Previewing Michigan Vs. Fresno State With A Bulldogs Insider

By Clayton Sayfie

TheWolverine.com caught up with Paul Loeffler, the radio play-by-play commentator for Fresno State, for insight on the Bulldogs ahead of the season opener against Michigan Wolverines football. Loeffler broke down Fresno State and projected how the game will play out. We begin with the projected starting lineup for the Bulldogs:

Fresno State projected starters on offense

• #1 – Junior QB Mikey Keene (5-11, 200) — The UCF transfer was an All-Mountain West honorable mention selection for the Bulldogs last season, completing 67 percent of his passes for 2,976 yards and 24 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. He was sacked 19 times and recorded -136 rushing yards on 29 attempts.

• #2 – Senior RB Malik Sherrod (5-8, 177) — The All-Mountain West honorable mention standout carried 172 times for 966 yards and 9 touchdowns in 12 outings last season. He finished the season with 1,462 all-purpose yards, the fourth most in the conference. His 260 receiving yards ranked sixth on the squad. Even with his diminutive size, Sherrod racked up 3.5 yards after contact per carry, tops on the team and 34th nationally (minimum 147 attempts).

• #0 – Senior WR Mac Dalena (5-11, 180) — Ranked fourth on the team with 47 catches and 509 receiving yards, and he cashed in 3 touchdowns in 2023. He saw 35 of his grabs come within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, and he averaged just 3.8 yards after the catch per reception. He made a team-best 9 contested catches.

• #4 – Junior WR Chedon James (5-9, 173) — The Idaho State transfer was named first-team All-Big Sky last season, leading the FCS with 102 total receptions and ranking fourth in the division with 1,045 receiving yards. He found the end zone 8 times.

• #18 – Sophomore WR Jalen Moss (6-1, 175) — Placed second on the team with 55 catches and 706 receiving yards, posting a team-high 6 touchdown grabs last season. Sixteen of his receptions came 10-plus yards beyond the line of scrimmage, and he made 7 contested catches.

• #86 – Senior TE Jake Boust (6-4, 245) — Caught 4 passes for 30 yards and a score last season. He played 301 offensive snaps (14th-most on the offense and second-most among tight ends). Junior Kamron Beachem is listed as a co-starter at the position. He played mostly special teams in 2023.

• #77 – Senior LT Toreon Penright (6-3, 290) — Appeared in nine games over the previous three seasons and may make his first start Saturday. There’s an ‘or’ separating Penright and senior Kingsley Ugwu on the depth chart. Ugwu, a Kansas State transfer, appeared in three outings with one start in 2023.

• #78 – Senior LG Osmar Velez (6-1, 308) — Played in all 13 games with 11 starts last season. He posted a 60.8 overall PFF rating and allowed 18 pressures (second-most on the team) and 4 sacks (tied most).

• #51 – Senior C Mose Vavao (6-3, 317) — The second-team All-Mountain West honoree started all 13 games a season ago, but at right guard. He didn’t commit a penalty all season, and he allowed just 1 sack and 15 pressures in pass protection. Easily the Bulldogs’ most experienced offensive lineman, Vavao has logged 2,657 offensive snaps and 42 starts in his career.

• #54 – Junior RG Campbell McHarg (6-3, 290) — The Oregon State transfer saw time in one game for Fresno State last season before suffering a season-ending injury. He played in three games for the Beavers in 2022.

• #75 – Senior RT Braylen Nelson (6-6, 320) — Has opened 25 career outings, including all 13 last season. He gave up 20 pressures and 30 sacks and registered a 68.8 overall PFF rating a year ago.

Fresno State projected starters on defense

• #92 – Junior DT Gavriel Lightfoot (6-4, 296) — Has started 15 career games, including 12 last season. He racked up 20 tackles, including 1.5 for loss, and 3 quarterback hurries in 2023.

• #98 – Senior DT Kavika Baumgartner (6-2, 298) — Totaled 13 tackles and 1 quarterback hurry as a backup last season.

• #0 – Redshirt junior DE Korey Foreman (6-4, 245) — The USC transfer and former five-star+ and No. 2 overall recruit in the 2021 class spent three seasons in Los Angeles. He totaled just 25 tackles and 1 interception in three seasons. There’s an ‘or’ between Foreman and sophomore Jahzon Jacks (6-5, 267) on the depth chart. Jacks had 12 tackles and 3 quarterback hurries in 2023.

