Ask a Fresno State writer: Another top-end QB, high-powered offense up next for Broncos
The Boise State football team has faced some of the top quarterbacks in the country this season.
UCF’s Dillon Gabriel opened the season as a Heisman hopeful before he was injured, and Nevada’s Carson Strong, who leads the Mountain West in most passing categories, earned a lot of preseason hype as a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
When the Broncos take the field at No. 25 Fresno State on Saturday (5 p.m. MT, CBS SN), they’ll face another quarterback known for carving up defenses: senior Jake Haener.
Heaner began his college career at Washington, where he appeared in four games in 2018 before transferring to Fresno State and sitting out the 2019 season, per NCAA rules. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound native of Danville, California, won the starting job last season and earned honorable mention All-Mountain West honors after leading the conference and ranking No. 4 in the country with 336.8 passing yards a game.
It was at Washington that Boise State co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Kane Ioane got an up-close look at Haener. Ioane left his alma mater, Montana State, to spend the 2017 and 2018 seasons as a defensive quality control coach at Washington, which was led at the time by former Boise State coach Chris Petersen.
“They’ve got tremendous skill, and they’ve got a tremendous leader,” Ioane said of the Bulldogs’ offense. “As far as Mr. Haener is concerned, he’s a competitor, he knows their offense inside and out, he’s able to run the show, and he’s got some weapons all around him. ... He trusts his receivers so much, he throws them open and puts them in position to go make a play.”
Haener leads the Mountain West and ranks No. 4 in the country with 2,888 passing yards this season. He is No. 2 in the conference in completions (344), touchdown passes (23), passing yards per game (320.9) and passer efficiency rating (156). He trails Strong in all four of those categories.
Haener’s favorite target in the passing game, junior wide receiver Jalen Cropper, leads the Mountain West with 10 receiving touchdowns, and he’s No. 3 in the conference in receptions (61) and No. 4 in receiving yards (664). He was banged up in Fresno State’s win over previously undefeated San Diego State on Saturday, but he is expected to play against the Broncos, Bulldogs coach Kalen DeBoer said in his weekly press conference on Monday.
Fresno State’s top running back, fifth-year senior Ronnie Rivers, also suffered an injury against the Aztecs, but he’s expected to be on the field this weekend, too, according to DeBoer. Rivers leads the Bulldogs with 573 rushing yards, and his four rushing touchdowns are tied with fellow fifth-year senior Jordan Mims, who has 504 yards on the season after posting 186 and two TDs against San Diego State.
Robert Kuwada, Fresno State beat writer for the Fresno Bee, sat down with the Idaho Statesman this week to preview what Haener and the Bulldogs have in store for Boise State on Saturday.
Where does Jake Haener rank among the top QBs in Fresno State history and what are his greatest strengths on the field?
That’s a good question, but Haener still has some time to come up with a more credible answer than I could give you right now. Fresno State obviously has a good history with quarterbacks: Kevin Sweeney, Trent Dilfer, David and Derek Carr. Last season, Haener got off to the best start of any of them, at least going back to 2000, by throwing for 2,021 yards in the first six games of his career.
In just 15 games, Haener is nearly in the school’s top 10 for career passing yards. But he has four and maybe five games remaining this season and another season of eligibility, if he wants it. As far as toughness and competitiveness, though, I can’t imagine anyone has shown more than he has in absorbing some monster hits, getting up and then just continuing to play ball.
It sounds like RB Ronnie Rivers and WR Jalen Cropper have been banged up but are expected to play on Saturday. What do they add to the offense?
Cropper and Rivers are both dynamic players. It’d be like losing Khalil Shakir and ... I don’t know. I think Boise State running backs and I think Jay Ajayi and Alexander Mattison — real downhill guys. Rivers is an incredibly versatile player. He’ll line up in the backfield and run inside or out, line up in the slot or out wide by the numbers. He made a catch against the sideline a couple of games back where you’d think he was a wideout with the way he got his hands up to a high point and got his feet down.
Rivers is a tough guy to match up with when Fresno State uses him that way. Cropper, too. He runs most of his routes out of the slot, and he can just fly by most guys lined up across from him. He has plays of 80-plus yards receiving and rushing in his career and also threw a touchdown pass. The question was what they add to the offense and it’s probably that, dynamic versatility and playmaking ability.
