with 25 catches for 324 yards and four scores.
Williams recorded a team-high 94 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss and three interceptions in 2021 and was a first-team all-conference pick.
All is Around Jake Haener
Any conversation about the Fresno State offense begins and ends with quarterback Jake Haener. The senior signal-caller returns after flirting with a transfer to Washington and he is the main reason this team has conference title aspirations.
Seven other starters are back with Haener, including his top pass-catchers Jalen Cropper and Josh Kelly, who combined for 1,677 yards and 14 TDs.
Leading the way at running back is Jordan Mims, who rushed for 710 yards and 5.6 YPC in 2021. Mims and Haener will line up behind an offensive line that loses an all-conference right tackle along with two rotational linemen, but there is plenty of returning talent to offset the departures.
Fresno State also adds Hawaii transfer Cameron Lockridge at corner to offset the loss of DaRon Bland.
Cal Poly Mustangs vs. Fresno State Bulldogs Betting Preview
The Fresno State Bulldogs are 34 ½ point favorites in this contest against the Cal Poly Mustangs with the total set at 60 with the odds being -110 both ways.
Cal Poly Mustangs vs. Fresno State Bulldogs Betting Prediction
Be sure to bet this game early rather than later, as oddsmakers usually adjust their ncaaf odds late to give underdogs better odds.
The Mustangs did nothing to change that outcome, being superbly overmatched on both offense and defense. Take the Bulldogs +20 (-110) in one of our lock NCAAF picks of the week.
NCAAF Pick: Bulldogs +20(-110)
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