# 2023 Fresno State Bulldogs football team

The 2023 Fresno State Bulldogs football team represented California State University, Fresno as a member of the Mountain West Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs were led by head coach Jeff Tedford in his fifth overall season with the program. The Bulldogs played home games at Valley Children's Stadium on the university's Fresno, California campus. The Fresno State Bulldogs football team drew an average home attendance of 39,969 in 2023.

## Schedule

The Bulldogs' home opener on September 9 against Eastern Washington was the first game in FBS history with linear television coverage exclusively in Spanish. The only options for English-language viewers were streaming outlets, none of which provided their own commentary; all English commentary was a simulcast of Fresno State's (English) radio coverage.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 9:00 a.m. | at Purdue* | | Ross-Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN | BTN | W 39–35 | 54,898 |
| September 9 | 6:00 p.m. | Eastern Washington* | | Valley Children's StadiumFresno, CA | UniMás/MW Network | W 34–31 $^{2OT}$ | 41,031 |
| September 16 | 7:30 p.m. | at Arizona State* | | Mountain America StadiumTempe, AZ | FS1 | W 29–0 | 46,723 |
| September 23 | 7:30 p.m. | Kent State* | | Valley Children's StadiumFresno, CA | CBSSN | W 53–10 | 38,728 |
| September 30 | 7:30 p.m. | Nevada | No. 25 | Valley Children's StadiumFresno, CA | FS1 | W 27–9 | 39,246 |
| October 7 | 5:00 p.m. | at Wyoming | No. 24 | War Memorial StadiumLaramie, WY | FOX | L 19–24 | 20,788 |
| October 13 | 6:00 p.m. | at Utah State | | Maverik StadiumLogan, UT | CBSSN | W 37–32 | 17,220 |
| October 28 | 7:30 p.m. | UNLV | | Valley Children's StadiumFresno, CA | FS1 | W 31–24 | 41,031 |
| November 4 | 7:00 p.m. | Boise State | | Valley Children's StadiumFresno, CA (rivalry) | CBSSN | W 37–30 | 41,031 |
| November 11 | 7:30 p.m. | at San Jose State | | CEFCU StadiumSan Jose, CA (rivalry) | CBSSN | L 18–42 | 18,886 |
| November 18 | 7:30 p.m. | New Mexico | | Valley Children's StadiumFresno, CA | FS1 | L 17–25 | 38,569 |
| November 25 | 7:30 p.m. | at San Diego State | | Snapdragon StadiumSan Diego, CA (rivalry) | FS1 | L 18–33 | 22,000 |
| December 16 | 2:45 p.m. | vs. New Mexico State | | University StadiumAlbuquerque, NM (New Mexico Bowl) | ESPN | W 37–10 | 30,822 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 7) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Pacific time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### At Purdue

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 39 |
| Boilermakers | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
at Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, Indiana
* Date: September 2
* Game time: 9:00 a.m. PDT/12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 79 °F (26 °C) • Wind: SW 6mph
* Game attendance: 54,898
* Referee: Ron Snodgrass
* TV announcers (BTN): Cory Provus (play-by-play) & Jake Butt (analyst) & Brooke Fletcher (sideline)
* Pregame line: Purdue −3.5
| Statistics | FRES | PUR |
| First downs | 27 | 19 |
| Plays–yards | 81–487 | 61–363 |
| Rushes–yards | 37–116 | 30–109 |
| Passing yards | 371 | 254 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 32–45–1 | 17–30–0 |
| Time of possession | 36:33 | 23:27 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Fresno State | Passing | Mikey Keene | 31/44, 365 yards, 4 TD, INT |
| Fresno State | Rushing | Elijah Gilliam | 20 rushes, 93 yards |
| Fresno State | Receiving | Erik Brooks | 9 receptions, 170 yards, 2 TD |
| Purdue | Passing | Hudson Card | 17/30, 254 yards, 2 TD |
| Purdue | Rushing | Devin Mockobee | 16 rushes, 60 yards, TD |
| Purdue | Receiving | Deion Burks | 4 receptions, 152 yards, 2 TD |

