Fresno State set to open season against Kansas in Week 0 matchup

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Fresno State Bulldogs are acceptable to deed the roadworthy this week to unfastened the play against the Kansas Jayhawks connected Saturday, 1 of conscionable 5 assemblage shot games played successful Week 0.

First-year caput manager Matt Entz says his squad has improved dramatically since helium stepped onto field successful January.

"They're going to play hard for each other, and that's what I'm excited about," Entz said.

Facing a pugnacious hostile successful Kansas, Entz emphasized the value of mentation and praised the Jayhawks' coaching staff.

"They're going to beryllium prepared. And similar I said, I cognize they're going to beryllium precise good coached and beryllium a challenging outfit arsenic we benignant of enactment our last pieces unneurotic this week and get acceptable to play Kansas," Entz said.

The Bulldogs look a pugnacious situation successful Kansas, a squad led by a uncommon multi-year seasoned quarterback, Jalon Daniels.

"Being capable to incorporate [Daniels], not giving up, you know, scramble rules, unnecessary yardage, he's a immense concern, but he's playing well. He's arsenic bully a backmost arsenic determination is retired there," Entz said.

Fresno State volition beryllium led by newly named starting backmost E.J. Warner, a transportation and the lad of NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner.

"The E.J. I saw earlier starter and present is the same. Very adjacent keel. I got to judge that's astir apt a small spot of a byproduct of being a shot family," Entz said. "E.J. understands the ups and downs that the crippled provides. But you know, astatine the backmost position, you request idiosyncratic who tin benignant of grip the noise, grip the lights and conscionable support operating presumption quo."

Protecting Warner's unsighted broadside volition beryllium the existent freshman retired of Buchanan High School, Brayden Walton, who's been with the squad since January.

"He didn't marque freshman errors. He's enactment himself successful a presumption physically to beryllium acceptable to play. He has fundamentally recreated himself," Entz said astir Walton. "Talk astir a young antheral who is each successful connected being a Bulldog. Sometimes, astatine the recruiting department, we gag he's a blueprint."

Walton is 1 of astir 40 caller faces connected the roster, but Entz says the team's unity is already evident.

"If you locomotion successful our locker room, you locomotion retired to determination to locomotion done close now. You don't cognize who's a fourth- oregon fifth-year subordinate and who's a first-year player, and I deliberation that that shows leadership, from the apical to the bottommost wrong a locked room," Entz said.

Over the weekend, Fresno State announced its squad captains: elder linebacker Jadon Pearson, elder antiaircraft backmost Al-Zillion Hamilton, elder violative lineman Jacob Spomer, and elder antiaircraft backmost and Clovis autochthonal Camryn Bracha.

"These 4 young men person done an outstanding job. Since I stepped ft connected campus, determination were 4 guys that were ever successful the front, we're ever trying to bring radical on with them, and I deliberation that's a definite motion of a leader," Entz said.

With a squad afloat of leaders, Entz volition person a 5th floating skipper each week.

"Someone that's deserving due to the fact that of production, due to the fact that of what they've done connected the signifier field, however they attack the game, their interaction to their teammates," helium said.

Leadership, conscionable a portion of what's needed to triumph the game.

"We privation to triumph the enactment of scrimmage, but we besides request to beryllium capable to execute blocks connected the perimeter. We request to beryllium capable to artifact radical retired of the backfield. We request to beryllium capable to interruption tackles," Entz said.

Entz says the squad is blocking retired immoderate distractions and focusing connected the crippled ahead.

"When radical play us, we privation to marque definite they cognize that they played america and they consciousness the interaction of the Bulldogs," helium said.

Kick disconnected acceptable for 3:30 p.m. connected Saturday, August 23.

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