• #5 – Senior DE Devo Bridges (6-2, 255) — The sixth-year senior was a second-team All-Mountain West selection last season, starting all 13 games and leading the defensive line with 51 tackles. He added 8 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 1 interception, 8 quarterback hurries and 1 pass breakup. His 42 pressures ranked tied for 14th in the Group of Five. Bridges posted 5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks in 2022.

• #9 – Senior LB Malachi Langley (6-1, 236) — Led the team with 84 tackles last season, adding 5 for loss and 1 sack. He had at least 2 stops in every contest. He was named honorable mention All-Mountain West in 2022, when he was second on the squad with 68 tackles. Junior Phoenix Jackson, who recorded 34 tackles and 1 pick last season, is listed as a co-starter at this spot.

• #8 – Senior LB Tuasivi Nomura (6-1, 221) — After missing the start of the 2023 season with an injury, he tallied 13 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and 1 sack. He transferred in from USC, where he played from 2019-22 and posted 25 tackles his last season there.

• #20 – Junior NB RJ Regan (6-0, 185) — The Arizona State transfer played in eight games for the Sun Devils a year ago, registering 6 tackles.

• #1 – Senior CB Cam Lockridge (6-0, 182) — Started eight of 13 outings and recorded 39 tackles and a team-best 5 interceptions in 2022, before playing in just four games due to injury last season. In 2023, he racked up 12 tackles and 1 pick.

• #3 – Junior CB Al’zillion Hamilton (5-11, 186) — Notched 31 tackles, 2 interceptions and 8 pass breakups in 13 games with 10 starts in 2023. He was targeted 70 times in coverage, giving up 37 receptions for 467 yards and 5 touchdowns.

• #32 – Senior S Dean Clark (6-1, 206) — The team’s second-leading tackler had 83 stops last season, adding 3 interceptions and 4 pass breakups. The Kent State transfer played in 34 total outings in his time there (2019-22) and posted a 100-plus-tackle season in 2021 (116).

• #22 – Senior S Camryn Bracha (6-0, 186) — Totaled 38 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and 1 pass breakup in 11 games with four starts last season. He started his career at Fresno City College.

Fresno State specialists

• #46 – Junior K Dylan Lynch (5-10, 174) — Made 24 of his 30 field goal attempts last season, and his 112 points ranked third most in a season in program history. He went 7-for-10 from 40-49 yards and 2-of-3 from 50-plus with a 52-yard long.

• #41 – Sophomore P Nick Verdugo (5-10, 168) — The punter battle is too close to call, head coach Tim Skipper said Monday, so he listed both Verdugo and freshman Clay Lawrence at the top of the depth chart. Verdugo didn’t see game action last season, after transferring in from Old Dominion. Lawrence is a native of Western Australia.

• #2 – Senior PR/KR Malik Sherrod (5-8, 177) — The running back averaged 29.5 yards per kickoff return last season. He didn’t return punts but is slated to take over that job this fall.

Breaking down QB Mikey Keene

Keene is a decisive passer, getting the ball out in 2.48 seconds on average last season. He played through an injury that hurt the Bulldogs in the win/loss columns last year, but he returned to form in a 37-10 New Mexico Bowl victory over New Mexico State.

“If you go back to the start of last year, he leads them to victory at Purdue with a fourth-quarter comeback, goes back to his hometown of Phoenix and plays great against Arizona State,” Loeffler said. “They were undefeated in non-conference, and it wasn’t until they got to conference play that he got banged up a little bit.

“They ended up on a three-game losing streak that knocked them out of contention for a New Year’s Six bowl, which was a real possibility. They lost their shot at a conference championship. And then he got healthy for the bowl game and was super good. 

“He’s really accurate, processes quickly. I think it’s one of those things that if the offensive line can give him time — which is a big ‘if’ in this game, with Michigan’s front seven — but if they give him time, he’s a pretty good decision-maker. 

“He’s not a big runner. He’s not looking to advance it that way, but he’ll pick a defense apart if you give him time. And they do have plenty of weapons. They lost a couple receivers that are playing professionally, but they reloaded pretty well through the portal.”