### Eastern Washington

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | Total |
| Eagles | 3 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 34 |
at Valley Children's Stadium • Fresno, California
* Date: September 9
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 95 °F (35 °C) • Wind: NW 6mph
* Game attendance: 41,031
* Referee: Patrick Foy
* TV announcers (UniMás / MW Network): Jessi Losada (play-by-play) & Jaime Motta (analyst) & Alejandro Luna (sideline)
* Pregame line: Fresno State −31.5
| Statistics | EWU | FRES |
| First downs | 22 | 21 |
| Plays–yards | 84–336 | 73–364 |
| Rushes–yards | 38–133 | 34–141 |
| Passing yards | 233 | 223 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 27–46–1 | 23–39–1 |
| Time of possession | 32:09 | 29:03 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Eastern Washington | Passing | Kekoa Visperas | 23/41, 198 yards, TD, INT |
| Eastern Washington | Rushing | Justice Jackson | 11 rushes, 79 yards, TD |
| Eastern Washington | Receiving | Anthony Stell, Jr. | 7 receptions, 77 yards, TD |
| Fresno State | Passing | Mikey Keene | 23/39, 223 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Fresno State | Rushing | Elijah Gilliam | 20 rushes, 86 yards, 2 TD |
| Fresno State | Receiving | Erik Brooks | 8 receptions, 95 yards, TD |

### At Arizona State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 10 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 29 |
| Sun Devils | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Mountain America Stadium • Tempe, Arizona
* Date: September 16
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. PDT/7:30 p.m. MST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 95 °F (35 °C) • Wind:
* Game attendance: 46,723
* Referee: John Love
* TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust (play-by-play) & Petros Papadakis (analyst)
* Pregame line: Fresno State −4.0
| Statistics | FRES | ASU |
| First downs | 24 | 15 |
| Plays–yards | 83–350 | 64–230 |
| Rushes–yards | 34–69 | 27–42 |
| Passing yards | 281 | 188 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 32–49–0 | 17–37–5 |
| Time of possession | 37:06 | 22:54 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Fresno State | Passing | Mikey Keene | 32/49, 281 yards, 2 TD |
| Fresno State | Rushing | Elijah Gilliam | 18 rushes, 68 yards |
| Fresno State | Receiving | Erik Brooks | 11 receptions, 104 yards |
| Arizona State | Passing | Jacob Conover | 6/16, 89 yards, 2 INT |
| Arizona State | Rushing | Kyson Brown | 5 rushes, 23 yards |
| Arizona State | Receiving | Bryce Pierre | 3 receptions, 35 yards |

### Kent State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Flashes | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Bulldogs | 22 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 53 |
at Valley Children's Stadium • Fresno, California
* Date: September 23
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 80 °F (27 °C) • Wind: NW 7mph
* Game attendance: 38,728
* Referee: Nolan Dumas
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Dave Ryan (play-by-play) & Donte Whitner (analyst)
* Pregame line: Fresno State −27.5
| Statistics | KENT | FRES |
| First downs | 11 | 27 |
| Plays–yards | 52–231 | 67–513 |
| Rushes–yards | 37–129 | 33–143 |
| Passing yards | 102 | 370 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 8–15–0 | 26–34–0 |
| Time of possession | 27:39 | 32:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kent State | Passing | Michael Alaimo | 8/15, 102 yards |
| Kent State | Rushing | Xavier Williams | 15 rushes, 55 yards, TD |
| Kent State | Receiving | Jameel Gardner, Jr. | 2 receptions, 49 yards |
| Fresno State | Passing | Mikey Keene | 24/31, 325 yards, 3 TD |
| Fresno State | Rushing | Malik Sherrod | 10 rushes, 71 yards |
| Fresno State | Receiving | Jalen Moss | 7 receptions, 120 yards, TD |