What would you say is the strength of Fresno State’s defense, and who are some players Boise State should be aware of on that side of the ball?
They’re strong up the middle and off the edges. Tackle Kevin Atkins has 10.5 tackles for loss, which is tied with Nevada’s Tristan Nichols for most by an interior defensive lineman in the conference. Arron Mosby has 10 TFLs, and David Perales has started to really come on. He has 7.5 TFLs over the past five games and 9.5 on the season. Those three guys are all ranked in the top nine in the Mountain West in TFLs, and no other team has more than one player in there.
In the middle you have the former Bronco Tyson Maeva, who is backed up by Malachi Langley and then Levelle Bailey. Evan Williams is the best safety in the conference. Boise State’s JL Skinner has slightly more tackles per game, but Williams also has three interceptions and a forced fumble. Pro Football Focus has an 85.9 grade on Williams and 80.8 in coverage. Skinner is graded at 73.6 and 78.6, so that’s really not that close.
The Bulldogs have won some big games this year against UCLA, Nevada and San Diego St. They also struggled against Hawaii. Have common themes appeared in their wins?
More so in their losses — turnovers. They had a 24-21 lead in the fourth quarter at Oregon with 10 minutes or so left and had the football. A few first downs, maybe a score, and that game could have ended differently. But they fumbled the ball away at their own 32, gave the Ducks a short field, and even then they still could only kick a field goal to tie the score. But that turnover was big.
At Hawaii, they turned it over six times, with four interceptions and two fumbles, and two of those picks were in the red zone. They had a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and then there’s an interception and Hawaii scores a touchdown, a turnover on downs and then another touchdown, a fumble and a field goal.
Boise State and Fresno State have split their past four games and they’ve all been close. What have you come to expect when the Broncos and Bulldogs play?
I expect to see just that — a close, well-played football game. That’s an evolving dynamic, I’m sure, for a lot of people, especially up there. Boise State ruled this series for a long time, obviously. The first game I saw was a 57-7 wipeout and Fresno State wasn’t really close on the field or as a program. But the way the two have headed recently, I don’t think either team or even the fans of either team expect to see a blowout like that. It’s a fun game to try to pick apart these days, deciphering strengths and weaknesses and who can do what to whom.
Are there any COVID-19 protocols in the stadium, city or county that visiting fans should be aware of?
The COVID protocols for fans are pretty easy, compared to other places. Bulldog Stadium is open to its full capacity with no physical distancing requirements, in accordance with the California Department of Public Health guidelines for mega-outdoor events. Those not vaccinated against the coronavirus are required to wear a face mask, and everyone in attendance, whether vaccinated or not, is strongly encouraged to wear a face mask when in common areas of the stadium. Masks also are required to ride the shuttle vans to the stadium and carts.
Which food trucks are a must-visit on game day?
The lineup on Saturday is Bulldog Burger Bistro, Planet Vegan, Taqueria Jaliscience and Wing Your Bell. I probably should go to Planet Vegan since I’ve been told to start eating better, but the burger place and the taco place are GFF (Good, for Fresno). Wing Your Bell is making its first appearance at a game, so I think I’m gonna have to give that a try along with some of those vegetable things. If you want to grab something to go and head to the game for some tailgating, there’s a little place just up the street from Bulldog Stadium called Mike’s Grill. The tri-tip sandwich is, by far, the best in town. Get the jumbo. It’s like a 57-7 football game, and Mike’s has the 57.
BOISE STATE AT NO. 25 FRESNO STATE
When: 5 p.m. Mountain time Saturday
Where: Bulldog Stadium, Fresno, California
TV: CBS Sports Network (John Sadak, Aaron Murray, Lindsay Rhodes). That’s channel 139 on Sparklight, 221 on DirecTV and 158 on Dish Network.
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 4-4, 2-2; Fresno State 7-2, 4-1.
Series: Boise State is 15-7 all-time against Fresno State, but the teams haven’t played since the 2018 Mountain West championship game, which the Bulldogs won 19-16 in overtime.
Vegas line: Fresno State by 5
Weather: High of 70 degrees, 8% chance of rain, 5 mph winds
This story was originally published November 3, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
