2017 Fresno State Bulldogs football team

Last updated

2017 Fresno State Bulldogs football
Fresno State wordmark.png
MW West Division champion
Hawaii Bowl champion
Hawaii Bowl, W 33–27 vs. Houston
Conference Mountain West Conference
DivisionWest Division
Record10–4 (7–1 MW)
Head coach
Offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer (1st season)
Offensive scheme Pro-style
Defensive coordinator Orlondo Steinauer (1st season)
Base defense 4–3
Home stadium Bulldog Stadium
Seasons
  2016
2018  
2017 Mountain West Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
Mountain Division
No. 22 Boise State xy$  7 1   11 3  
Colorado State  5 3   7 6  
Wyoming  5 3   8 5  
Utah State  4 4   6 7  
Air Force  4 4   5 7  
New Mexico  1 7   3 9  
West Division
Fresno State xy  7 1   10 4  
San Diego State  6 2   10 3  
UNLV  4 4   5 7  
Nevada  3 5   3 9  
Hawaii  1 7   3 9  
San Jose State  1 7   2 11  
Championship: Boise State 17, Fresno State 14
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
  • y Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2017 Fresno State Bulldogs football team represented California State University, Fresno in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs were led by first-year head coach Jeff Tedford and played their home games at Bulldog Stadium as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the West Division. They finished the season 10–4, 7–1 in Mountain West play to win the West Division. They lost to Mountain Division champion Boise State in the Mountain West Championship Game. They were invited to the Hawaii Bowl where they defeated Houston. They became only the second team in college football history to win ten games the year after they lost ten or more games (1–11 in 2016).

Contents

In a twist of irony, Tedford, who was the head coach at California from 2002 to 2011, took over for Tim DeRuyter, who was hired to be the defensive coordinator at California for the 2017 season.

Personnel

Position key

Back B Center C Cornerback CB Defensive back DB
Defensive end DE Defensive lineman DL Defensive tackle DT End E
Fullback FB Guard G Halfback HB Kicker K
Kickoff returner KR Offensive tackle OT Offensive lineman OL Linebacker LB
Long snapper LS Punter P Punt returner PR Quarterback QB
Running back RB Safety S Tight end TE Wide receiver WR

Recruiting class

The Bulldogs signed a total of 23 recruits.

College recruiting information (2017)
NameHometownSchoolHeightWeightCommit date
Marc-David Bien-Aime
OL
Montreal, Quebec, Canada Montmorency CC 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)365 lb (166 kg)Jan 22, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  2 stars.svg     Rivals:  2 stars.svg     247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
Matthew Boateng
DB
Ajax, Ontario, Canada Arizona Western CC 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)170 lb (77 kg)Dec 11, 2016 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  3 stars.svg     Rivals:  2 stars.svg     247Sports:  3 stars.svg    
Dontae Bull
OL
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Belmont HS 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)305 lb (138 kg)Jan 18, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  2 stars.svg     Rivals:  2 stars.svg     247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
Richard Cage
DL
Corona, California Eleanor Roosevelt HS 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)225 lb (102 kg)Jan 22, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  3 stars.svg     Rivals:  2 stars.svg     247Sports:  3 stars.svg    
Earl Chambers
DL
Brooklyn, New York UAB 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)235 lb (107 kg)Feb 1, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  2 stars.svg     Rivals:  3 stars.svg     247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
Sherman Coleman
DB
Houston, Texas Cisco CC 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)160 lb (73 kg)Dec 11, 2016 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  2 stars.svg     Rivals:  2 stars.svg     247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
Chris Coleman
ATH
Bakersfield, California Garces Memorial HS 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)180 lb (82 kg)Jan 7, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  2 stars.svg     Rivals:  2 stars.svg    
Damien DeGruy
DL
Harvey, Louisiana McDonogh HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)235 lb (107 kg)Jan 29, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  2 stars.svg     Rivals:  2 stars.svg     247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
Wylan Free
DB
Compton, California Lynwood HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)175 lb (79 kg)Jan 21, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  3 stars.svg     Rivals:  3 stars.svg     247Sports:  3 stars.svg     ESPN:  3 stars.svg    
Derrion Grim
WR
Stockton, California San Joaquin Delta CC 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)195 lb (88 kg)Dec 29, 2016 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  3 stars.svg     Rivals:  3 stars.svg     247Sports:  3 stars.svg     ESPN:  3 stars.svg    
Gunner Javernick
TE
Cañon City, Colorado Ventura CC 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)250 lb (110 kg)Nov 27, 2016 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  2 stars.svg     Rivals:  2 stars.svg     ESPN:  3 stars.svg    
Patrick Jeune
WR
Inglewood, California Morningside High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)180 lb (82 kg)Aug 1, 2016 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  3 stars.svg     Rivals:  2 stars.svg     247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
T.J. Mauga
DL
Fallon, Nevada Churchill County HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)280 lb (130 kg)Jan 31, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  3 stars.svg     Rivals:  3 stars.svg     247Sports:  3 stars.svg    
Jordan Mims
RB
East Palo Alto, California Menlo-Atherton HS 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)180 lb (82 kg)Jan 17, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  3 stars.svg     Rivals:  2 stars.svg     247Sports:  3 stars.svg    
Daniel Moraga
ATH
Oxnard, California Pacifica HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)235 lb (107 kg)Jan 30, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  3 stars.svg     Rivals:  2 stars.svg     247Sports:  3 stars.svg    
Arron Mosby
DB
Sanger, California Sanger High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)200 lb (91 kg)Jan 28, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  2 stars.svg     Rivals:  2 stars.svg     247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
Emeka Ndoh
DL
Reedley, California De Anza CC 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)265 lb (120 kg)Dec 11, 2016 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  2 stars.svg     Rivals:  3 stars.svg     247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
Zane Pope
ATH
Moorpark, California Moorpark High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg)Jan 22, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  3 stars.svg     Rivals:  2 stars.svg     247Sports:  3 stars.svg    
Jorge Reyna
QB
Downey, California West Los Angeles CC 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)208 lb (94 kg)Nov 28, 2016 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  3 stars.svg     Rivals:  2 stars.svg     247Sports:  3 stars.svg    
Ronnie Rivers
RB
Brentwood, California Freedom HS 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)175 lb (79 kg)Dec 5, 2016 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  3 stars.svg     Rivals:  2 stars.svg     247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
Syrus Tuitele
OL
Chico, California Pleasant Valley HS 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)290 lb (130 kg)Jan 22, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  3 stars.svg     Rivals:  2 stars.svg     247Sports:  3 stars.svg    
Zelan Tupuola
OL
Carson, California JSerra Catholic HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)310 lb (140 kg)Jan 15, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  3 stars.svg     Rivals:  2 stars.svg     247Sports:  3 stars.svg    
Quireo Woodley
OL
Murrieta, California Fresno CC 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)312 lb (142 kg)Nov 11, 2015 
Recruit ratings: Scout:  3 stars.svg     247Sports:  2 stars.svg    
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved April 5, 2017.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 27:00 p.m. Incarnate Word *W 66–039,447
September 912:30 p.m.at No. 1 Alabama * ESPN2 L 10–41101,127
September 166:30 p.m.at No. 6 Washington * P12N L 16–4868,384
September 307:00 p.m. Nevada
  • Bulldog Stadium
  • Fresno, CA
AT&T RM W 41–2127,434
October 74:30 p.m.at San Jose State ESPN3 W 27–1018,483
October 147:00 p.m. New Mexico Dagger-14-plain.png
  • Bulldog Stadium
  • Fresno, CA
AT&T RMW 38–028,090
October 217:30 p.m.at San Diego State CBSSN W 27–343,243
October 287:00 p.m. UNLV
  • Bulldog Stadium
  • Fresno, CA
AT&T RML 16–2627,922
November 47:45 p.m. BYU *
  • Bulldog Stadium
  • Fresno, CA
ESPN2 W 20–1329,370
November 118:00 p.m.at Hawaii KSEE/Spectrum OC16 W 31–2121,357
November 1811:00 a.m.at Wyoming AT&T RMW 13–715,440
November 2512:30 p.m.No. 23 Boise State
CBSSNW 28–1731,526
December 24:45 p.m.at Boise StateNo. 25 ESPN L 14–1724,515
December 245:30 p.m.vs. Houston *
ESPNW 33–2720,546

Schedule Source: 2017 Fresno State Bulldogs Football Schedule

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
AP RV25RVRV
Coaches RVRVRVRV
CFP Not released25Not released

Game summaries

Incarnate Word

Incarnate Word at Fresno State
1234Total
Cardinals00000
Bulldogs171732066
  • Date: September 2, 2017
  • Location: Bulldog Stadium
    Fresno, CA
  • Game start: 7:06 p.m. PDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 1 minute
  • Game attendance: 39,447
  • Game weather: Temperature: 102 °F (39 °C) • Weather: Fair • Wind: NW 6 MPH
  • Referee: Mike Cuttone
  • TV announcers (None): None

At Alabama

Fresno State at Alabama
1234Total
Bulldogs300710
No. 1 Crimson Tide141431041

At Washington

Fresno State at Washington
1234Total
Bulldogs076316
No. 6 Huskies27147048
  • Date: September 16, 2017
  • Location: Husky Stadium
    Seattle, WA
  • Game start: 6:40 p.m. PDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 6 minutes
  • Game attendance: 68,384
  • Game weather: Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C) • Weather: Hazy • Wind: None
  • Referee: Michael Mothershed
  • TV announcers (P12N): Ted Robinson, Yogi Roth and Jill Savage (sideline)

Nevada

Nevada at Fresno State
1234Total
Wolf Pack0140721
Bulldogs10217341
  • Date: September 30, 2017
  • Location: Bulldog Stadium
    Fresno, CA
  • Game start: 7:08 p.m. PDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 12 minutes
  • Game attendance: 27,434
  • Game weather: Temperature: 79 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: 11 WNW
  • Referee: David Alvarez
  • TV announcers (AT&T RM): Ari Wolfe, Sherdrick Bonner and Brad Thompson (sideline)

At San Jose State

Fresno State at San Jose State
(Valley Cup)
1234Total
Bulldogs1470627
Spartans007310
  • Date: October 7, 2017
  • Location: CEFCU Stadium
    San Jose, CA
  • Game start: 4:36 p.m. PDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 10 minutes
  • Game attendance: 18,483
  • Game weather: Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: WNW 12 MPH
  • Referee: Scott Campbell
  • TV announcers (ESPN3): Drew Fellios and Forrest Conoly

New Mexico

New Mexico at Fresno State
1234Total
Lobos00000
Bulldogs14710738
  • Date: October 14, 2017
  • Location: Bulldog Stadium
    Fresno, CA
  • Game start: 7:08 p.m. PDT
  • Elapsed time: 2 hours and 57 minutes
  • Game attendance: 28,090
  • Game weather: Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: 5 MPH
  • Referee: Kevin Boitmann
  • TV announcers (AT&T RM): Ari Wolfe and Joel Dreessen

At San Diego State

Fresno State at San Diego State
(Battle for the Oil Can)
1234Total
Bulldogs71010027
Aztecs03003

UNLV

UNLV at Fresno State
1234Total
Rebels3671026
Bulldogs907016
  • Date: October 28, 2017
  • Location: Bulldog Stadium
    Fresno, CA
  • Game start: 7:08 p.m. PDT
  • Elapsed time: 2 hours and 50 minutes
  • Game attendance: 27,922
  • Game weather: Temperature: 77 °F (25 °C) • Weather: Clear and Crisp • Wind: 2 MPH
  • Referee: Daniel Romeo
  • TV announcers (AT&T RM): Drew Goodman, Sherdrick Bonner and Brad Thompson (sideline)

BYU

BYU at Fresno State
1234Total
Cougars067013
Bulldogs1003720
  • Date: November 4, 2017
  • Location: Bulldog Stadium
    Fresno, CA
  • Game start: 7:51 p.m. PDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 10 minutes
  • Game attendance: 29,370
  • Game weather: Temperature: 62 °F (17 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: NW 3 MPH
  • Referee: Reggie Smith
  • TV announcers (ESPN2): Roy Philpott and Tom Ramsey

At Hawaii

Fresno State at Hawaii
(Golden Screwdriver)
1234Total
Bulldogs02110031
Rainbow Warriors7001421
  • Date: November 11, 2017
  • Location: Aloha Stadium
    Honolulu, HI
  • Game start: 8:07 p.m. PST
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 50 minutes
  • Game attendance: 21,357
  • Game weather: Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C) • Weather: 84% Humidity and Rain • Wind: NE 8 MPH
  • Referee: Michael VanderVelde
  • TV announcers (KSEE/Spectrum OC16): Robert Kekaula, Rich Miano and Scott Robbs (sideline)

At Wyoming

Fresno State at Wyoming
1234Total
Bulldogs373013
Cowboys00077

Boise State

Boise State at Fresno State
(Battle for the Milk Can)
1234Total
No. 25 Broncos703717
Bulldogs7361228

At Boise State (Mountain West Championship Game)

Fresno State at Boise State
(Mountain West Conference Championship Game)
1234Total
No. 25 Bulldogs0140014
Broncos370717
  • Date: December 2, 2017
  • Location: Albertsons Stadium
    Boise, ID
  • Game start: 4:50 p.m. PST
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 27 minutes
  • Game attendance: 24,515
  • Game weather: Temperature: 40 °F (4 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: E 4 MPH
  • Referee: David Alvarez
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Adam Amin, Dusty Dvoracek and Molly McGrath (sideline)

vs Houston (Hawaii Bowl)

Fresno State vs Houston
(Hawaii Bowl)
1234Total
Bulldogs01371333
Cougars7310727
  • Date:December 24, 2017
  • Location: Aloha Stadium
    Honolulu, HI
  • Game start: 5:36 p.m. PST
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 41 minutes
  • Game attendance: 20,546
  • Game weather: Temperature: 81 °F (27 °C) • Weather: Humidity – 45% • Wind: NE 13 MPH
  • Referee: Jason Autrey
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Cotter, Rod Gilmore and Shelley Smith (sideline)

References