### Nevada

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wolf Pack | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 |
| No. 25 Bulldogs | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 27 |
at Valley Children's Stadium • Fresno, California
* Date: September 30
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 68 °F (20 °C) • Wind: NW 7mph
* Game attendance: 39,246
* Referee: Patrick Foy
* TV announcers (FS1): Dan Hellie (play-by-play) & Petros Papadakis (analyst)
* Pregame line: Fresno State −24.5
| Statistics | NEV | FRES |
| First downs | 17 | 19 |
| Plays–yards | 66–220 | 59–410 |
| Rushes–yards | 31–53 | 25–141 |
| Passing yards | 167 | 269 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 19–35–2 | 26–34–2 |
| Time of possession | 30:33 | 29:27 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Nevada | Passing | A. J. Bianco | 9/14, 97 yards, TD |
| Nevada | Rushing | Brendon Lewis | 15 rushes, 31 yards |
| Nevada | Receiving | Spencer Curtis | 8 receptions, 73 yards, TD |
| Fresno State | Passing | Mikey Keene | 26/34, 269 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Fresno State | Rushing | Malik Sherrod | 12 rushes, 123 yards, TD |
| Fresno State | Receiving | Jaelen Gill | 8 receptions, 126 yards, 2 TD |

### At Wyoming

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 24 Bulldogs | 0 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 19 |
| Cowboys | 3 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
at War Memorial Stadium • Laramie, Wyoming
* Date: October 7
* Game time: 5:00 p.m. PDT/6:00 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 61 °F (16 °C) • Wind: NE 10mph
* Game attendance: 20,788
* Referee: Nolan Dumas
* TV announcers (Fox): Tim Brando (play-by-play) & Spencer Tillman (analyst) & Josh Sims (sideline)
* Pregame line: Fresno State −5.5
| Statistics | FRES | WYO |
| First downs | 16 | 27 |
| Plays–yards | 66–324 | 63–329 |
| Rushes–yards | 20–38 | 35–130 |
| Passing yards | 286 | 199 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 30–46–1 | 20–28–0 |
| Time of possession | 27:48 | 32:12 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Fresno State | Passing | Mikey Keene | 23/35, 218 yards, TD |
| Fresno State | Rushing | Malik Sherrod | 11 rushes, 48 yards |
| Fresno State | Receiving | Jalen Moss | 9 receptions, 115 yards, TD |
| Wyoming | Passing | Andrew Peasley | 19/27, 183 yards, 3 TD |
| Wyoming | Rushing | Harrison Waylee | 22 rushes, 83 yards |
| Wyoming | Receiving | Treyton Welch | 6 receptions, 74 yards, TD |

### Utah State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 7 | 14 | 9 | 37 |
| Aggies | 7 | 7 | 3 | 15 | 32 |
at Maverik Stadium • Logan, Utah
* Date: Saturday, October 13, 2023
* Game time: 5:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 57 °F (14 °C) • Wind:
* Game attendance: 17,220
* Referee: Christian Watson
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Chris Lewis (play-by-play) & Donte Whitner (analyst)
* Pregame line: Fresno State −6.0
| Statistics | FRES | USU |
| First downs | 27 | 30 |
| Plays–yards | 80–461 | 82–568 |
| Rushes–yards | 40–151 | 42–205 |
| Passing yards | 310 | 363 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 23–40–0 | 23–40–2 |
| Time of possession | 33:09 | 26:51 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Fresno State | Passing | Logan Fife | 22/39, 291 yards, TD |
| Fresno State | Rushing | Malik Sherrod | 24 carries, 131 yards, 3 TD |
| Fresno State | Receiving | Tre Watson | 5 receptions, 76 yards, 2 TD |
| Utah State | Passing | Cooper Legas | 23/40, 363 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| Utah State | Rushing | Rahsul Faison | 12 carries, 75 yards, TD |
| Utah State | Receiving | Jalen Royals | 7 receptions, 125 yards, 2 TD |