Fresno State run game

Fresno State relies heavily on the pass. The Bulldogs averaged 39.8 passes per game last season, the ninth-highest mark in America, while the run game struggled. The Bulldogs slotted 118th with just 105.5 rushing yards per contest but have a returning starting running back in Sherrod who is versatile.

“They want to run it better than last year,” Loeffler pointed out. “Malik Sherrod came on strong at the end of last season. In the last nine games, he averaged 121 yards from scrimmage.

“He’s good out of the backfield. He can catch it and make people miss. He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s more physical than you expect him to be. He’s probably their most proven pass protector among their running backs.”

The Fresno State offensive line will be down a big piece in left tackle Jacob Spomer, who tore his ACL last season and is still recovering. But Loeffler still sees some positives with the offensive line.

“They’re still without maybe their most talented offensive lineman. Their left tackle, Jacob Spomer, is out,” Loeffler said. “He missed the second half of last year. But their center and their right tackle have tons of experience — a lot of game experience, really good players. That gives you some confidence that they can protect the quarterback.”

Cam Lockridge headlines the Fresno State secondary

Lockridge is a playmaker that also played through an injury last season, and the cornerback highlights a strong defensive backfield.

“Fans naturally always want to talk about offense and the quarterback, and it is a big deal to have a returning quarterback, but I think I’m more excited about that defense, because they’re really deep, they’re really experienced,” Loeffler said. “They’ve got several fifth- and sixth-year seniors.

“Cam Lockridge is back. That was another factor last year that people overlooked: He gets hurt in Game 5 — they’re undefeated at that point — and it was after that, they had that losing streak. He had been probably the best corner in the league for a couple of years. He’s a really dynamic player; he’s a pick-six waiting to happen. That’s a big-time playmaker.”

Experienced linebackers and deep line

The Fresno State front seven is strong, led by experienced linebackers. Pass rush was the strength a year ago, with the group notching 2.3 sacks per game (49th in the country).

“The linebackers, they run a 4-2-5 base, but there will be packages where they have three in there,” Loeffler said. “Malachi Langley, a sixth-year senior, is really physical, really assignment-sound, in the right place. You’ll feel it when he hits you.

“Tuasivi Nomura actually got voted a team captain. He’s a transfer from USC that is coming off an injury and only got to play half of last year. He’s a really quick player and I think will show up in the pass rush from that position.

“This guy Phoenix Jackson was a real revelation last year. He might be the best athlete on the defense. He’s really rangy, covers sideline-to-sideline, good mix of physicality and coverage ability.”

The defensive line is deep, similar to Michigan’s in that regard, and led by two edge rushers in Bridges and Foreman.

“Up front, they’ve got a lot of depth,” Loeffler explained. “They can go about 10 deep on that D-line. Their ends are Devo Bridges, who’s a sixth-year senior, kind of a leader of that group. He’s played inside in the past. Now he’s outside, but they can move him around. And Korey Foreman, a transfer from ‘SC, who was one of the top recruits in the country when he came out of high school. So there are high expectations there.

“The key guys in this game are going to be the defensive tackles. Lightfoot had to play hurt last year, and that really coincided with their struggles. But he’s healthy. And they got some other big bodies there inside that they’ve got some confidence in.

“I think that defense is going to have a good year. The coordinator is Kevin Coyle, who’s been around forever. He’s coached at a lot of Power Four schools, coached in the NFL. His system is a little bit complicated, but now he’s got a group with a lot of veterans, a lot of experience, a lot of depth. So I think he’s gonna be pretty aggressive in his play-calling this year, because he’s got that trust with those guys.”

How Loeffler sees the game playing out

Since he’s calling the game on the radio, Loeffler declined to give a final score prediction. But he did give his thoughts on some scenarios in which the game could play out, including on our question of how the Bulldogs could pull off an upset.

“If Fresno State can get off to a good start and don’t fall behind early, I think the defense is good enough to keep this game in the 20s,” Loeffler said. “Maybe a key turnover here or there could give them a chance to pull off the upset.

“I think if you were to tell Mikey Keene, ‘Hey, you get four touchdowns, you’re gonna win the game.’ I think he would accept that challenge and feel confident in their ability to do that. So I think if they can keep the game in the 20s, they’ve got a good chance at the upset.

“If they go down double digits early and become one-dimensional, it might be a long night.”