### UNLV

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rebels | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 31 |
at Valley Children's Stadium • Fresno, California
* Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 58 °F (14 °C) • Wind: SE 5mph
* Game attendance: 41,031
* Referee: Jonathan Noli
* TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust (play-by-play) & Petros Papadakis (analyst)
* Pregame line: Fresno State −9.5
| Statistics | UNLV | FRES |
| First downs | 22 | 15 |
| Plays–yards | 78–424 | 61–312 |
| Rushes–yards | 43–156 | 20–56 |
| Passing yards | 268 | 256 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 21–35–2 | 27–41–2 |
| Time of possession | 31:14 | 28:46 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UNLV | Passing | Jayden Maiava | 21/35, 268 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| UNLV | Rushing | Vincent Davis Jr. | 12 carries, 68 yards |
| UNLV | Receiving | Ricky White | 7 receptions, 152 yards, 2 TD |
| Fresno State | Passing | Mikey Keene | 27/41, 256 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT |
| Fresno State | Rushing | Malik Sherrod | 17 carries, 56 yards |
| Fresno State | Receiving | Jalen Moss | 5 receptions, 99 yards |

### Boise State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 3 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 30 |
| Bulldogs | 10 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 37 |
at Valley Children's Stadium • Fresno, California
* Date: Saturday, November 4, 2023
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 73 °F (23 °C) • Wind: N 2mph
* Game attendance: 41,031
* Referee: Nolan Dumas
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Jordan Kent (play-by-play) & Donte Whitner (analyst)
* Pregame line: Fresno State −3.0
| Statistics | BOIS | FRES |
| First downs | 25 | 23 |
| Plays–yards | 80–488 | 69–441 |
| Rushes–yards | 34–177 | 29–138 |
| Passing yards | 311 | 303 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 24–46–2 | 25–40–1 |
| Time of possession | 29:38 | 30:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Boise State | Passing | Maddux Madsen | 22/42, 258 yards, TD, INT |
| Boise State | Rushing | George Holani | 19 carries, 79 yards, TD |
| Boise State | Receiving | Eric McAlister | 8 receptions, 85 yards |
| Fresno State | Passing | Mikey Keene | 24/38, 290 yards, TD, INT |
| Fresno State | Rushing | Malik Sherrod | 21 carries, 132 yards, TD |
| Fresno State | Receiving | Mac Dalena | 6 receptions, 85 yards |

### San Jose State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 3 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 18 |
| Spartans | 21 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
at CEFCU Stadium • San Jose, California
* Date: Saturday, November 11, 2023
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 61 °F (16 °C) • Wind:
* Game attendance: 18,886
* Referee: Christian Watson
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Rich Waltz (play-by-play) & Aaron Taylor (analyst) & Brandon Bishop (sideline)
* Pregame line: San Jose State −2.5
| Statistics | FRES | SJSU |
| First downs | 19 | 21 |
| Plays–yards | 72–308 | 61–459 |
| Rushes–yards | 31–83 | 43–313 |
| Passing yards | 225 | 146 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 23–41–2 | 9–18–0 |
| Time of possession | 27:40 | 32:20 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Fresno State | Passing | Logan Fife | 11/21, 115 yards, TD, INT |
| Fresno State | Rushing | Malik Sherrod | 15 carries, 68 yards |
| Fresno State | Receiving | Mac Dalena | 6 receptions, 69 yards, TD |
| San Jose State | Passing | Chevan Cordeiro | 9/18, 146 yards, 3 TD |
| San Jose State | Rushing | Kairee Robinson | 19 carries, 200 yards, 2 TD |
| San Jose State | Receiving | Nick Nash | 4 receptions, 66 yards, TD |

### New Mexico

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lobos | 3 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 25 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
at Valley Children's Stadium • Fresno, California
* Date: Saturday, November 18, 2023
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: Rain • Temperature: 57 °F (14 °C) • Wind: N 3mph
* Game attendance: 38,569
* Referee: Patrick Foy
* TV announcers (FS1): Jordan Kent (play-by-play) & Will Blackmon (analyst)
* Pregame line: Fresno State −23.0
| Statistics | UNM | FRES |
| First downs | 26 | 13 |
| Plays–yards | 72–528 | 49–235 |
| Rushes–yards | 51–345 | 19–34 |
| Passing yards | 183 | 195 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 10–21–2 | 18–32–0 |
| Time of possession | 39:05 | 20:55 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| New Mexico | Passing | Dylan Hopkins | 8/18, 124 yards, 2 INT |
| New Mexico | Rushing | Jacory Croskey-Merritt | 21 carries, 209 yards, 2 TD |
| New Mexico | Receiving | Caleb Medford | 6 receptions, 122 yards, TD |
| Fresno State | Passing | Logan Fife | 9/15, 137 yards |
| Fresno State | Rushing | Malik Sherrod | 13 carries, 50 yards, TD |
| Fresno State | Receiving | Jalen Moss | 1 reception, 53 yards |

### San Diego State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 18 |
| Aztecs | 3 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 33 |
at Snapdragon Stadium • San Diego, California
* Date: Saturday, November 25, 2023
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 55 °F (13 °C) • Wind: 0mph
* Referee: Michael Cuttone
* TV announcers (FS1): Guy Haberman (play-by-play) & Will Blackmon (analyst)
* Pregame line: Fresno State −5.0
| Statistics | FRES | SDSU |
| First downs | 17 | 21 |
| Plays–yards | 56–341 | 79–415 |
| Rushes–yards | 19–151 | 53–226 |
| Passing yards | 190 | 189 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 21–37–1 | 17–26–0 |
| Time of possession | 19:09 | 40:51 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Fresno State | Passing | Mikey Keene | 21/36, 190 yards, INT |
| Fresno State | Rushing | Malik Sherrod | 15 carries 138 yards, 2 TD |
| Fresno State | Receiving | Erik Brooks | 5 receptions, 53 yards |
| San Diego State | Passing | Jalen Mayden | 17/26, 189 yards, TD |
| San Diego State | Rushing | Jalen Mayden | 14 carries, 96 yards, TD |
| San Diego State | Receiving | Cameron Harpole | 3 receptions, 46 yards |

### Vs. New Mexico State (New Mexico Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aggies | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Bulldogs | 10 | 7 | 3 | 17 | 37 |
at University Stadium • Albuquerque, New Mexico
* Date: Saturday, December 16, 2023
* Game time: 2:45 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 12 °F (−11 °C) • Wind:
* TV announcers (ESPN): Clay Matvick (play-by-play) & Rod Gilmore (analyst)
* Pregame line: New Mexico State −3.5
| Statistics | NMST | FRES |
| First downs | 13 | 22 |
| Plays–yards | 60–200 | 65–491 |
| Rushes–yards | 35–142 | 25–111 |
| Passing yards | 58 | 380 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 11–25–1 | 31–40–1 |
| Time of possession | 28:38 | 31:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| New Mexico State | Passing | Diego Pavia | 11/25, 58 yards, INT |
| New Mexico State | Rushing | Diego Pavia | 18 carries, 72 yards, TD |
| New Mexico State | Receiving | Eli Stowers | 3 receptions, 20 yards |
| Fresno State | Passing | Mikey Keene | 31/39, 380 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Fresno State | Rushing | Malik Sherrod | 20 carries, 90 yards |
| Fresno State | Receiving | Malik Sherrod | 8 receptions, 81 yards |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | — | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 24 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | |
| Coaches | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | RV | RV | — | — | |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |